With his first UFC fight in his rear-view, Malcolm Gordon now has his sights set on his first UFC win.
Canada’s Gordon (12-4) will square off with China’s Su Mudaerji (12-4) in a flyweight contest at UFC on ESPN 18 in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday night.
Gordon, 30, said with his UFC debut out of the way and now fighting back on North American soil, he feels more comfortable heading into Saturday night’s clash with Mudaerji.
“Fighting in Abu Dhabi was an adjustment in itself. You’re fighting at 3 a.m., sleeping through the day, and waking up at 9 p.m. That was a mind f**k in itself,” said Gordon in an interview with MMA Empire.
“Now, being in Vegas, we came out early to train in case the air was going to be a little different. We’ve got that out of the way, and lungs are strong. I also feel like I have home court advantage too on this kid. He’s coming all the way from China, so god knows what that’s going to do to your body.”
Gordon’s UFC debut back in July didn’t go as planned, falling to Amir Albazi via first round submission in a short notice bantamweight matchup.
Despite the loss, Gordon said he didn’t feel any of the infamous UFC jitters, which he largely attributed to fighting in an empty arena.
“It was like a gym fight with cameras on, that’s it,” said Gordon.
“Everyone’s obviously tough and the level of opponent is way different, but as far as jitters go, I didn’t feel them. You’re fighting in front of 10 people.”
Gordon expects to dominate on the ground
Throughout his career, Gordon has proven to be a force on the mat, with six of his 12 wins coming by way of submission.
And with all four of Mudaerji’s losses coming via submission, Gordon said he’s expecting to have a distinct advantage once the fight hits ground.
“Aside from my one hiccup in my UFC debut, I’ve been pretty dominant on the ground for the last little bit,” said Gordon.
“Given a full camp, I can’t see why I won’t be dominant again on the ground.”
Between Gordon and Mudaerji, they have a combined 21 finishes heading into Saturday night. Additionally, they also only have three fights combined that have gone the distance.
With the finishing prowess both he and Mudaerji possess, Gordon said he’s expecting nothing short of an exciting fight for the fans.
“I’ve never been in a boring fight in my life. Whether I get finished or the other guy gets finished, that’s generally how it goes,” said Gordon.
“We’re not talking decisions here. I’m not going to say we’re playing it safe, that’s for sure. There’s nothing that’s going to be safe about this fight. We’re not going for three rounds.”
Gordon’s Shoutouts
“I have to give a big shoutout to Michael Imperato. He’s really helped me in the last little bit. It’s unfortunate what happened for him from just one bad choice of words holding him back from getting in the UFC. There’s dudes out there who have said and done so much worse, and they’re not getting held back. He’s not a bad dude, and he’s definitely not racist, or he wouldn’t be in my corner.” Follow Gordon on social media: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM
