Carlos Diego Ferreira wants to make a name for himself at UFC 177

Carlos Diego Ferreira’s second UFC bout will be featured on the main card a pay-per-view show, and that tells you a lot about how impressive the Brazilian lightweight was in his Octagon debut.

Unbeaten in MMA after 10 fights, Ferreira needed 38 seconds to tap TUF 16 winner Colton Smith at UFC Fight Night 44 in June, and he admits he didn’t see that coming.

“I wasn’t expecting to win that fast,” Ferreira told MMAFighting.com. “I was looking for a longer fighter, but he made it easier when he pressured me against the fence. I saw an opportunity and went for the arm-triangle choke and got the rear-naked choke finish. It was a good win to build my name in the UFC.”

The Brazilian lightweight, who scored submissions in six of his 10 professional victories, wants to top that performance against Ramsey Nijem at Saturday’s UFC 177 in Sacramento, Calif.

Nijem is also a The Ultimate Fighter finalist like Smith, and he enters the bout fresh off a first-round ‘Performance of the Night’ victory over Beneil Dariush in Abu Dhabi.

“He’s an aggressive fighter, moves forwards and attacks, so I think it’s going to be a good fight,” he said. “I like to counter, so I think it’s a good fight for me. It’s my second UFC fight, and it’s going to be impressive.

“His last win was fast and aggressive. He’s doing a great job to get to the title, and I will have to do my best. I’m still young in the UFC, so I have to bring this win home.”

Ferreira plans to use his jiu-jitsu to tap Nijem, who suffered half of his professional losses by way of submission.

“I will try to do everything. (Jiu-Jitsu) is a good way to win this fight, but I think he has been working a lot on his ground game,” he said. “I’ve been training and developing my striking skills, so I will be ready for everything in this fight. I will get the win, no matter what.”

Used to fight at least three times a year since his MMA debut in 2011, Ferreira expects to enter the Octagon once again in 2014 after facing off against Nijem at UFC 177.

“I would like to fight one more time this year, and I hope to be at the top 20 by the end of the year,” he said. “I’m not in a hurry, but I want to fight as much as I can in the UFC. That’s what I do for a living, that’s what I love to do.”

Carlos Diego Ferreira’s second UFC bout will be featured on the main card a pay-per-view show, and that tells you a lot about how impressive the Brazilian lightweight was in his Octagon debut.

Unbeaten in MMA after 10 fights, Ferreira needed 38 seconds to tap TUF 16 winner Colton Smith at UFC Fight Night 44 in June, and he admits he didn’t see that coming.

“I wasn’t expecting to win that fast,” Ferreira told MMAFighting.com. “I was looking for a longer fighter, but he made it easier when he pressured me against the fence. I saw an opportunity and went for the arm-triangle choke and got the rear-naked choke finish. It was a good win to build my name in the UFC.”

The Brazilian lightweight, who scored submissions in six of his 10 professional victories, wants to top that performance against Ramsey Nijem at Saturday’s UFC 177 in Sacramento, Calif.

Nijem is also a The Ultimate Fighter finalist like Smith, and he enters the bout fresh off a first-round ‘Performance of the Night’ victory over Beneil Dariush in Abu Dhabi.

“He’s an aggressive fighter, moves forwards and attacks, so I think it’s going to be a good fight,” he said. “I like to counter, so I think it’s a good fight for me. It’s my second UFC fight, and it’s going to be impressive.

“His last win was fast and aggressive. He’s doing a great job to get to the title, and I will have to do my best. I’m still young in the UFC, so I have to bring this win home.”

Ferreira plans to use his jiu-jitsu to tap Nijem, who suffered half of his professional losses by way of submission.

“I will try to do everything. (Jiu-Jitsu) is a good way to win this fight, but I think he has been working a lot on his ground game,” he said. “I’ve been training and developing my striking skills, so I will be ready for everything in this fight. I will get the win, no matter what.”

Used to fight at least three times a year since his MMA debut in 2011, Ferreira expects to enter the Octagon once again in 2014 after facing off against Nijem at UFC 177.

“I would like to fight one more time this year, and I hope to be at the top 20 by the end of the year,” he said. “I’m not in a hurry, but I want to fight as much as I can in the UFC. That’s what I do for a living, that’s what I love to do.”