Douglas Silva de Andrade needs to show his value contained in the octagon, and that’s why he thanks UFC matchmakers for reserving him in opposition to an opponent that can check him at UFC Vegas 58 on Saturday evening.
Scheduled to fulfill Said Nurmagomedov in a essential card contest on the UFC APEX after knocking out Gaetano Pirrello, Andrade goals to maneuver up the ladder within the bantamweight division and ultimately attain the highest of the category.
Nurmagomedov, 4-1 below the UFC banner, enters the cage on a two-fight profitable streak over Mark Striegl and Cody Stamann, stopping each opponents in below a minute. For Andrade, a win will present followers and the promotion he’s a part of the elite of the game.
“It’s good [to be fighting Nurmagomedov] as a result of there will likely be no excuses,” Andrade, who submitted Sergey Morozov in a “Combat of the Evening” earlier this 12 months, stated in an interview with MMA Combating. “I’ve confirmed this all through my run within the UFC that I’m all the time preventing opponents with identify, and there’s no excuses. It’s a pleasure to be preventing good opponents, it’s satisfying to be amongst them.”
Andrade joined the UFC in 2014 with an unbeaten skilled report of 22-0 however misplaced a call to Zubaira Tukhugov at featherweight. Since slicing right down to 135 kilos, he has gained six of 9, together with choices over Marlon Vera and Renan Barao. His losses embody top-ranked opponents Petr Yan and Rob Font.
“Individuals can’t say I’m preventing simple opponents,” he stated. “Fairly the other, actually. They’re bringing robust guys and I’m all the time preventing and representing. [Nurmagomedov] is one other one I respect, and I thank him as a result of we’d like an opponent to work, but it surely’s a struggle. I’m prepared for an action-packed brawl.”
Andrade stated he’s going out to “brawl,” however added “it’s MMA, and we’ll really feel it out.” In the long run, he stated, “we simply need to go away with our fingers raised.” Now coaching on the UFC Efficiency Institute in Las Vegas, the 37-year-old veteran defined how he offers with the strain of being on a roll in such a younger man’s recreation.
“It’s a pleasure to have this strain over me. I’m grateful for it,” he stated. “I’m grateful for all the things that’s occurred in my life and to nonetheless have the ability to preserve shifting ahead. I’ve had severe difficulty prior to now like could different athletes, accidents and surgical procedures and even stopping [fighting] in some unspecified time in the future, however I got here again. We’ll proceed to push ahead and nonetheless brawl it out so long as God blesses.”
“God keen, I’m full this mission to be 3-0 prior to now 10 months after which transfer on to the following one,” he continued. “Chopping weight is a battle by itself for me as a result of I’m a heavy man, however why not preserve pushing it? I simply ask God in order that my opponent and I go away [the cage] wholesome so we are able to proceed our journey within the sport.”
