Myktybek Orolbai plans return to lightweight after UFC Fight Night 232 debut win on four days' notice
LAS VEGAS – Myktybek Orolbai shined in his octagon debut Saturday when he dominated Uros Medic at UFC Fight Night 232.
Orolbai (12-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) showed he can overcome difficult circumstances in his promotional debut when he stepped in as a replacement fighter on just four days’ notice to fight Medic (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex. Typically a lightweight, the fight was contested in the welterweight division, but that didn’t stop Orolbai from controlling the action en route to a second-round neck crack submission.
Fighting under the UFC banner has been Orolbai’s primary career goal for the past seven years. So when the opportunity was offered on short notice, he said he had to accept.
“No hesitations at all,” Orolbai told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 232 post-fight news conference. “(I had) four days’ (notice) when we got the call. I stay ready. I had a fight four weeks ago and I never rest. I’m always ready. Even if they call me tomorrow, I’ll be ready. I’m always ready to fight, so no hesitations at all. We took the fight right away. Since I’m 18 years old, I’m driven to be in the UFC, so I stay ready.”
Now that he’s a winner in the sport’s biggest organization, Orolbai can settle into his UFC career and begin to make his run. He plans to do that at 155 pounds, and the 25-year-old said he’s not going to be picky about what type of opponents he accepts.
“I have another three fights on my contract (and) I’m going to go down to 155, the original weight,” Orolbai said. “I’m not going to call no one out. Whoever they’re going to put in front of me, I’m going to continue and I’m going to fight him.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 232.