LAS VEGAS – Ramsey Nijem is all set to make his mark and book his place in the final of the PFL lightweight tournament and place himself just one win away from the $1 million prize.
Nijem (10-7 MMA, 1-1 PFL) takes on current PFL lightweight tournament champion Natan Schulte in the quarterfinals of of the PFL’s 2019 playoffs Thursday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The “Ultimate Fighter” alum says the prospect of fighting twice in one night in the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, holds no fear for him. Indeed, he thinks it might be preferable to the tournament format he endured in the “TUF” house.
“The one-night thing is a little bit different. It’s a little bit more primal, but I almost feel like (the fights are) so close together,” he said. “In the ‘TUF’ house, when you go home and you have to fight five days later, and you got caught in a brutal fight – that’s hard, because you go home, you have time for your soreness to set in, your bruises to set in.
“I feel like it’s going to be hard (in the PFL playoffs), but I don’t go home and I’m not going to think about it. I’m going to be there in the action, probably watching the other fights. I’m just excited to do it.”
Nijem admitted he cranked up the intensity during his weigh-in day staredown with the amiable Schulte (17-3-1 MMA, 6-0-1 PFL) in a bid to break the Brazilian out of his relaxed frame of mind.
“He’s friendly, so I made sure to be a little bit intense in the staredown and I brought out his intensity a little bit,” Nijem said. “I was just excited. I want to see that beast and I want to tame it.”
Nijem said the quarterfinal draw may turn out to be a favorable one for him. He faces fellow grappler Schulte, while two Russian strikers, Akhmet Aliev and Rashid Magomedov, do battle on the other side of their bracket.
“I’m excited to fight a grappler first, then I’ll fight the winner of Aliev and Rashid, who are two strikers are probably going to put on a firefight and come out with a little bit more damage,” he said. “It’s going to be a little bit less strikes thrown between me and Schulte because we’re both very strong grapplers who will want to show whose grappling is better.”
Now a seasoned veteran of the fight game, Nijem says he’s enjoying the most profitable time of his career as part of the PFL, and says he’s only just coming into his prime.
“I’m getting some of the biggest paychecks I’ve ever had in my career right now, and that’s pretty awesome,” he said. “It’s crazy because I took a bit of a layoff and waited for the right promotion. I’m grateful the PFL came through and signed me.
“It’s crazy. I’m 31, man, and I’m getting stronger than I’ve ever been. I’m more able to train my own mind. I go do my yoga, I’m super healthy, super strong, and I’ve got a healthy lifestyle now. So I feel better than I’ve ever felt. I didn’t hit puberty until I was 19 in college. So I’m a late bloomer. I’m excited for it. It just feels pressure-free. It’s just fun again, to be honest.”
And with the pressure off and a positive mindset, Nijem says he’s ready to give reigning PFL champ Schulte all he can handle on fight night.
“He’s young, he’s tough or whatever, but I’m (expletive) gritty,” he said. “I’m a veteran who has been fighting the best guys in the world since I was 21 years old. He’s fighting the best right now, but he’s still learning how to fight. I’ve learned my game. I know what I’m going to do in a fight. I have over 10 years of professional fighting with the biggest leagues in the world, so I know what I’m going to do.”
Off Guard: 'Late bloomer' Ramsey Nijem says he's ready to book his place in PFL final
