ABU DHABI – [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] shuts down the notion that he should have been awarded a bigger fight at UFC 308.
Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) faces [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] (14-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC) on Saturday’s main card at Etihad Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN+).
Ige is coming off a short-notice loss to Diego Lopes at UFC 303 in June, where he stepped in on just four hours’ notice. Ige was promised a spot on UFC 306, but that didn’t pan out. Instead, he draws undefeated Murphy, but Ige sees many perks in that fight.
“I understand the perspective, but I see this as a reward,” Ige told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 308 media day. “I get to fight a guy above me in the rankings. Yes, he’s undefeated, he’s been tested against worthy contenders, but it comes down to self-belief.
“Belief in myself and my team. I believe we have the game plan to beat him, and that’s the beauty of this sport. Anything can happen in MMA so, I’m going to look to go out there and be the first person to beat Lerone Murphy, and I truly believe I could do so.”
Ige rates Murphy’s skills highly, but thinks one major thing separates them.
“I believe we’re pretty similar in a lot of ways as far as our abilities to fight out of both stances,” Ige said. “He’s a little longer, a little more methodical with his movements, and his feints. I definitely believe there’s a pretty big power differential.
“I’m not going to go out there and look to only land big power shots, but I think you’ll see that difference in the fight. When I hit him vs. when he hits me. It’s going to be a great fight, I can’t wait to go out there and test myself against a guy like Lerone.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.