CFFC 122's Will Rentz credits first loss for refining career approach: 'That's where you grow the most'

After a broken leg and herniated disc forced Rentz to the sidelines, 'Iron' Will says a new path became clear.

For Will Rentz, his April win over Tyler Keating was much more than just another victory to put on his record. For the man known as "Iron" Will, it marked the completion of an awfully difficult chapter in his professional career.

"That was a special one," Rentz admits. "Coming off just about a year-and-a-half layoff, coming off a loss. I broke my leg. Herniated disc in my back – so it was a long road back to that one, and it was special getting that, especially the way I got it – first-round finish. 

"Yeah, that was a special one for me." 

Prior to his most recent victory, Rentz hadn't competed since late 2021, a decision loss to the always dangerous Frank Wells. It's a fight that Rentz took on short notice, but it's also a fight he probably should have never accepted.

"I was out for six months after that fight because I broke my leg," Rentz said. "It was actually broken going into the fight I lost, and it just got significantly worse in there."

Not the greatest choice in retrospect, but one that Rentz doesn't regret. He says the time off that followed, not to mention the additional recovery needed after suffering a herniated disc, gave him an opportunity to reconsider his mental approach to MMA.

"That loss definitely opened my eyes up to a few different ways that I was training that I probably shouldn't have been," Rentz said. "I'm kind of wild when it comes to training. My problem is never really that I don't train enough. It was that I just train way too much, and I would go into fights with injuries. 

"Like I said, my leg was broken going into that fight, and then I was just banged up and drained, so really the main thing for me was just being a lot more efficient with my training. I'm still training just as many hours, but it's more light work, more mental work, and then I still have those hard sessions, but they're just dialed back and there's less of them."

Rentz's refined approach has allowed him to return to action just three months after his latest win, a far cry from the 17 months he was forced to endure prior. The 24-year-old Rentz (2-1) now faces fellow lightweight Feraris Golden (3-4) in the featured preliminary bout of Thursday's CFFC 122 event.

The night's prelims stream live and free on OnlyFans prior to the main card, which airs on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Golden is a five-time CFFC veteran, and Rentz knows he's a much tougher opponent than a simple glance at his fight results might suggest.

"Some people will look at the record and think it's an easy matchup, but I've watched all of his fights, and Feraris is a talented dude," Rentz said. "He's got some great striking, good kicks, good boxing. He's quick, got some power, so he's dangerous, especially in those first few minutes, so it's going to be a tough fight, especially coming out of the gate, because he's going to put it on me, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of it."

Rentz was undefeated as an amateur, so dealing with the sting of his 2021 loss to Wells was an admittedly frustrating experience. That said, Rentz rebounded in fine fashion and is now once again in pursuit of his ultimate dream.

"It was tough initially, but I feel like those times end up being the best times for you because that's where you grow the most," Rentz said. "It was my first loss, so it was obviously hard for me dealing with that, thinking you're on top of the world, thinking you're going to UFC soon, and then you just kind of get your ass kicked in that fight. 

"Obviously, I was injured and I took that on short notice, but still, I went in there against the better man, and he kicked my ass, so it was definitely a little bit of a reality check and it took me a little bit to get over that, but that definitely ended up being best-case scenario for me because I handled it the right way, dealt with my injuries and just got back to work, kept grinding, put my head down and just made myself better overall in that year-and-a-half. I have a great, great support system around me, so I'm able to just do this right now. I have great sponsors. My parents, my family, they all are behind me 100 percent, so I just put my head down, and I know my results will show it."