Abu Dhabi – UFC lightweight Mohammad Yahya looks to bounce back from his promotional debut loss at UFC Abu Dhabi against Kaue Fernandes on Saturday.
“Last time I came up short. In third round I lost by him taking me down twice so we worked a lot on this fight and the game plan,” Yahya told reporters on Wednesday.
“Hopefully this fight’s going to be way different. Very excited for Saturday night.”
Yahya (12-4) made his UFC debut last October in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294 against Trevor Peek. The fight went the full 15 minutes with Peek taking the decision over Yahya. While many figured the ‘UFC jitters’ had something to do with it, Yahya wasn’t so sure.
“Nothing really to do with that. Just some nights you don’t really feel the way you should. No excuses, but yeah it was very close I’d say. Make you hungry to come back stronger. This time (I’m) not going to leave anything in there,” he said.
Now with a second straight home game Yahya looks to take what that entails in stride.
“It’s a bit of pressure, but obviously just try to block all that out until after the fight,” he said.
“I fought in Etihad Arena a few times now. Dealing with it.”
Facing Fernandes on Saturday Yahya feels well prepared for whatever his opponent may bring.
“I don’t know if he’s going to come out aggressive with me. It wouldn’t be a great idea,” Yahya said.
“I’m ready for everything.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Mohammad Yahya above. He takes on Kaue Fernandes at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
