When it comes to his unanimous decision victory over Shojin Miki at X-1 World Events 55 this past July, flyweight Tyson Nam is happy he got the win, but doesn’t feel like he had his best performance.
One of the things that Nam figures could have contributed to having to go to decision against Miki is the fact he took time off to attend a friend’s wedding right before the fight.
“Against Shojin, I did win, but I wasn’t happy because I’m never ever satisfied if I don’t knock these flyweights out,” Nam told MMAWeekly.com.
“Taking nothing away from Shojin, he’s a tough opponent and he can take a hell of a punch, but it probably wasn’t the best idea to go to Portland the week before, but I promised Ricky Simon I’d be there for his wedding and wouldn’t miss it for the world, so I went over there the week before the fight. It probably wasn’t the best preparation, but I came out with the victory.”
With the win, 35-year-old Nam kept his name in the running for a UFC spot, which he got the call for recently, fulfilling a longtime goal he had set for himself before he ever stepped foot inside a cage.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Nam. “This was literally the one thing on top of my bucket list when I started watching MMA before I even started training in MMA. It’s definitely a dream come true. I could die a happy after this first fight because it’s all I ever wanted.
“It couldn’t have been at a (more) perfect time. I’ve been very active as of recent. My weight has been okay. I was in shape. I’ve never competed at that elevation (that Mexico City is at), but I was getting ready for a fight; a five round fight; so I feel I should be able to perform at my very best.”
On Saturday in Mexico City, Nam (18-9-1) will make his promotional debut when he faces Sergio Pettis (17-5) in a preliminary 125-pound bout at UFC on ESPN+ 17.
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“I’ve always watched his fights and I’m always thinking I would knock that fool out,” Nam said of Pettis. “I love the match-up. I love the competitiveness. I love that he’s one of the top flyweights in the world.
“I’ll get to show, again, that I’m one of the best flyweights in the world. I’ve not only done it once, I’ve done it already twice, but I’ll make it a third time on this. In my UFC debut I’m going to make a huge statement.”
Knowing what a win over a fighter like Pettis could do for his standing in the UFC, Nam feels like he could make a case for himself to control his destiny a bit more in the promotion than others just starting out with the company.
“Everything sits in the upper management level, but at the same time, Sergio is ranked No. 5 in the world. I knock that guy out, I can push and I can ask (for what I want next),” said Nam. “I want to fight the very best. I’ve probably got a couple of guys that I wouldn’t mind punching in the face after.”
