Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Lightweight Carlos Diego Ferreira wants to have an exciting fight when he meets Mairbek Taisumov at UFC 242.
Rising lightweight Carlos Diego Ferreira wants to leave his mark in Abu Dhabi. Looking for a spot in the division’s top 15, the Brazilian wishes to put on an exciting performance when he meets heavy-handed Mairbek Taisumov at UFC 242’s first main card bout.
In order to secure a fight against a ranked man in his next outing, Ferreira, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt who scored two TKO victories in his last four fights, tells Combate he won’t even dismiss making this fight a stand-up battle, since he claims to be studying boxing and Muay Thai for the past couple of years and knows another knockout win could elevate his career to the next level.
“This fight, like many others, could be the one that catapults me to the top 15. I hope I can fight someone in the top 15 or top 10 after this one. Just the hope to one day get there is already inspiring. I’m anxious to get in there and do my best. I want to enter the Octagon and put on a show.” Ferreira said.
“I know I’m more dangerous on the ground, but I always liked to strike a little bit.” He continued. “I think we’ll have a nice fight on the feet. If I have a chance to take him down, of course I will make use of my jiu-jitsu, which is what I do best. A match between a striker and a grappler is really cool, much more intriguing. It makes you train Muay Thai, boxing, which are things I’ve been practicing a lot for the last two years.”
Currently on a four-fight winning streak, Carlos Diego Ferreira (15-2) defeated the likes of Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Jared Gordon, Kyle Nelson and most recently, back in February, Rustam Khabilov. The 34-year-old’s last loss happened in April 2015, when he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier.
Now, Carlos Diego Ferreira is expected to take on Mairbek Taisumov at UFC 242, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on September 7. The card is expected to be headlined by a title unifcation bout between lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim titleholder Dustin Poirier.