Raphael Assuncao thinks he could steal title spot from Jose Aldo or Petr Yan at UFC 250

Until Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan for the vacant UFC bantamweight title is made official, Raphael Assuncao is not giving up hope on fighting to crown the next champion.

Assuncao (27-7 MMA, 11-4 UFC) has been a longstanding top contender in the 135-pound division, but has yet to fight for UFC gold. He probably should’ve had a shot along the way, but a perceived lack of star power with his name, bad timing and some unfortunate losses likely have kept him from getting an opportunity.

The Brazilian can launch himself back into a good place Saturday, though, when he meets former champion Cody Garbrandt (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in the UFC 250 co-main event. Despite three consecutive losses, Garbrandt still holds major name value in the sport and Assuncao thinks he could skip the line if he wins.

“I think a win in general will put me right up there in contention,” Assuncao said during Thursday’s UFC 250 virtual media day. “I’ve been around a long time. There’s critics out there. They can say what they want. I’ve been doing my job correctly for a long time despite some negative results. I’m looking to get to the top of contention.”

UFC 250 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Although Assuncao has title aspirations, he faces some heavy competition while the bantamweight sharks circle the unoccupied throne. It appears Aldo vs. Yan is the direction UFC is leaning, but there’s also another high-profile fight between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen scheduled just below Assuncao vs. Garbrandt on the UFC 250 card.

Assuncao said he’s not going into fight night thinking he must outdo the other names on the card. He said he’s confident his best effort will be enough.

“I want to have a good performance like every fight,” Assuncao said. “Every fight, I’ve got to make sure that I’m bringing the best Raphael Assuncao that night – and that’s what I’m going to try to do. (I don’t feel) extra pressure because there is other bantamweights there or there’s a vacant title. Once it comes to fight time, I shut everything off and it’s game time.”