Las Vegas, NV – Known primarily as a kickboxer UFC lightweight Viacheslav Borshchev has had to adapt his striking style to MMA as he comes into UFC Vegas 73 against Maheshate on Saturday night.
“During the fight camp I spend a lot of time on striking too. Specially because my striking is completely different too. It’s for MMA now. It’s not kickboxing anymore,” Borshchev told reporters on Wednesday.
“If I could show kickboxing in MMA I would be the best fighter in the world right now. I need to kind of like find a way how to use my striking better, but I’m enjoying this too.”
Borshchev will meet Maheshate in the octagon on Saturday night. Maheshate, although coming off a loss, holds an impressive highlight reel of knockouts in his career.
“I like this matchup. It seems like I could show more striking and maybe, possibly, could show my wrestling skills. I’m pretty sure he prepared his wresting really well. We’ll see how it goes. He’s young,” said Borshchev.
Maheshate is a striker by trade, but Borshchev believes the young fighter will try to wrestle him in the cage.
“He’s kind of a striker too, and he’s pretty tall. He has some advantages. Seems like he’s a good striker. Come on it’s UFC everybody is supposed to be high level here,” Borshchev said.
“We’ll see. I believe at least he’s going to try (to wrestle).”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Viacheslav Borshchev above. He takes on Maheshate on Saturday night.
