Austin Hubbard discusses camp changes ahead of UFC 307

Austin Hubbard loves training close to home for his upcoming fight.

Hubbard will face Alexander Hernandez in a lightweight bout on the preliminary card at UFC 307 on Saturday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hubbard was previously a member of Elevation Fight Team in Aurora, Colorado, and recently transferred to Valle Flow Striking Academy in Bensenville, Illinois.

Hubbard had no bad blood with his previous gym and the move was largely inspired by the birth of his daughter Charlie Jo last May. While Hubbard still has to drive an hour and a half each way from his home in Dixon, Illinois, “Thud” likes to be closer to his family.

“It was too hard to go to Colorado for this camp and be away for seven, eight weeks. So I was at home training at Valle Flow Striking in Chicago,” Hubbard told UFC.com.

“I love elevation. They have been great for me and my career and have obviously contributed a lot to my growth as I trained with them for eight years and they helped me reach the next level of myself as a fighter. But it was definitely nice to get a whole new group of bodies to work with and work with everyone's different styles, different coaching and just a complete redesign of myself and just experiencing everything in a whole new way. And it was a really nice change. I feel like everything they do has helped me a lot at VFS and I'm thrilled.

“It's about 1,000 miles a week and it definitely gets boring, but it's nice to be home and be able to help with the baby and everything. So I think it has some pros and cons.”

This is Hubbard's second UFC appearance, having previously been released in May 2022 due to a 3-4 promotional record. Hubbard picked up two wins on the regional circuit to earn a spot on The Ultimate Fighter 31. While he lost to Kurt Holobaugh in the season finale, Hubbard received a contract and has since rebounded with a decision win over Michal Figlak last April. Hubbard is relieved to be back in the UFC, saying he fought at the regional level primarily to pay off his debts rather than enjoy it.

“It was crazy,” Hubbard said. “Honestly, in the last two years, I didn't think I would be able to feel this good again when I was mentally there and in the hole I was in, to the point where I am now located. And I think when I went through all that, I really didn't have much motivation to fight anymore. I was just broken down all around and with life in general. And the only reason I did that was because I had so much debt. Trying to get back to the UFC and being in Colorado made it so expensive. So that was my only motivation to keep fighting to get my family out of debt, and I really wasn't enjoying it as much anymore. But I went through it all and went through The Ultimate Fighter and did well, and now I'm back in the UFC, I got a win, and now I'm at a point in my life where I'm me “I really feel happy again and grateful for everything I went through because it definitely changed me and developed me as a person to a certain extent.”

Although he has never picked up consecutive wins in the UFC, Hubbard is confident he is capable of doing so. And to achieve that, he must not look past his upcoming opponent, as he learned from his first stint.

“After everything I've been through, especially during my first stint, I know I'm capable of winning, but when you outdo yourself, at least in my experience, you seem to stumble toward it,” says he said. “That’s why I literally don’t look forward any more than what’s in front of me in my contract. And this is Alex Hernandez. So yeah, I have all the other things in the back of my mind, but the main focus right now is just Alex Hernandez and really nothing else. I believe that I am capable of putting together a winning streak, climbing the rankings and so on. So this is a step in that direction and this is the step I need to take first and this is the only thing I’m focused on.”