Hakeem Dawodu Hoping to Make a Statement at UFC Fight Night 127

Hakeem Dawodu spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his fight with Danny Henry at UFC Fight Night 127. Highlights are below:

On his goal for the fight: “I’ve got time to develop, but I’m ready to put on a big show, start turning heads, and within a year or two start making a title run. So I’m looking to make a statement.”

On his road to the UFC: “The slow path slightly discouraged me. I knew I was definitely at the level that I deserved to be in the UFC, but it always kind of seemed a little bit like a dream. Even when I signed the contract, it still didn’t feel too real. And now I’m here, I’m getting the kit and doing the press – it’s real. I feel ready, I know I belong here and I’m ready to start turning heads and show everybody what I’m about.”

On hos growth as a fighter since his early days: “Back then, I was pure brawl and sprawl. Now I’ve been really upping my ground game, thanks to John Kavanagh at SBG and my coach Brian Bird at Champion’s Creed. I’m a complete fighter now and people are going to realise that real soon.”

On Bird getting him to SBG: “He wanted me to go to a tough gym, but also go to a gym where he knows the coach is going to take care of me and I’m not going to be at risk of injury. They’ve got really high-level grappling and tough sparring partners. I got to really go against some people and test my skills against them. Back in Calgary, I’ve got a very good gym at Champion’s Creed, but I don’t have MMA sparring partners that are going to push me. Maybe they respect me a little bit too much. So it was good to get to another gym were people don’t respect me and they were willing to test their skills against me.”

On Henry: “I didn’t know anything about him. I watched one video on him and, yeah, we feel confident. I plan on finishing this guy. I don’t know if it’s going to be the first round, the second round or the third round, but I’m planning on putting him away.”