EDMONTON – Erik Koch returns to the octagon at UFC 240 a different person is more ways than one.

Koch (14-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC), who at one time was scheduled to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title, will fight of the first time since January 2018 on Saturday when he meets Kyle Stewart (11-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a welterweight matchup.

After his previous bout took place at lightweight, the decision to jump up another weight class was something that stemmed from perhaps the most important moment of Koch’s life so far: The passing of his father, Doug Vincent Koch.

The death of Koch’s father was unexpected, he said, and although the initial grief was unsurprisingly difficult, the perspective he gained was life-altering.

“I think losing somebody like your mom or dad when you’re really close is like the final step to maturity,” Koch told MMA Junkie. “I feel like I’ve matured more in one year than the entire 29 years before that. I feel like that one shock that happened to me has completely changed me and I feel like my dad is still giving me advice or helping me along the way. It’s emotional, but it’s a good emotional. I’m not angry against the world. He wouldn’t want that. I just feel more motivated than ever to do the things I wish I would’ve done when he was alive.”

The main thing Koch is motivated to do is make the most of his MMA career. His father was his “biggest mentor” from the very beginning, he said, assisting Koch from the time he competed in his first fight at 16 to his evolution into a UFC fighter.

Koch has only been able to fight three times in the past five years, though, and that’s largely in part due to injuries. It’s what stopped him from getting the Aldo title fight in 2012, and what has resulted in 12 canceled bouts during his UFC tenure overall.

From Koch’s perspective, the grueling weight cuts down to featherweight, then subsequently lightweight, were causing him to get injured and not perform as he wanted into the octagon. He said his father always encouraged him move up to a higher division, and now he’s finally listened.

“For years and years I’ve cut so much weight,” Koch said. “Originally I moved (back up) to 155 because I was maturing, getting bigger. My last fight at ’45 was Dustin Poirier. I said, ‘Win, lose or draw this is the last time.’ Kind of like (Michael) Chiesa did when he’s like, ‘I’m not doing this anymore.’ The older I get, the more mature I get, I think cutting weight is super overrated. It all comes down to thinking about how I feel before I fight. It’s common sense. Why do I want to feel terrible before I go fight someone in a cage? It doesn’t make any sense.

“I feel like the best, peaked-out Erik Koch is when I’m like 175. At 175 I can contend with anyone in the gym (at Roufusport). … (My dad) always harped on my to move up a weight class. He’s always harped on me about that. I think it’s very fitting this is a week after his passing, after his one-year (anniversary).”

The loss of a family member is never a pleasant experience, but Koch said he’s been able to take the positive away from a painful experience. He said he knows who he is as a man and a fighter more so than ever, and expects that to translate into the cage at UFC 240.

Koch has always preferred a stand-up fight, and without a weight cut, said he’s confident no one can “outwork” him in the striking realm – or anywhere else for that matter – when competing at 170 pounds.

At 30, Koch said he still sees a long and successful career ahead for himself, especially now that he’s healthy. Nothing has been easy about the past 18 months, but Koch appreciates where he is now in life and intends to maximize the position he’s in now.

“It’s been a crazy ride, but the biggest thing I want and I feel like my dad would want: I used to put a lot of pressure on myself, but now the way I look at it is I’m doing this for me,” Koch said. “This is my career. I started this because I wanted to leave a legacy and I’m not close to done. I’m 30, but I still want to be doing this for a while. … I want to have a long, prosperous career.”

UFC 240 goes down at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Koch vs. Stewart is part of the early prelims on ESPN+, which stream prior to televised prelims on ESPN and the main card on pay-per-view.

For more on UFC 240, check out the UFC Schedule section of the site.