Mairbek Taisumov :
“I want to be champion. That’s why I’m here in the UFC, why I’m still fighting. I need that belt – it’s the only thing I want. Only the belt. That’s it. If I can’t get that visa, maybe I’m going to stop. I need a visa to fight in America to get that belt. If I don’t get that visa and I can’t fight in the best organization to get that belt, I’m not going to fight. I don’t want to fight anywhere – I want to be UFC champion.”
One way or another, though, Taisumov said he’d love to fight Kevin Lee (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC), who he said tries too much to be like trash-talking expert Conor McGregor.
“I want to fight Kevin Lee,” Taisumov said. “Kevin Lee’s a Conor wannabe. Hey, fight me, man. You say bad things all the time about Russia. I’m Russian – I’m Chechen. Let’s fight – don’t talk, man.”