Lahat looking to keep his winning ways going in Vegas

Father knows best. When UFC featherweight Noad Lahat called his dad last May to let him know of the birth of his son Ezra, the new grandpa knew just what to say to his son to mix joy and wisdom in the same sentence.

“He was like, ‘Congratulations. From now on, it’s only going to get harder.’”

Lahat laughs, but it’s true. And those words could also apply to the fighting career of the 31-year-old prospect, whose back-to-back wins over Steven Siler and Niklas Backstrom put him in an important – but positive – position heading into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night bout against Diego Rivas. Win, and it’s three in a row and a good start to 2016. Lose, and…well, that’s not something that enters the mind…