Brendson Ribeiro will look to snap a two-fight losing streak and regain some momentum in the light heavyweight division when he faces Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev at UFC Vegas 115 on Saturday night.
Coming off a setback in his last outing, Ribeiro enters the matchup with added urgency against a dangerous and undefeated opponent also aiming to make a statement inside the octagon.
“Man I’ve fought guys that were undefeated, myself I had the hype and been undefeated once. I’m out to show people with a win on Saturday why I’m here, why I deserve to be here, and i’ll show that people,” Ribeiro told reporters on Wednesday through a translator.
Ribeiro (17-9) made it clear he’s approaching this matchup with a different level of urgency following his most recent loss. For him, this isn’t just another fight, it’s a pivotal moment to prove he belongs.
“I’m not going to run away from him, never run away from anybody here in the UFC or in other promotions. There’s a big difference (between us),” he said.
“He wants to win. I NEED to win.”
Ribeiro also pointed to the preparation behind the scenes as a driving force heading into Saturday night. Beyond the stakes, he’s motivated to showcase the effort he and his team have invested throughout camp.
“Besides the pressure obviously to having to win there’s also the work that we put in. I wan to show people the work that we put into this fight,” he said.
“I want to show the people my work and the work of my team that we put on to come out with the win. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Brendson Ribeiro above. He faces Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev at UFC Vegas 115 on Saturday night.
