You may not know it from the ads and the pre-fight chatter, fight fans, but there’s another man involved in the UFC Fight Night 59 main event in Boston on January 18 besides the 16-2 Conor McGregor.
While the Irishman has dominated the media coverage and soundbites in the lead-up to the event, Dennis Siver (22-9, 1 no-contest), the No. 10-ranked featherweight in the UFC, will be at the TD Garden Arena, too, and he’s not looking to lay the railing for McGregor‘s hype train.
He’s looking to derail it.
He expects to, even.
Speaking with Bleacher Report via a translator, Siver talked about his main event matchup against McGregor, fighting in Boston and what a win will mean for his career moving forward.
Bleacher Report: Hi, Dennis how is everything? How are you feeling?
Dennis Siver: I’m good, good. Everything is good.
B/R: Happy birthday, by the way! I know I’m a day late on this, but I hope you had a good one. Did you get to celebrate or were you too busy preparing for the big fight?
Siver: I’ve been here for two days, so I haven’t really had time to celebrate my birthday. The party’s going to have to wait until Sunday.
B/R: You’ve fought all over the world with the UFC. Now, you’re coming to Boston, and you’re in the main event, which is new for you in the UFC. Is it different for you? How does this moment and this place and this venue feel for you?
Siver: The fight is a fight like any other. I don’t feel any extra pressure; I’m just going to get in there and get the job done.
B/R: Throughout your career, you’ve kind of become known for that spinning back kick. You’ve had a few nice, highlight-reel finishes with it in the UFC. That said, if you beat Conor McGregor Sunday, that kind of feels like it’d be a high point in your career. Do you agree with that? Do you think beating McGregor would represent the high point in your UFC career so far?
Siver: It’s not going to be the pinnacle of my career, because it’s only going to be one stop. Beating Conor McGregor is going to lead to the pinnacle of my career.
B/R: And with all the talk, all the people focused on McGregor, it kind of seems like people forgot it takes two for a great fight, and you’ve been involved in some great fights, some Fights of the Night. It seems like everybody expects that you’re just going to go in the cage and lay down and let McGregor steamroll you, which we both know isn’t true. How does that make you feel?
Siver: You really can’t, after all of my career, think I’m going to get steamrolled against Conor. If you look at the other fights I’ve had, I’ve had several Fight of the Night bonuses, I’ve had performance bonuses, Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night, even. It’s really shortsighted to think that a really good fighter like Conor is going to just walk in there and walk all over me. I’ve been in there with the best, and even in the cases where I’ve lost, it wasn’t like I just got blitzed with one hit and it was over.
B/R: Sure, and Conor‘s even gone as far as to say he’s going to “retire you,” Dennis. Right there on TV, he’s going to make you quit forever. Do his words even mean anything to you at this point with as much as he’s said?
Siver: It doesn’t matter how the fight goes, it’s not going to be a “retirement” for me. My first fight in the UFC was before Conor even started training mixed martial arts, so, in a nutshell, I haven’t really taken Conor in full for many, many months. He’s talked so much s–t that at the end of the day I just can’t listen to it anymore.
B/R: Was there ever a point where the talk bothered you? It sounds like you’re to a point now where you’re over it and you don’t pay too much attention to it, but did it bother you at first? Did it ever become personal for you?
Siver: I’m about keeping fights professional, about being in there…and not necessarily talking s–t about my opponent. But some of the things Conor said did affect me in a very personal way. I didn’t really want to let them affect me as far as my mental state was concerned, but when I heard these comments, I kind of figured, “What kind of person does Conor have to be to say something like that?”
B/R: And we’ve seen recently with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, for instance, when it got personal, it kind of brought out the best in each fighter. Has it done the same for you? Have you revved up your intensity and focused on this fight more than usual?
Siver: I’ve always been able to separate the talk of the fight from the actual fight itself. Once I step in the Octagon, I will be all business. I’m only going to worry about the fight, not necessarily what Conor said five minutes ago, five days ago or five months ago.
B/R: Is there any benefit to how you’ve kind of flown under the radar? Obviously, most of the media has been talking with Conor and even the UFC special, the UFC Embedded video, you were in it for about a minute versus Conor‘s 10 minutes. But it looks like you were just enjoying your steak and relaxing. Is there a benefit to that? Do you prefer the peace and relaxation you’ve had?
Siver: I’m kind of happy that Conor‘s taken care of the promotion. He can promote as much as he wants because it affords me time to train, to relax, to do whatever I want to do. So, Conor, if you like that, I’m all for it.
B/R: Do you plan to call out Aldo if you win? Aldo is already being talked about for McGregor if he beats you. Would you expect the same? Do you expect a title shot if you win?
Siver: I’d respectfully like to concentrate on the Conor McGregor fight. When that fight’s over, I’ll make plans for my future, but right now, I’d like to focus on Conor and Conor alone.
B/R: Sure. Coming back to Conor, when people look at his skills, they think that the UFC is protecting him from wrestlers, from people who can take him down and wear him down on the ground. And it’s kind of flown under the radar, but you’ve landed takedowns in each of your last four fights, and you have a heavy top style. Is that something you’re going to focus on Sunday?
Siver: I don’t really concern myself with who’s being protected from whom, but what I can say is that in my opinion, I’m better at everything than Conor is. I’m better at wrestling, I’ve got better striking, I’ve got a lot more in terms of where I’ve been and what I’ve experienced. It’s a fight that’s completely up in the air.
B/R: If we cut away all the hype and all the trash talk for a second—because in the end, it’s a fight, it’s real, you guys are going to battle it out in the cage. What kind of respect do you actually have for Conor‘s skills? I’m sure there is some level of real respect. What do you think of Conor‘s fighting skills?
Siver: What makes Conor interesting is he’s got a very unorthodox fighting style, and his stance is different than anybody else’s. But it just makes him interesting. It doesn’t make him a superior fighter.
B/R: Dennis, once the fight is over and Bruce Buffer announces the winner, how do you see this one ending, specifically? What do you envision for Sunday night?
Siver: Bruce Buffer is going to say my name, the referee is going to raise my hand, and I’m going to be the big winner Sunday.
B/R: Thank you for your time, Dennis. Good luck Sunday.
*Note: Some third-person references from Siver‘s translator have been converted to first-person point-of-view to reflect Siver speaking.
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