Fábio Maldonado demands: 'If I beat Miocic, it's only fair that I enter the top 10'

F. Maldonado (left) faces S. Miocic (right) in the main fight of TUF Brasil 3. Photo: Lucas Carrano/SUPER FIGHTS

On the eve of having his first main fight as a UFC athlete, Fábio Maldonado already knows what prize awaits him if he wins. In an interview with Super Fights, the “Steel Hillbilly”, who replaced the injured Junior Gypsy and face Stipe Miocic next Saturday (31), declared that he believes it is fair that a victory over the current number seven in the heavyweight category ranking places him among the ten best placed in his division.

“I think it's only fair that I enter the top 10, because I would beat the seventh heavyweight. It's only fair that I enter the top-10, at least in the light heavyweight division. Belfort won the Dan Henderson in light heavyweight and is already qualified to fight against Chris Weidman at middleweight, right?” asked Maldonado, in an interview given after the open training sessions of the TUF Brasil 3 Final, this Friday (29), in São Paulo (SP).

Furthermore, Fábio also commented on the feeling of having his first main fight in the UFC. "It's cool. But talking about responsibility, it's the same thing as my debut in London (against James McSweeney, in 2010), which was the first fight on the preliminary card. Anything could happen. Only more people will see the 'stick' I'm going to give or the 'stick' I'm going to take”, said the irreverent fighter, who continued distributing amusing answers. “Did you want me to be better at wrestling, better at boxing, better at jiu-jitsu and kick ten times better than Miocic? Let him have a little more too”, he joked when asked about his rival’s skills in next Saturday’s event (31).

Check out the full interview below. Fábio Maldonado after TUF Brasil 3 open training sessions: