LAS VEGAS – Askar Askarov concedes his most recent performance was not his best, but he has his reasons for that.
In March, Askarov (14-1-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) lost for the first time as a professional when Kai Kara-France defeated him by unanimous decision. Askarov isn’t totally bummed out by the performance, but admits he wasn’t fully healthy – as he indicated he is Wednesday ahead of his UFC Fight Night 212 matchup Saturday vs. Brandon Royval (14-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex.
“The fight was good last time, but I felt that I wasn’t ready 100 percent because I wasn’t fighting for one year before my fight with Kai Kara-France,” Askarov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at a pre-fight news conference. “But this fight, you’re going to see me different. I’m going to put my everything into this fight and this time will be different.”
“… Brandon is a really tough guy, tough opponent. I watched a lot of his fights. He’s good, but I’ve fought with tougher guys. I’ve fought with better guys. I’m going to show this, this Saturday. I’m ready.”
The loss to Kara-France in March was difficult, not just because of the results but the stakes, too. An unofficial title eliminator, Kara-France earned a crack at Brandon Moreno in July – with an interim title up for grabs.
One fight removed from a title eliminator opportunity, Askarov remains focused. Gold is on the long-term agenda, but the short term is solely the task at hand.
“I don’t want to think about the title shot for now because Brandon is a really tough guy,” Askarov said. “When I win this fight, I’ll see. I was ready for a title fight for a long time. Because of my injury, surgery, it took a long for me. I just want to concentrate (on) Brandon for now, then we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.