Kaan Ofli received’t be happy with simply profitable The Final Fighter 32.
The Australian-Turkish veteran competes this Saturday at UFC Vegas 96 within the finals of this season’s featherweight match in opposition to fellow Staff Alexa Grasso fighter Mairon Santos (13-1), with the winner incomes a UFC contract. Ofli, 31, has waited 10 years for his probability to not solely compete contained in the octagon, however to beat it.
In an interview with MMA Preventing, Ofli gave a agency timeline on when he expects to problem for UFC gold.
“I give myself about two to two-and-a-half years to be combating for the belt,” Ofli stated. “I need to be energetic, I need to combat thrice subsequent yr. I need to combat early within the yr, in Australia. I need to combat midyear, June, July, after which I need to combat on the finish of the yr. Between Australia, Abu Dhabi, Europe, I’m going to principally inform the UFC, ‘Pay attention, that is my plan, since you guys higher plan yourselves as a result of that is what I would like.’
“There’s been many guys which have fought for the belt at their fifth or sixth combat, and [I can too] if I hold profitable. I’m at the moment on a 10-fight win streak together with my two latest wins [on TUF 32], although they’re exhibition fights, no matter, I don’t care.”
Heading into the TUF home, Ofli sported an 11-2-1 report competing for promotions akin to Australia’s Hex Battle Sequence, in addition to Courageous Fight Federation and UAE Warriors. He was coach Alexa Grasso’s second featherweight choice and didn’t disappoint, defeating Cage Warriors prospect Nathan Fletcher and South African grappler Roedie Roets en path to the finale.
“Genghis” expects to hit the bottom working and put collectively a win streak that can make him the No. 1 contender in brief time. He was one of the crucial skilled fighters on the TUF 32 roster and counts former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski amongst his previous coaching companions.
“The maths works out, however I’ve additionally skilled with Volkanovski just a few occasions,” Ofli stated. “We’ve type of had a mutual friendship. He invited me one time to assist him with the Korean Zombie combat. Due to that relationship, I might by no means verbally say that I wished to be the UFC champion as a result of I’m humble and I’m respectful, and I felt like there was a bit little bit of a block as a result of he was the champ and we’re each Aussies and we each skilled collectively and whatnot.
“Now that he isn’t the champion, I’ve obtained a lot extra confidence saying what I need to say and what I really feel, and that’s what I really really feel. That’s why I imagine in myself.”
When Ofli first sparred with Volkanovski, he admits it didn’t go nicely. Nevertheless, as soon as Ofli turned extra snug with the UFC star, he’s assured that he gave Volkanovski a run for his cash.
“In all honesty, I used to be a bit bit starstruck,” Ofli stated of first working with Volkanovski. “I had simply had COVID too, so I had simply obtained over COVID, after which I heard he was within the health club. I used to be like, ‘I’ve obtained to take this opportunity. I’ve obtained to spar with the champ.’ I didn’t do pretty much as good as I might have thought, and it was additionally as a result of I used to be giving a lot respect to this man. Because the rounds went on and I began basically not respecting him as a lot and simply treating it like a combat, I began doing higher and higher.
“Then, the following time I skilled with him — the rationale why he invited me to coach with him is clearly as a result of I’m good and that I used to be giving him good work —the final time I obtained to coach with him was in New Zealand at Metropolis Kickboxing. We’ve had just a few interactions, and there’s no disrespect to him, I’m not saying something dangerous in direction of that man, he’s an incredible man, however he’s on the finish of his profession. He’s Alexander ‘The Nice’ and I’m ‘Gengis Kaan the Nice,’ so it’s time for me to go.”
By the point Ofli arrived in Las Vegas to shoot TUF 32, he’d spent loads of cagetime with elite fighters, and that development continued with Grasso’s teaching workers. Among the many names chosen to help Grasso was featherweight contender Diego Lopes.
Ofli and Lopes have shared the coaching room, and if Ofli’s championship plan is to return to fruition, there’s a very good probability they’ll share the octagon within the close to future.
“I used to be fascinated by that,” Ofli stated. “Me and Diego had a few rounds sparring and grappling and stuff. Clearly, within the warmth of the second, I used to be identical to, ‘He’s an superior man. He’s being actually pleasant, he’s being actually useful.’ Now I’m fascinated by it, ‘Hey, wait a second. You may’t be combating No. 3 [Brian Ortega], I would like that too.’ So there’s an opportunity that me and him might combat and I might love that combat, however I don’t need to promote that or say that proper now simply out of respect.”
