- Joined
- May 14, 2017
- Messages
- 4,537
- Reaction score
- 9,606
"It's going great. My wounds, they are healing little by little. I still have quite some tendon pain which takes a little more time, but it's going great.We are gradually resuming our training now
after that Caio fight. It's the tendon on the underside of my foot, the sole of my right foot. Currently, I'm more in the recovery phase rather than sharpening my game. But going into a resumption
of everything, little by little. I tried my first grappling session yesterday, and it went pretty well."
It's a good time to reflect on what you've done these last 18 months. Beaten 5 fighters in the top 10, it seems like you've reached a new level in your career?
"Yeah, that's it. It's not too late, which is exactly what we planned. So that's why I have said it from the start since changing teams, that the goal is to be number one. And now we are in the
process of achieving our objective."
Also outside of the cage, we have seen you take steps. Playing the game of trash talking with Caio. Is that also the result of this goal set under new coaches?
"Yeah, of course. We know that trash talking is a part of the game. Like I have said, I have nothing against taking part of it, in our own way. What I mean is that if you post videos that have a
possibility of millions of views, without going too far into insults or bringing this and that into it, it's OK to do it being cheeky. Still remaining your true self, maintaining values."
Let's go straight to the point. That 2026 is the year of finally getting your title shot.
"Exactly, that's what dreams coming true means. The next one is confirmed for the belt. No, it's not frustrating that I've had to ask for it and make my case, because this is the path we chose.
There are three options, three paths. The first is to get there quickly by being an asslicker, the second is to have the hype doing a bit of everything here and there to build it, and the third is to
remain true to yourself, stand firm in your self belief, accepting that you'll have to do twice as much as some others to get the same opportunity.
We chose this path also to set an example, as there are some who only have two fights, at best three against top fighters and jumps ahead to a title fight. So there you have it, it works out to
earn things by putting in the work."
We're going to talk about the champion now, Khamzat Chimaev. Seemingly playing a double game where he publically says you'll get the next shot, and then tell our
colleagues at ESPN some weeks later that, actually, he doesn't want to face you due this Chechnya/Dagestan relationship going on in the Caucasus.
To give us some context, where does this hesitation come from, in taking fights with other combatants from this region?
"After all, here in the West, it's certainly hard to understand. But in the Caucasus mountains, it's going to make some serious noice, let me tell you. Take my auntie who recently called my mother
to ask her about the specific fight, and she knows nothing about MMA, you see? In fact they are talking about the fight due to this. They mostly say 'yeah, it's not a fight to be had, it shouldn't be
between brothers' and so on. You know, so that's how these discussions are like. So yeah, that's why it's a complicated thing for both of us, but at the same time we know we don't have a choice.
The fight for the belt has come to me now at this time. Khamzat's a good guy, he helped me quite a bit for the fight against Allen. He's someone I appreciate."
The fact that he says, though, that he wouldn't really want to fight you. Is it his way of setting up a scenario where you wouldn't be the challenger of his belt?
"No, no, no. He knows and I know, we know that our next fight are against each other. I have done enough to earn the chance, and besides that, we've already had our talks with the UFC and
made plans. Me and my team were leaving Hunter's and Mick's office, with them having told us that they wanted it late February, at first. With my condition it was never booked, and so they asked
if we wanted to stay active and open for other things. They were simply told that this is a fight that will be taken very seriously. Serious matters are taken seriously, so we'll wait for the title shot and
prepare well for him in the meantime. So if I have more time to prepare for this, all the better. I'm young for my division and I'll be even better now comes fight day."
Does it also suit you that it's taking a while to happen now, because, as you said yourself, you have these physical problems to deal with?
"Yeah, that's a very good thing that it's happening after Ramadan. A very, very good thing for me. Had it been set for February, then I would have made myself ready for that as well. I've fought with
injuries before so, but this scenario is perfect. There in February instead we get Strickland vs Hernandez, and hopefully the winner will be Strickland. So this could be a big fight between us for the belt."
If Khamzat goes after Alex Pereira and lands a LHW title fight instead, leaving you out of the picture. Would you want that Strickland fight for the belt at MW?
"Yeah, exactly that. You have said it all for me."
But Khamzat also said 'If the UFC wants to make this fight, I would never say no to them'. What is your position on that, if the UFC sort of forces you to fight?
"When there is no choice, there is no choice. And it remains sports, so we will fight and then at the end there will be mutual respect and we're going to shake hands.
It's for the belt, which is my dream. And his too, so we can't really make choices if that's what we want to have."
We have talked a little about your training with him, as helped you to prepare for Brendan Allen. You were wrestling pretty heavily, how did that go? Did you think
to youself at that time 'yeah, that's it - I can take it'?
"Uh, no. At the time I was mostly preparing for Allen, so we were just training. He came there to give me a hand. It was a lot of situational drills, working against the cage, him taking my back just to
prepare for it in the Allen fight. And yeah, he's a very, very good wrestler. It's no secret, he's the best in our division. It's the best wrestling, even the best of all time in my opinion. Frankly, his level is
something that we haven't seen previously like that."
We recently saw Dricus du Plessis working a lot on the ground game and takedown defense, to counter that and bounce back to the feet. But in the end, he landed insync on
his buttocks. So how do you, on your end, prepare for someone who you say is perhaps the best wrestler of all time?
"We're going to prepare for it by instead focusing on our strong point. People think that if you're facing a wrestler, you should only focus on that ahead of the fight. But that would be a mistake.
Me, I'm not your average wrestler, you see. I am a striker. I'm going to work mostly on my strength, and that's what will make the difference between me and him. Because that's how I win my fights,
and of course, we still see a lot of work being done on the defensive aspect of wrestling. Not forgetting that, but here's the thing: I'm staying focused on my strength."
Last edited:
