Joe Giannetti once stood on the verge of a full UFC contract, needing just one more win at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale in July 2018. However, defeat in that fight cost Giannetti his UFC opportunity and, by his own admission, his optimism.
Now at 29, Giannetti is adopting a focused, fight-by-fight mentality, much like Bill Belichick`s approach to football. He is preparing to compete at LFA 204 this Saturday at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The event will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.
Throughout his career, regardless of his current standing, Giannetti consistently believed that his next victory would be the one to bring him back to the UFC`s attention. But as disappointments mounted, Giannetti found himself in a negative cycle. Today, this former multiple-time Cage Titans champion is acknowledging his past experiences as he aims for a brighter future in MMA.
“I had a five-fight win streak, and I was a multiple-time Cage Titans champion, but I still wasn`t in the UFC, and there was no communication from them about even potentially being a late replacement,” Giannetti told MMA Fighting. “It makes you question yourself, wondering what more you need to do.”
“I started to think maybe my chance was over, and I’ve even come to accept that maybe I am the biggest underachiever in MMA history. I was in a co-main event for Israel Adesanya during UFC International Fight Week, won the first round, and then my body completely failed me. I performed terribly. The next day, I told everyone that the UFC would cut me, but they thought I was crazy. Weeks later, I was released. Since then, I’ve had wins, losses, and draws, and even struggled with making weight a couple of times. I really messed things up.”
“Maybe I am the biggest screw-up in the sport, but if I can turn things around, that will be an incredible story.”
Giannetti experienced a mixed year in 2024. He secured a quick 27-second ninja choke victory at Cage Titans 65 in May, followed by a split decision loss in a Fight of the Year contender against UFC veteran Peter Barrett less than two months later. Then, in October, he achieved a highlight-reel knockout in his Karate Combat debut, just weeks before his wedding.
With seven wins in his last nine fights, Giannetti’s ambition to compete in the UFC again, and to fight in the octagon outside of Boston, remains strong. Now, he understands it`s up to him to overcome the obstacles, trusting that if he maintains the right approach, the UFC call will come if it`s meant to be.
“It’s funny, because I was joking with friends the other day about this. Before I went on The Ultimate Fighter, I told my roommate, ‘I’m going to get on The Ultimate Fighter, dominate everyone, win the finale, go for the title, and retire from MMA by 30,’” Giannetti said. “That was always the plan – by 29 or 30, have a title, defend it a couple of times, and then be done.”
“Obviously, things haven’t gone that way at all. When I realized that vision wasn`t going to happen, I think I lost hope. I thought, ‘Oh, the plan failed, I’m doomed.’ But I’ve put in the effort, committed to training, made numerous sacrifices in every area – physical, financial, everything. I think it was more about losing hope and accepting the reality that this journey was going to be as tough as I imagined, and even tougher.”
“I recently saw a video that asked, ‘Would you run if you didn’t know the distance?’ If someone told you to reach your goal, would you just keep running until they told you to stop? It sounds simple, like, yes, I’ll run towards my goal, even if I don`t know if it’s one mile or twenty. And that’s my realization – I was expecting it to be a ‘10-mile run,’ but maybe it’s a ‘30-mile run.’ That’s where I am now. I have that hope back, and I’ll keep going as long as it takes to achieve my goals.”
