LAS VEGAS – Christos Giagos thinks Daniel Zellhuber is still a little green, and he’s looking to exploit that.
Giagos (20-10 MMA, 6-6 UFC) meets Zellhuber (13-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in Saturday’s Noche UFC main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.
Zellhuber, 24, has competed twice in the octagon since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. Giagos thinks he’ll have the advantage wherever the fight goes.
“I think he’s very talented,” Giagos told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “He’s young and there’s a lot of room for improvement, but I think I match up really well with him because I’m well-rounded. I’m good everywhere.
“I feel like anywhere the fight goes, I’d have the advantage. I feel like I’m the stronger puncher, my ground game is going to be better, my wrestling is going to be better. I think it’s going to be a great matchup.”
Giagos has had two stints in the octagon, and has fought the likes of former champion Charles Oliveira and top contender Arman Tsarukyan. He expects his experience to play a major factor.
“I think it’s very important,” Giagos said. “I think it gives me a huge advantage. I’ve been in there with the best in the world, literally. I’ve made my mistakes, I’ve grown from them, I’ve learned from them.
“I think it gives me a huge advantage and I just think overall, it makes me a little smarter in the cage because I’ve made those mistakes so I know how to capitalize not making them again. I’ve learned from my past, so I think it gives me a huge advantage.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Noche UFC.
Christos Giagos: Daniel Zellhuber talented, but ‘there’s a lot of room for improvement’