Nazim Sadykhov is looking for a Performance of the Night bonus rather than Fight of the Night when he faces Viacheslav Borschev this Saturday .
UFC 295 goes down inside Madison Square Garden this weekend, the 30th-anniversary event for the promotion.
During the prelims, rising lightweights Sadykhov and Borschev go head to head with rankings on the horizon for both.
The Azerbaijani is 2-0 in the UFC so far, picking up a $50k Fight of the Night bonus in his opening bout. However, he does not want his upcoming bout with ‘Slava Claus’ to be a back-and-forth war.
He said: “It does [have Fight of the Night written all over it], but I am aiming more for a Performance of the Night.
“I know a lot of people jumped on the wrestling and the grappling side of things, but I don’t feel as though I need to rush any of that because I don’t feel like this is a striker versus grappler matchup. I feel like I’m just the better mixed martial artist.
“I’m just going to step in there and be the better mixed martial artist and when the openings open up, they’ll come. But, I don’t feel as though I have to rush a takedown because I’m so incapable on the feet – I’m perfectly capable of putting him away.
“Wherever this fight goes, I feel I’m going to have the advantage.”
Sadykhov Describes What He Wants With a Win on Saturday
The 29-year-old has already taken out one rising prospect in Terrance McKinney and is looking to take out another with a win over Borschev.
Tapology currently ranks the Serra Longo fighter at #40 when it comes to MMA lightweights in the world – meaning a couple more wins could land him inside the UFC rankings.
Sadykhov discussed what he would like following UFC 295.
He said: “I think it puts me closer to the top 15.
“I want to make my intentions clear, I want to be champion, I want to move closer and closer to the top 15.
“There’s guys that want to have six, seven fights a year and just, you know, secure a bag and the title doesn’t mean anything to them. I want to be the champion! Whatever keeps me moving up the ranks, that’s what I want.”
Nazim Sadykhov Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Nazim Sadykhov below:
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