With his first UFC fight in his rear-view, Malcolm Gordon now has his sights set on his first UFC win.
The first UFC win is often the one that actually locks in the career — debut losses get explained away by jitters, short notice, or travel, but a second fight is where the promotion decides whether a signing was a prospect or a roster spot to reconsider. Gordon knows that math as well as anyone.
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.
Flyweight is the division where Gordon's game has always made the most sense — a submission-heavy grappler fighting at his natural weight, on a full camp, against an opponent with a similar finishing profile is about as clean a stylistic test as a second UFC fight gets.
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.
The Fight Island debut came with every logistical disadvantage stacked against him — fighting at 3 a.m., on short notice, a weight class up, in an empty arena. A normal Vegas card on a full camp is the version of a UFC debut Gordon actually wanted, even if it had to come second.
“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.
The Albazi loss is the kind of result that looks worse on paper than it was in context — a short-notice booking, a weight class above his natural flyweight, against a prospect who turned out to be legitimate. Gordon gets to write the real story this weekend at his actual weight.
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.
The submission base is what made Gordon one of Canadian MMA's most consistent finishers — a former TKO champion who built his record on grappling, his path to a first UFC win runs through the same mat work that carried him through the regional circuit for a decade.
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.
Mudaerji's submission losses are the kind of statistic a grappler reads as an invitation — four defeats by tapout against an opponent whose entire game is built around finishing on the ground is a matchup that favors Gordon's strongest tool as clearly as any fight he's had.
“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.
The finishing math on this one is exceptional — 21 combined stoppages and only three career decisions between two flyweights means someone is almost certainly going out inside the distance, which is exactly the kind of fight the UFC wants on the early prelims of a Las Vegas card.
With the finishing prowess both he and Mudaerji possess, Gordon said he’s expecting nothing short of an exciting fight for the fans.
The no-boring-fights record is one of the better unwritten stats in MMA — Gordon has spent a career making sure every bout ends definitively, and a matchup against a fighter with the same mentality is the kind of pairing that usually delivers on its promise.
“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
