Zubaira Tukhugov admitted that he needs to learn more English to express himself better to the media, but the Russian featherweight said enough to let people know that he’s determined to leave UFC Fight Island with a win.
Tukhugov will take on Canadian striker “Mean” Hakeem Dawodu in a featherweight matchup at UFC 253 on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, and the Chechen-born fighter said victory over his opponent should be good enough to land him a spot in the UFC’s 145-pound rankings.
“After this fight, I’m Top 15, I think, because he’s a good opponent with four (UFC) wins. I think we’ll show them a good fight.”
Tukhugov said he has studied Dawodu’s fighting style and said that he’s ready for a strong, well-rounded opponent. He also explained that he won’t talk about his planned callout until after his fight.
“I watched his last fight. He’s a good fighter, he has good boxing, good blocking, wrestling. A good, strong guy,” he said.
“I need this win. After the fight I’ll talk about which guys I want in my next fight.”
The fight marks the first time Tukhugov has competed since the death of his coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, and the 29-year-old admitted that he’ll be fighting with a heavy heart knowing his mentor is not in his corner.
“This is different. Abdulmanap was close with me. He helped me and I felt better. He’s now not here, and it’s very sad,” he said.
“We need to fight. We need to keep going. This is what Abdulmanap would want.”
And if Tukhugov needed any additional motivation for the fight, he was given some by Dawodu, who highlighted his previous win over Tukhugov’s teammate Marat Magomedov back in the now-defunct World Series Of Fighting promotion. In fact, that pair fought twice, with the first fight ending a draw and Dawodu taking the victory in the rematch.
“Marat is a good fighter,” said Tukhugov.
“The first fight, I thought he won. The second fight, he lost.”
And when asked if he’ll be out to exact revenge over the Canadian on behalf of his teammate, Tukhugov laughed.
“Yes!” he said. “I like this. Marat is my friend.”
