Bernardo Sopaj: ‘No stress’ with UFC Combat Night time 247 bout elevated to co-main

LAS VEGAS – Bernardo Sopaj has designs on at some point being a UFC champion, so Saturday’s matchup with Ricky Turcios at UFC Fight Night 247 has a excessive diploma of significance.

Sopaj (11-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a 24-year-old bantamweight out of Albania, stumbled in his octagon debut in March when he was on the receiving finish of an all-time highlight reel flying knee knockout towards Vinicius Oliveira after beginning the combat sturdy.

It was an unpleasant technique to be launched to the UFC, however an necessary lesson and setback for Sopaj. It didn’t deter his objective of being champion, however beginning 0-2 within the octagon would make his title trajectory that for much longer, though it’s been executed earlier than.

“(A victory is) only one step nearer to what I need, one step nearer to the belt as a result of I’m right here to take the belt and nothing else,” Sopaj advised MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Combat Night time 247 media day. “I didn’t come right here to rejoice a victory. I didn’t come right here to say that I’m a UFC fighter. If I might come right here for this it will be the fallacious determination. After I began with MMA I mentioned, ‘OK, if I need to do that, I’ve to be the perfect.’

“To be within the UFC, for me, is just the start. My objective is to be the perfect, my objective is to get the belt and be the best fighter.”

Sopaj will look to safe his first octagon triumph when he takes on Turcios (12-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the UFC Apex (ESPN+). His opponent brings an unorthodox fashion to the cage, but it surely’s not an strategy that breeds any concern from Sopaj.

“He’s an excellent all-around fighter,” Sopaj mentioned. “He has somewhat little bit of a bizarre fashion. He’s like a road fighter. However I consider I’m higher than him all over the place. I’m a extra full fighter than him, stronger than him and extra technical.”

Initially, the matchup between Sopaj and Turcios was merely a bit of the six-fight most important card on Saturday. Then former champion Cody Garbrandt withdrew from the co-main event towards Miles Johns, and the lineup was shifted with Sopaj vs. Turcios now within the co-headliner.

That’s an even bigger highlight for Sopaj, however he mentioned it’s solely enhancing his motivation to ship a spectacular efficiency.

“No stress,” Sopaj mentioned. “I really feel superb, very assured. This offers me additional pleasure. I really feel superb. I discovered about this (on Tuesday) and I really feel superb about it. I’m completely happy. … I really feel superb. I’m very grateful.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC Fight Night 247.