Magomed Gadzhiyasulov had a good run as an amateur MMA fighter, winning two IMMAF championships in 2019, but his UFC Saudi Arabia opponent Brendson Ribeiro is unfazed by his professional achievements so far.
Since turning pro, Gadzhiyasulov has won eight straight fights, scoring knockouts in half of those matches, and earning a decision over Jose Medina in his most recent bout on Dana White’s Contender Series to secure a UFC deal. However, the combined record of his first seven opponents is 3-8, a stark contrast to the combined record (22-6) of his past two opponents, Medina and Mohamed Said Maalem.
“My team and I studied him and we saw his fights and everything, and we saw the mistakes he makes,” Ribeiro said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “We saw the opponents he fought. If we’re talking about experience, he has experience as an amateur and whatnot, but I made my professional MMA debut at age 15 and I have almost 20 fights on my Sherdog, not to mention the ones not listed there. I’m very excited for this opportunity, and I’m sure I’m more well-rounded than he is.”
Ribeiro, who also joined the UFC through the Contender Series, admits he had no idea who Gadzhiyasulov was when first offered the bout, but noted, “I don’t choose opponents.”
“I’ll fight whoever they send,” Ribeiro said. “I’m here for this. This is my work. That’s how I put food on the table. I’m sure I’ll do a great job Saturday night and I’ll bring home the win and represente my team well.”
Ribeiro trains under veteran striking coach Andre Dida at Brazilian TKO team and feels ready to stop Gadzhiyasulov on the feet, but warns the Russian competitor he has more secrets up his sleeve.
“He comes from a Muay Thai background, he’s a world champion and undefeated in MMA and has some amateur bouts, but I don’t see him as a complete fighter,” Ribeiro said. “I see he prefers to fight on the feet, and so do I, but I have jiu-jitsu as well.
“He couldn’t beat that guy on the Contender Series, and that guy didn’t have good level. He couldn’t knock him out in the first, so he came back with a completely different game in the second and third rounds, laying and praying. He won’t be able to do that to me. If he tries to take me down, I can submit him too. and I can knock him out on the feet.”
“When you talk about MMA and mixing things up, I’m one step ahead of my opponents,” he continued. “This is MMA, son. This is not pure striking or pure jiu-jitsu. This is MMA. MMA is a double-edged sword, you can either finish or get finished, but I think that by me doing MMA there, putting my hand on his face and taking him down, ground and pounding… I’ve never seen him with his back on the ground. He only stalls when he’s on the ground, and I’ll put him in danger at all times there.”
