PHOENIX, AZ – Brad Riddell has a new opponent in front of him on Saturday but is still looking to a past booking for the future.
In this case, it’s Gregor Gillespie that Riddell hopes to land a fight with. New Zealand’s Riddell (9-1) was supposed to fight Gillespie in March, however, COVID and the birth of his daughter put that match-up on ice.
He did however watch Gillespie’s subsequent fight and was happy to see him get the win.
“Yeah, I watched it, it was mean,” Riddell said at UFC 263 media day on Wednesday. “Props to him, that was a pretty awesome fight, I loved watching that. I was stoked he got the win after his comeback. You know, if all goes well with Drew, I’m definitely going to start chasing him down again.”
Riddell faces No. 13 ranked Drew Dober on Saturday and with a win, he will presumably be taking his ranking and finally getting inside of the top 15.
Riddell’s last two opponents haven’t wanted to strike with him, but Dober likely wil. That is something that Riddell is excited about it.
“I watched Drew and I was like man, this guy likes to come forward and fight and strike like it’s going to be pretty fun. So, I got pretty excited a couple of weeks ago, if I watch him at the start of camp, I will get excited too early,” Riddell said on Wednesday.
Watch the full UFC 263 media day scrum with Brad Riddell above. The event takes place this Saturday, June 12, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The main card airs live on PPV.
