After earning UFC contract at DWCS 30, Jeffrey Molina ready to embrace slow climb to top

LAS VEGAS – Jeffrey Molina has big goals in the UFC, but he’s willing to slowly climb up the ladder.

Molina (8-2) earned a UFC contract Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 30 after he defeated Jacob Silva by unanimous decision for his seventh win in a row.

Molina, a 23-year-old Glory MMA flyweight, has a lot of upside but is happy to earn his way to the top. He is confident that he’ll there regardless.

“I want to fight again before the year ends,” Molina told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after his win at the UFC Apex. “As far as who I want to fight, I’m in no rush. I’m young. I just turned 23 a couple of weeks ago. I said earlier I think I’m a future world champ, so I don’t want to rush anything. I want to start from the bottom of the division and work my way up. No names come to mind, but I’m gonna work my way through the rankings, and I’ll be a world champ.”

Molina appeared to have injured his foot in Round 1, and he said after that he thought it was broken. DWCS 30 marked the first time he’s gone the distance in a win and is confident that he has a lot more to give.

“Not my best showing by far, but I do think I showed some things that people find entertaining,” Molina said. “The high kicks, the body kicks, the teeps, the Krause knees – that’s a James Krause special, that knee up the middle. So I do think I showed some things, but that’s like thirty percent, forty percent of what I’m capable of.”