LAS VEGAS – Fresh off his UFC contract, [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag] has his eyes on a fellow former LFA flyweight champion.
Flick (15-5) punched his ticket to the UFC when he submitted Nate Smith in the third round Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 31.
It’s been a big year for Flick, who less than two months after capturing the LFA flyweight title already finds himself as part of the UFC roster.
The submission specialist notched his third straight submission win and is ready to test his skills against top-10 ranked flyweight and fellow LFA champ [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].
“I like Brandon Royval,” Flick told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after his win at the UFC Apex. “He was the last LFA champ and he won in 23 seconds. I won the LFA title in 38 seconds. He jumped in the UFC and he picked up a submission win. He’s got a 23-second submission win, I’ve got a 38-second submission win. That’s a guy I want to get in the future. I think we would match up really well together and we’re both LFA champs, so I would love to fight that guy.”
With the UFC’s flyweight division looking like it was going to dissolve at one point, Flick was uncertain of his future. But with the roster continuing to grow and a new flyweight champion recently crowned, Flick is excited about his future.
“I thought my career was going to be over at mid-20s,” Flick said. “I took a few losses at 135 because we thought the UFC was going to cut the 125-pound division, so that had me worried there for a little bit. But the flyweight division is solidified again and we’ve got Cody Garbrandt coming down. I think that’s going to bring more fans to the flyweight division. And then I went out here and put on an awesome performance and just tell people, ‘Don’t give up.’ I’m 29. I’m at the prime of my career now, and if you look at everybody that fought on the card, not as many fighters have as much experience as I do.”
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