Marc Diakiese not pressured by losing skid, focused on putting on a show at UFC on ESPN 33

COLUMBUS, Ohio –  Absent a win for the past nearly two and a half years, it’d be natural to assume Marc Diakiese is feeling some pressure.

But the England-based bantamweight said because he’s had a separate losing skid, getting past this one doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. Diakiese (14-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) on Saturday opens the UFC on ESPN 33 main card in Columbus, Ohio, against highly touted prospect Viacheslav Borshchev (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

“I’ve been in this position before with the Joe Duffy fight,” Diakiese told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 33 media day. “I’m not really thinking of it (as pressure) because I feel like I’ve been there before. I have more experience – this is my 11th fight in the UFC. I feel like I’m a better fighter coming into this fight.”

After three wins to open his UFC career, including a bonus-winning 30-second knockout of Teemu Packalen in front of his home fans in London in 2017 that kept him unbeaten at 12-0, Diakiese went on a three-fight slide.

But in March 2019, also in London, he bounced back in a big way with a win over Joseph Duffy and followed that up with a decision over Lando Vannata. Now, though, Diakiese finds himself in need of another bounce-back after back-to-back losses to Rafael Fiziev And Rafael Alves.

This week, Diakiese said his fight with Borshchev is as much about putting on a show as anything else.

“It’s not about me being worried about my back against the wall,” he said. “It’s about me going out there and trying to impress the crowd because that’s what I like to do. … I’ve not fought in front of a crowd for maybe three years now, and I’m just excited about going out there and putting on a show for the crowd.

“When I do something crazy and I hear them scream – I love that. Just having that back gets me excited. I’m really looking for a show. I put on exciting fights. I’m an exciting fighter, and I’m really worried about that because it’s about putting on a show.”

Borshchev is a slight betting favorite against Diakiese. He impressed with a knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series this past October to get his UFC shot. In January, he picked up one of the best knockouts of the year so far with a liver shot finish against Dakota Bush in his official promotional debut.

The Team Alpha Male-trained Russian came to the UFC with LFA and Titan FC experience. But Diakiese thinks his true ascension may have to wait later – after he fights him.

“I just don’t feel he’s on my level yet,” Diakiese said. “I feel he’s good. He’s beaten the guys he’s beaten. But he’s got a big test, and I don’t know if he’s going to go through me. Mentally, I still feel like I’m still a prospect. … I’m still learning in the game. I’m still really new to the game. I’ve still got a lot to offer. He’s still fairly new.

“To me, I’m going to show him, ‘You’ll have your time in this.’ When you’re not ready, you’re not ready. There’s nothing he’s going to bring to me I haven’t seen.”