Assuncao Unhappy With Performance Against Caraway

Raphael Assuncao picked up a unanimous decision win over Bryan Caraway last night at UFC Fight Night Halifax, extending his win streak to 7, making him the owner of the 3rd longest active win streak in the UFC.

Assuncao believes that the win over Caraway puts him in a position to fight for the bantamweight title after Dominick Cruz.

He spoke with MMAJunkie about his performance, which he was critical of.

“I’m very critical of my performances and I’m very critical of myself, so right now, all I’m thinking about is … obviously, in the cage, I had to be vocal about it. It’s not easy having a seven-fight win streak, especially in MMA and in the UFC. A lot goes into having those seven straight wins, but on Monday, I’ll be back in the gym, and we’ll go with some of the stuff I think we can improve.”

“(Caraway) said that he would bring a dog fight. I thought that that I would be able to stop him before then. I worked with my coaches so that if he brought that type of fight, that I’d be able to put a stop to that with leg kicks and knees coming in. I thought I would be able to put a stop of that fight that he brought.”

“I think I should have done a little bit better, possibly stopping him earlier before the end of the fight,”

Given that UFC President Dana White stated that Renan Barao would need to win one more bout before earning another title shot after passing out while cutting weight ahead of UFC 177, a fight between Barao and Assuncao could be on the horizon.

Do you think Raphael Assuncao has earned the next shot at the bantamweight strap?