Chris Colbert needed to show that his fight against Hector Luis Garcia was a fluke, an off night, or in other words, something that will never happen again.

Fighting another contender at 130 pounds wasn’t good enough for the talkative New Yorker. So instead, he arbitrarily decided to do what most weren’t expecting.

Roughly one year after losing a lopsided decision to Garcia, Colbert abandoned the 130-pound division and made his lightweight debut. Greeting him at the door with clenched fists was Jose Valenzuela.

There was nothing easy about fighting a man who weighed significantly more than him on fight night. But, even with Colbert kissing the canvas in the first round, he managed to peel himself off the mat before earning a decision.

Colbert had a point to prove. Beating Valenzuela won’t erase what took place against Garcia, but it at least covered it. Although the lightweight division has a ton of names for Colbert to mix it up with, he revealed that his fight against Valenzuela was just a one-off.

The months have flown by since then. Colbert, for the most part, didn’t change his position. He found it a bit premature to campaign at 135 pounds and believed that he still had business to attend to at 130.

His thought process, however, has changed a bit. Making the super featherweight limit had become an arduous chore. And, with the division somewhat bereft of big names, Colbert likes the idea of competing at 135 pounds moving forward.

He isn’t completely ruling out a return, but unless it’s Garcia or another notable name in his now, former division, Colbert is about to get real comfortable in his new weight class.

“That’s the only way I’m going back down to 130 pounds,” Colbert told the PBC Podcast. “Or I get an opportunity at a title.”