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UFC 226's Raphael Assuncao ready to 'put my foot down' on title shot with win

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Raphael Assuncao has long called for a meeting with former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. But after Saturday’s UFC 226, that ship may have sailed.

“After my next win on Saturday, Dominick Cruz is out of the picture for me,” Assuncao told MMAjunkie. “I want to go straight to challenge the champion for the belt.”

Back to that shortly.

A long-time bantamweight contender, Assuncao (26-5 MMA, 10-2 UFC) meets Rob Font (15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in an FS1-televised preliminary card bantamweight bout. Now three fights removed from his last loss, a unanimous decision to T.J. Dillashaw, Assuncao has long been pleading his case for title consideration, but to no avail.

Assuncao recently aired those grievances to MMAjunkie, saying he was “ready to fight the No. 1 or No. 2 guy” in the UFC’s official rankings if the champion wasn’t available. Said “No. 1 guy,” meaning ex-champ Cody Garbrandt, ended up getting his rematch with champ Dillashaw. And “No. 2,” meaning Cruz, has yet to announce his return plans.

Assuncao, who is No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, ended up paired with an honorable mention in Font.

While he’s fine with the opponent who will stand across him at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, it took a little bit of convincing for Assuncao to be on board.

“We negotiated a bit,” Assuncao said. “When his name first came, I wasn’t immediately interested.”

By the time the second offer to meet Font came, though, a few fights had already been booked – including the title fight at UFC 227 and a high-stakes meeting between Marlon Moraes, whom Assuncao beat three fights ago, and Jimmie Rivera.

Assuncao wasn’t interested in waiting around for too long. And then something else happened to sweeten the deal: With only one fight left on his contract, he renegotiated before taking the scrap (he wouldn’t reveal how many fights he’s re-signed for).

Ultimately, between timing and negotiations, things came together. And, despite his initial reluctance, Assuncao thinks he ended up paired with a good opponent, who will be able to keep him active and relevant in the division.

“I like his style,” Assuncao said. “He’s more of a boxer. He’s very well rounded, rangy. I think our games go together. I have some experience fighting longer guys. I think my style matches up well with that kind of body type.”

Despite having his pleas consistently fall on deaf ears, Assuncao says he isn’t frustrated. But, with a fourth straight win on Saturday, he’s also determined to stand his ground for fights that “make sense” within his standings in the division.

“I think with a good win against Font, or actually any win, I think I should put my foot down and wait for a better chance, like others have done,” Assuncao said.

Assuncao’s record speaks strongly on his behalf. After a knockout loss on his UFC debut, his only other setback was the one at UFC 200, to Dillashaw – whom he’d beaten in a previous encounter. Among his wins are the likes of Pedro Munhoz, Bryan Caraway, Aljamain Sterling, and Moraes, who was then on a 13-fight winning streak.

But, when it comes to the situation atop the UFC’s 135-pound division, Assuncao is not alone. And one of his strongest competitors happens to be Moraes, a former WSOF titleholder who has put together his own three-fight winning streak since losing to Assuncao.

The case to be made for Moraes is two-fold: There’s both the fact that his most recent win was against a fellow contender in Jimmie Rivera and that his two most recent wins were flashy first-round knockouts. And Moraes, himself, said he’ll wait for a title shot now and that he thinks fans would rather see him fight for the title than Assuncao.

Assuncao, though, thinks a win on Saturday should make him the No. 1 contender – especially considering he’s beaten Moraes.

“Regardless of whether it’s a decision, a quick fight, or a win in which I nullified his game,” Assuncao said. “With every opponent, I find a way to come out with the win, thankfully. It’s a win, and it goes on my record. Regardless of (Moraes’) campaign because he had a faster fight, or because he fought a certain opponent.”

Assuncao is hoping he gets a chance to make his case to UFC President Dana White in person – even if the usually quiet bantamweight hasn’t quite figured out his sales pitch yet.

“Hopefully the boss will be around, and I’ll have to communicate that to him,” Assuncao said. “If he’s around, or even afterward, I’ll have to let him know. For me, it’s time to put my foot down. Even if I have to wait, or whatever, we’re going toward that belt.”

For more on UFC 226, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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