San Antonio, TX – Wrestling may be the biggest part of his game, but UFC middleweight Albert Duraev will not be one-dimensional when he takes on Chidi Njokuani at UFC San Antonio on Saturday night.
“Look guys you only see me as a wrestler, but trust me I can hit, I can work standing up, and I can beat everyone in my division. My opponent is not an excuse, but if I get a chance to use my wrestling, of course I will do that,” Duraev told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.
In Njokuani he faces a rather tall opponent as Chidi comes in at 6’3 compared to his own 5’11.
“My opponent is tall which makes him a little inconvenient for me, but I’ve been working and I’ve been preparing for that. Honestly he cannot do anything with me and I’m the dangerous one,” he said.
Duraev trains with Sean Strickland at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and knows full well that his fellow middleweight puts a lot of time into training…as long as he’s hitting someone.
“Sean Strickland is an insane fighter. I will also call him crazy at some point. He only cares about his sparring, and I’m on very good terms with him and his coach Chris. They help me a lot where they can, and we’re on very good terms with Chris,” he said.
“He’s a man of his word and I only wish the best to these guys.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Albert Duraev above. He takes on Chidi Njokuani at UFC San Antonio on Saturday night.
