Hype notwithstanding, Thiago Moises is ready to prove he’s title worthy and plans to take out Islam Makhachev in the process.
Rising UFC lightweight Thiago Moises understands that if he is able to take out Makhachev that it will only lead him down the roads he driving for. With high praise constantly falling from Khabib Nurmagomedov about Makhachev, it’s no surprise he’s collecting such momentum. Some have hailed the Russian as the next LW champion in the UFC. Even so, he will have to get past Moises, who will enter the bout on a three-fight win streak first.
As for Moises, well, he sees this as the perfect opportunity to steal all of the hype away from Makhachev. However, the lightweight does concede to the Russian’s overall hype.
“Yeah I think he deserves all the hype,” Moises said to MMA Junkie. “He’s really good, he’s well-rounded, great wrestling, great jiu-jitsu, very strong opponent, good cardio. So I think he deserves all the hype, but I’m ready to fight him. I’m well-rounded as well, I’m good everywhere so I think it’s gonna be a great fight.”
The goal for Thiago Moises is to fight for the title. In order to walk that path he needs to get through Makhachev first, and after that, the Brazilian upstart is confident within a few fights that he might potentially find himself in a title spot.
“After beating him, I think I’m gonna be close to the mix to fight for the title,” Moises said. “Just a couple more fights. Everybody’s talking about him, ‘ah this guy is gonna fight for the title,’ but he needs to fight me next, and I’m not an easy fight also as people think. I’m gonna surprise a lot of people.”
Regardless, Thiago Moises understands a win against Islam Makhachev is more than just beating the #9 ranked LW in the UFC. Should the 26-year old Brazilian pull off the upset, it would send shockwaves through the 155lbs division. The two will face each other at the UFC event on July 17.
While the card was headlined by Yair Rodriguez taking on Max Holloway, it was just reported that Holloway has removed himself from the bout due to an undisclosed injury. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement opponent for Rodriguez.
