And it’s a fight that was seemingly destined to happen, not just in the UFC, but back on the regional scene when the pair were in the CFFC promotion. Better late than never, but it is good timing, with Motta on a roll, and Sadykhov fighting in his home country of Azerbaijan with an unbeaten UFC record. And stylistically, it’s a can’t miss.
“It seems like the UFC really wants to see that fight,” said Motta. “And this style really matchesup to be a big show, a big performance.”
As for the judges getting involved and favoring the hometown hero, Motta is unconcerned about such matters.
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“I’m not worried because since I started fighting when I moved to America, I always would fight at the guy’s hometowns,” said the newly minted U.S. citizen, who knows that, in the UFC, winning matters, but the performance matters too.
“Winning is very important, but I know that for the UFC, what matters is the show and the performance,” said Motta. “If I go there and I deliver an amazing performance, even if they rob me, the UFC will still like me and respect me and they’re going to treat me well. And I want to make my boss happy. He wants me to go fight in China, okay. He wants me to go fight in Baku, okay. He wants me to go fight on Mars…”
Okay. Spoken like Doc Holliday. Have fists, will travel.
