Rustam Khabilov on His Fifth-Straight Win at UFC Fight Night 115

Speaking to reporters in a post-fight media scrum after his win at UFC Fight Night 115 (via MMAjunkie), UFC fighter Rustam Khabilov discussed his win over Desmond Green and who he’d like to fight next. Below are some highlights.

Khabilov on wanting a fight with Michael Johnson: “That was Michael Johnson in the corner of Desmond Green, and I wish to fight with him.”

Khabilov on wanting a fight with Kevin Lee for talking trash: “There’s another fighter who’s talking a lot of smack, who’s talking a lot of trash. That’s Kevin Lee. He was talking a lot of (expletive) about me, about the whole wrestling game and stuff. And I challenged him. I was tweeting him, and he was responding back. And he said, ‘I’m going to fight with you anywhere, anytime.’ But when things get real, he just disappears somewhere/ I don’t know. Now he’s talking. He’s trying to fight for the interim (belt). But I want to let him know that I’m chasing him.”

Rustam Khabilov on getting to the top 15 and bouncing back after two losses: “The goal was to get in the top 15. Because I used to be in the top 15 before. And it’s like a renewing of my career, after the two losses. Last year, 2016, I did really well. I did the four fights. This is my 10th fight in the UFC, and that was the motivation: Get to the top, get my position back, and fight the best in the division.”

Rustam Khabilov on not being happy with a decision win: “Honestly, I’m not very happy that I ended the fight with a decision. Because I was looking for the finish. But, after my last fight in December, I had two surgeries – on my knee and on my shoulder. And I had a one-year layoff. I think that’s affected the fight. And the opponent, himself, he’s the kind of opponent who’s not fighting himself, (he’s) defensive, and he’s not attacking. All the time, just running away, running away. This kind of stylistic matchup is not very good.”