Post by Ian from 616Entertainment. on Sept 20, 2008 21:36:38 GMT -5
Mustapha Al-Turk (6-3) has vacated the Cage Rage British heavyweight title and signed with the UFC, we can exclusively reveal.
He has signed a four-fight deal with the organisation and will make his debut before the end of the year, possibly against Cain Velasquez.
Speaking to Fighters Only earlier, Al-Turk said he felt “absolutely great” about signing the deal with the UFC.
“I feel that I deserve to be there, I’ve got a lot of skill and I’ve earned my place,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard and I continue to work hard. You reap what you sow.
He recently won the Cage Rage British heavyweight title after the organisation stripped previous holder Tengiz Tedoradze.
But his contract with that organisation has expired and he jumped at a chance to fight in the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation.
“It’s a step up [from Cage Rage] with regard to the size of the shows and the level of opponent I will be facing, but that is how you get better,” he said.
“You should always be looking to evolve your game an you need better and better opponents to do that,” he added.
He could not comment on speculation that he will be facing Cain Valasquez at UFC 92 on December 27th.
However, he did say that a fight with Velasquez would be “very tough” as “he is a prospect - I don’t think it would be an easy fight for either of us”.
“We’ve got similar styles, his wrestling is great, he came seventh in the NCAA I believe? He is a formidable wrestler, he has excellent control, good boxing, so we’re similar in our styles. He’s a tough guy - but I know I could take him.”
He has signed a four-fight deal with the organisation and will make his debut before the end of the year, possibly against Cain Velasquez.
Speaking to Fighters Only earlier, Al-Turk said he felt “absolutely great” about signing the deal with the UFC.
“I feel that I deserve to be there, I’ve got a lot of skill and I’ve earned my place,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard and I continue to work hard. You reap what you sow.
He recently won the Cage Rage British heavyweight title after the organisation stripped previous holder Tengiz Tedoradze.
But his contract with that organisation has expired and he jumped at a chance to fight in the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation.
“It’s a step up [from Cage Rage] with regard to the size of the shows and the level of opponent I will be facing, but that is how you get better,” he said.
“You should always be looking to evolve your game an you need better and better opponents to do that,” he added.
He could not comment on speculation that he will be facing Cain Valasquez at UFC 92 on December 27th.
However, he did say that a fight with Velasquez would be “very tough” as “he is a prospect - I don’t think it would be an easy fight for either of us”.
“We’ve got similar styles, his wrestling is great, he came seventh in the NCAA I believe? He is a formidable wrestler, he has excellent control, good boxing, so we’re similar in our styles. He’s a tough guy - but I know I could take him.”
