Azamat Murzakanov looks to keep his undefeated record intact when he makes his fifth walk to the Octagon at UFC 316.
Serving up highlight-reel finishes in three of his first four promotional outings, Murzakanov’s performances have been good enough to land him the No. 12 spot in the light heavyweight rankings.
But if he hopes to continue moving up the divisional ladder, he’ll have to go through the always dangerous Brendson Ribeira, who steps in for Murzakanov’s originally scheduled opponent, Johnny Walker.
Speaking with James Lynch in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, Murzakanov was asked about his upcoming clash with Ribeiro and, more specifically, how he sees things playing out between the two.
“I literally don’t think about it,” Murzakanov said. “Whatever it is is what it is.”
Though he may not have a prediction to offer, Murzakanov believes that an impressive showing in New Jersey could put him relatively close to his first shot at UFC gold.
“Anything can happen, but if the fight happens to be an exciting one, especially with a finish, I think [I’m] not too far from a title fight,” Murzakanov said. “We’ll see. Things happen very drastically in the UFC, so we have to be ready for anything.”
Fellow Russian fighter Magomed Ankalaev currently sits atop the light heavyweight throne, having defeated Alex Pereira at UFC 313 in March. All signs point to the two running it back later this year, but Murzakanov believes that if ‘Poatan’ goes into the rematch with the same game plan he utilized in their first meeting, the result will be no different.
“I think they will give [Pereira] the rematch, and that fight will take place,” Murzakanov said. “It’s hard to tell [who will win], but if Pereira is going to fight like he did in the last one, it’ll be the same result.”
As for how Murzakanov thinks his style stacks up to Anakalaev in a potential title clash, the Russian said:
“I think my style matches up [against Ankalaev]. It would be very good for me.”
Azamat Murzakanov is Not a Fan of Dricus du Plessis’ Style
Another fighter Azamat Murzakanov will have his eye on is the long-rumored clash between middleweight titleholder Dricus du Plessis and unbeaten Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev. Recent reports suggest that the two are expected to scrap sometime before the end of the year, though no official announcements have been made.
“If that fight happens, that would be great, but to be honest with you, I believe Chimaev will win this fight,” Murzakanov replied when asked for his thoughts on du Plessis vs. Chimaev.
“And to be honest, I’m not a big fan of du Plessis’ style. He probably has something since he’s champion, but I don’t like his style of fighting or technique, and I think Chimaev will take it.”
Watch the full exclusive interview below:
