Modestas Bukauskas eager to fight “dangerous” Raffael Cerqueira at UFC Seattle

Modestas Bukauskas is set to make his return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle on Saturday.

Bukasukas is coming off a submission win over Marcin Prachnio and will now face Raffael Cerqueira. The light heavyweight contender hasn’t fought since July which was frustrating, but he’s eager to get to fight in front of fans in America.

“That was a big thing for me. I get to fight in an arena in America for the first time. I’ve never fought in America in front of a crowd, so it will be good. Anytime I get a stadium show fight, it’s so live,” Bukauskas said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com.

When Bukauskas was offered Cerqueira, he admits he didn’t know much about him. However, he knows the Brazilian is a dangerous striker so he is preparing for a tough fight.

“Not really so much,” Bukauskas said. “I saw his UFC debut against Ibo Aslan and he got caught quite early, so you didn’t see much of his skill set. He wants to wipe away the tears of the previous fight, he will come in extremely motivated. I expect him to be dangerous, I’m expecting the best version of Rafael.”

Modestas Bukauskas expects to KO Raffael Cerqueira

Although Modestas Bukauskas says Raffael Cerqueira is a dangerous opponent, he is entering UFC Seattle with a ton of confidence. Bukauskas says he will be putting pressure on the Brazilian which will lead to the KO win.

“I have to put the pressure on him. He has some high-level striking and can throw from anywhere. It’s up to me to land my shots first and land them more aggressively and impose my game plan on him. That is what I’m going to do,” Bukauskas said.

If Bukauskas gets the KO win, he hopes his next fight will be against a ranked opponent.

“I definitely plan on working my way to the top 15 or a fight away from the top 15 matchup after this win. I want to be pushing myself toward that top 15 so I can go on a title run next year,” Bukauskas said.