SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A Sioux Falls fighter continues to make his presence felt in the world of mixed martial arts.

Devin Clark has been a professional fighter for 12 years and a part of UFC since 2016.

“So, right now, globally, I’m probably ranked 16 or 17 in the world at light heavyweight,” UFC light heavyweight Devin Clark said.

As the calendar turned to February, Clark, who lost his last time out, hadn’t fought in nearly six months.

“One of the biggest things was to get my mind right. We knew we needed to be ready and have a solid mindset and a game plan,” Clark said.

The man known as “Brown Bear” bounced back in a big way Saturday in Las Vegas, beating Da-Un Jung by unanimous decision.

“We had a really good victory, it was a tough fight, but it was good and we checked all those boxes I was looking to check,” Clark said.

Clark is now 8-7 since joining UFC, where he says every fight is equal parts physical and mental.

“You get to the UFC and they’re all good athletes as well, and some of them are really good actual fighters too, so while I was learning how to be a great fighter these guys were a little bit of both. That’s where the mentality comes in and really having a strong mindset going into a fight,” Clark said.

“You see the work that goes into it and you see how hard and how long these guys train to start to achieve that level of success. It is probably the hardest sport in the world,” Forged Strength owner Matt Dolan said.

Matt Dolan is Clark’s strength coach and sums up Devin’s work ethic in one word.

“Unreal. Unreal, to be the best in the world as something takes a level of work ethic that most people can’t even comprehend,” Dolan said.

Clark’s next fight could be in weeks or months but fresh off Saturday’s win he has a message for fans.

“I got hit in the head a few times and then after my fight, my post-fight speech, all I could think about was this golden retriever that I’m getting, this puppy that I’m getting, and I forgot to thank everybody back home, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you South Dakota you guys have always been good to me,” Clark said.

Clark lives in Sioux Falls and trains in Denver, Colorado. He says since he didn’t break any bones last weekend, he could be ready to climb back into the octagon in as little as two weeks.