Dan Ige expecting a “fun fight” against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308, hopes for a big fight next: “It lines me up for something big”
Dan Ige is expecting a fun fight against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308.
Ige is coming off a decision loss to Diego Lopes back at UFC 303 in a fight he took on only a couple of hours’ notice. It was a hectic day for the Hawaiian and he says he was glad he did it as he proved to everyone just how good he is.
“It was pretty crazy, I knew as much as everyone else did. I was just going about with a normal Saturday, training for a fight, I trained all week. Saturday is usually one hard training, so I got done training and I went home,” Ige said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Got a massage and they called me. It was so last minute, but it was a crazy experience. I don’t think it has ever been done at this caliber on this level, co-main event on International Fight Week. It was a win-win for me, and I put on a great performance and came close to winning.”
After taking some time off, Dan Ige is set to return at UFC 308 against Lerone Murphy. Ige and Murphy were booked to fight in February of this year, but the Brit was forced out due to an injury. Given he already had a camp for him, Ige feels well-prepared for this bout.
“You can add or take out a few things, he had one fight since then,” Ige said. “Overall, it’s essentially the same, it all comes down to mindset and making up my mind on what I want to do, and what I want to prove to myself. Just making up my mind on what I want to do, and I want to go out and win. I’m expecting a fun fight, but I’m expecting a win and to start climbing the ladder again.”
Dan Ige expecting a tough fight against Lerone Murphy at UFC 308
Although Dan Ige is expecting it to be a fun fight, he knows it will be a tough one. But, he believes he has the smarts to be able to beat the Brit to have a statement-win.
“He’s very well-rounded. He’s a smart fighter, I’m sure he studies and does his homework,” Ige added. “I visualize everything, good and bad. I see everything, and I’ve seen everything in my head. You come to acceptance with whatever happens, happens. When we step in the cage, we will see what happens.”
Should Dan Ige get his hand raised at UFC 308, he isn’t sure what is next for him. But, he believes he should get a top-ranked opponent next.
“I think it lines me up for something big,” Ige concluded. “I’ve fought a lot of guys who are unranked, I gave a lot of up-and-comers a lot of opportunity. I felt like I was the one to embrace the challenge when not a lot of guys do that. Now that I have an opportunity to fight up, and I do what I plan to do, then I expect something definitely bigger after this fight, and who knows what that is because I have fought a lot of the top guys. I’m going to look to knock on the door of the top five.”
