LAS VEGAS – Said Nurmagomedov has been longing for a step up in competition.
Nurmagomedov (17-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) meets Jonathan Martinez (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a bantamweight bout on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 221 main card at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. The card streams on ESPN+.
Winner of his past four in a row, three by finish, Nurmagomedov says he’s ready to take on the upper echelon of the division, but the UFC hasn’t been matching him up with any.
“I’ve been ready to fight the top competition for a long time,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 221 media day. “It’s just that, for some reason, I wasn’t given that competition. Even those guys that I did fight that are not in the top yet, they’re not any worse than the top fighters. So, I’ve been ready for a long time.”
Nurmagomedov takes on a fellow streaking contender in Martinez, who’s coming off a signature win over Cub Swanson. Stylistically, Nurmagomedov expects an action-packed fight.
“He’s a great standup fighter, but I’m also a good standup fighter,” Nurmagomedov said. “So I think it’s gonna be a very fiery fight, a good fight, an interesting fight, and the octagon will show. We’ll see.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
