CHICAGO – Richie Smullen is excited by the opportunity to start climbing the Bellator featherweight rankings.
Smullen (10-2-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) takes on No. 8 featherweight Timur Khizriev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in Friday’s Bellator 297 event at Wintrust Arena. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
The SBG Ireland fighter has won his past five fights in a row and sees a win over Khizriev catapulting him into the rankings.
“I can’t wait,” Smullen told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “It’s time that I climb the ranks now. I’ve got a ranked opponent, so it’s time to beat this guy and go from there, beat the next guy.”
Smullen is not afraid of the ground game of Dagestan-born Khizriev. In fact, he plans on taking the fight to the mat himself.
“I’ll be taking him down,” Smullen said. “I’m taking him down. I’m on top of him, teach him what real grappling is then. … Him on his back, me on top elbowing his face in.”
According to Bet MGM, Smullen is a massive +650 underdog against undefeated Khizriev, who is a -1000 favorite. But Smullen is a little perplexed by the wide odds.
“It doesn’t make a difference,” Smullen said. “Underdog or not, I’m hard to deal with. So I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know why I’m the underdog. We have the same amount of fights. I fought high-level opponents, as well. So, that’s just someone’s opinion underdog or not. I don’t give a f*ck about people’s opinions.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
