“I definitely recognize that,” Saffiedine told Sporting News. “I guess due to my setbacks and my lack of activity, a lot of people have unfortunately forgotten about me. But all you need is one fight to get back on track in the stacked welterweight division.”
While Saffiedine doesn’t disclose what the injuries were that have kept him inactive, he insists he is 100 percent heading into Saturday night.
“All I can tell you is that I’m 100 percent healthy,” Saffiedine said. “As far as the injury, I can’t say much because I would like to keep it quiet, but I’m 100 percent healthy heading into Saturday night.”
The Belgian native knows MacDonald brings a lot to the table, but is confident that he possesses the skills to dethrone the number two welterweight in the UFC rankings.
“I truly believe that I have the skills to beat him,” Saffiedine said. “I trained really really hard in this camp and I’m hungry for the victory, that’s all I want. I just don’t want to show up and say, “oh I fought the number two welterweight”.
“I want to show that I really want to win this fight and prove a lot of people wrong that are underestimating me.”
With a win over Saffiedine in Saturday’s main event, it seems that MacDonald will face the winner of the Hendricks and Lawler rematch. For Saffiedine, there’s no guarantee of a title fight next. He feels though a victory will get him in talks to fight for the belt.
“To be honest with you, I don’t really think about what happens next after this fight,” Saffiedine said. “What I can tell you is that a win will definitely put me right up there in the mix for a chance at the title.”
Steven Muehlhausen is an experienced MMA writer and contributor for Sporting News. Find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
