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Ramsey Nijem thankful for UFC past but ready for next step at PFL 2

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CHICAGO – Ramsey Nijem’s resume is a little deceiving.

When it comes to official fights, it shows he hasn’t had a fight in nearly three years. In actuality, he’s had a couple fights since then as part of Season 25 of “The Ultimate Fighter” a year ago – but they don’t count toward his official record.

But tonight, Nijem finally gets to come back, and he’s been jonesing for the opportunity.

“Last year, I fought in the (‘TUF’) house, so it’s been a couple years since I’ve had a fight that’s like this – the buildup, the matchmaking,” Nijem on Tuesday told MMAjunkie in after a workout in Chicago. “‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is real fighting, but you only get like a day (of preparation). I just love the excitement, I love the buildup – this is what I live for. All week long, I’ve been amped and waking up early. I’m just excited to be here.”

Nijem (9-6) fights fellow UFC veteran and two-time WSOF title challenger Brian Foster (27-10) in the lightweight co-main event of PFL 2 at Chicago Theatre. The main card airs on NBCSN following prelims streamed live on Facebook.

PFL’s inaugural season started two weeks ago. There are 12-man fields in each of six divisions. After a two-fight regular season for each of them, the top eight will qualify for the playoffs this fall, and the winners in each division will get a guaranteed $1 million prize.

Nijem exited the UFC on a two-fight skid, officially. In the “TUF” house, he won his first fight against Julian Lane with a first-round knockout, but then dropped a decision to James Krause and exited the tournament, which was made up of former cast members looking for “Redemption” with another shot. Both those fights were at welterweight. In 2011, Nijem lost to Tony Ferguson in the lightweight final of Season 13 of the show.

But Nijem didn’t leave the UFC with any ill will.

“I’m super thankful for the UFC,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the UFC, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to be in this tournament right now. No one would know who I was – I’d be some local fighter. But because of the UFC, I’ve gotten to fight the best guys in the world. I’ve gotten to train with the best guys in the world. I’ve made connections where I’ve traveled the world, training with this camp and that camp, learning from this and that. This is a great opportunity to culminate all that work and put it back in perspective.”

Against Foster, Nijem takes on a veteran who fought Jon Fitch for PFL’s welterweight title in 2017 and fought Justin Gaethje for the WSOF lightweight title before that. Like Nijem, he’s been in the cage against solid names.

And though Nijem seems to think he’s got a sincere challenge on his hands Thursday in the co-feature, he also believes he’s the top dog in the lightweight field gunning for the $1 million.

“Once I found out I was fighting Brian Foster, it was ‘Get ready for a power puncher,'” Nijem said. “The guy goes out and doesn’t quit. He doesn’t really try to set you up – he just tries to sleep you. So I’m super excited for that. … I think Foster’s a great veteran to showcase my skills and show where I belong in this tournament as the No. 1 seed.”

For more from Nijem, check out the video above.

And for more on PFL 2, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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