LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 09: (L-R) Mansur Abdul-Malik punches Dusko Todorovic of Montenegro in a middleweight combat through the UFC Battle Night time occasion at UFC APEX on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Picture by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Final day out, Mansur Abdul-Malik made an announcement. Not solely did he beat Dusko Todorovic in his debut, however did so with a vicious KO – incomes a efficiency of the night time bonus within the course of. Whereas most fighters could be beside themselves to have that form of first combat, you received’t catch Abdul-Malik celebrating. As a substitute, he’s targeted on the sport and it by no means sleeps.
“I just I put it in my pocket and kept on moving forward because the real celebration, the real game is just the next fight,” stated Abdul-Malik. “The real game is getting back in the camp. The real game is just getting back to that spot that I wanna be in mentally.”
The bonus-winning knockout got here fast as effectively, which isn’t new for Abdul-Malik. He’s completed all of his skilled opponents and all, count on one, within the first spherical. Nevertheless, it’s not even on his radar as as to if this has been simple for him.
“My perception is not even on easy or difficult or any of that. It’s all relative to me, I swear.It’s like, I’m not even thinking about what this is. I’m just enjoying it. I’m having so much fun,” he stated. “I can’t even recognize the difficulty or the lack thereof with any of it. I’m just loving it so much, man. I’m just having so much fun every single day.”
And whereas some fighters is perhaps prioritizing one other first spherical victory or conserving their win streak in tact, the middleweight prospect has a unique set of objectives. He needs to point out all people on the market that he’s not complacent.
“This is going to show the professionalism that I have. This is going to be my second fight inside of the UFC. And I’m really, really, really prioritizing my demeanor, how I’m going to go about things. I’ve been there. Debut is done. It’s over,” he stated. “This is the next one. So I’m just going to show the improvement of my skills, the improvement of my character, the improvement of my demeanor, and the appreciation, most importantly, to God, the gratitude that I have for my team, for my family, and for my own efforts. I’m prepared.”
You possibly can see all of these enhancements as a part of the UFC Seattle prelims. Mansur Abdul-Malik takes on Nick Klein on ESPN+ with that portion of the cardboard starting at 6pm EST.
You possibly can hear all the audio of this interview at 2:09.
