Get to know Devon Lozej ahead of his title fight at MECCA XXI
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Canada’s Bad Boy, Devon Lozej looks to capture his first professional MMA title on February 17. He is set to take on Sean Stebbins for the vacant flyweight title and has the chance to extend his 2023 win streak to three-straight finishes. MECCA XXI will go down at the Canterbury Park Expo Center in Shakopee, Minnesota.
Before he makes the walk again for IGNITE Fights, learn a little more about “The Dream”:
1. He’s an Indigenous Canadian
Devon is a proud member of the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. It’s a Saulteaux First Nation band that inhabits the Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. About 19km southeast of Dryden, Ontario, and located on the shores of Dinorwic Lake.
The First Nation reserved for itself the 5,209.2 hectares Wabigoon Lake 27 Indian Reserve. As of May 2021, they had a registered population of 822 people.
2. He was told he was “too small” growing up
Growing up in Manitoba, Devon played hockey like most Canadians do. Even before moving to Dryden, Ontario, he was always told that he was too small for the sport. At 13 years old, he got kicked off of the hockey team for fighting too much. It would eventually lead him to joining his high school wrestling team, where he won the majority of tournaments he competed in. Lozej also won regionals all four years.
Once he turned 18, he found Leading Edge MMA, the gym he still calls home today. There’s a moment in every fighter’s career where the switch happens to pursing MMA seriously. That was age 23 for Devon, who would later make his amateur debut at 25.
3. He fought at his natural weight when he started MMA
Devon made his MMA debut in 2019. In dominating fashion, he defeated Timothy Barber via TKO in Round 1 at Warrior Games 5. Fun fact, in his first 9 MMA fights, he fought at his natural weight. After years of being told he was too small, Lozej would challenge and motivate himself by fighting bigger guys. He went undefeated, 4-0 in his amateur career.
At the height of the the pandemic in 2021, Devon decided to turn pro. Today he is 4-2 and one fight away from his achieving his biggest accolade in the sport.
4. He wanted to be a UFC Fighter since he was 12 years old
After watching his idol Matt Hughes back in the days, Devon was inspired to become a UFC fighter. He watched him dominate in the octagon with his wresting and knew that one-day he’d follow his footsteps. Being obsessed with the sport, you know damn well he knows exactly who’s ahead of him and on the come-up alongside him.
Devon is a secret diehard MMA fan, and watches almost every live event on UFC Fight Pass. In order to do so, he gave up watching all other sports to have more time for MMA. Needless to say, his weekends are for UFC.
5. He got into over 40 street fights when he was younger
Lozej is the epitome of anytime, anywhere, anyone when it comes to fighting. Not only was he watching Matt Hughes and getting into hockey fights at a young age, he was doing the same on the streets too. Devon is the reason why WWE added the “Don’t try this at Home” segment before Monday Night RAW. He’s always down to scrap, choking people out with triangles and guillotines whenever possible.
Whether it’s because he’s from a small town, or because he grew up watching the WWF Attitude Era, he’ll throw hands and talk shit while doing it. In his words, he’s like, “that fight you take that’s not worth it on the regional circuit.” He was small and was probably gonna beat your ass, no upside.
MECCA XXI is stacked with multiple title fights and up-and-coming prospects. You can catch Devon Lozej on February 17, live on Spectation Sports.
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