Dan Ige is fine with fighting another unranked opponent.
Ige snapped his three-fight losing skid back in January with a KO win over Damon Jackson and will now face Nate Landwehr at UFC 289. After Ige’s win, he says he wanted to return in June and in front of fans, which is exactly what he got.
“I think it’s just about right. Right before my last fight and not knowing how it would go, it’s hard to look past the fight,” Ige said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “But, in my head, I wanted to fight in January and then in June and one more time whether it’s November or December, that would be a perfect scenario. The June turnaround was nice, I wasn’t sure with the way the division was going of when and who I would be matched up with and it just so happens I got that June fight against Nate Landwehr, which is a great fight.”
Although Ige is ranked 13th at featherweight, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but was fine with fighting another unranked opponent. The Hawaiian knows he needs to string together some wins and wanted to fight a tough opponent which he knows Nate is. He also expected to face Landwehr back in January, so he’s happy the two will share the Octagon at UFC 289.
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“For me right now, it doesn’t really matter fighting up or down in the rankings. I just want to put together some wins again. I’ve been given opportunities to fight into the rankings and other guys definitely deserve it,” Ige said. “I was watching Nate’s fight against David Onama and I was without an opponent, as it was before I fought Damon Jackson so I thought that might happen. But we ended up getting Jackson and he went out and put on another great performance. Nate is a guy that deserves it and went out and fought the hard way and he’s exciting and has a bit of a name.”
Against Nate Landwehr, Dan Ige is expecting to show there are levels to the game and is confident he will score a finish.
“I want to make it a short, quick, easy night. I don’t get paid by the minute, so I try and go out there and finish fights as soon as I see the opening whether it’s a KO or submission,” Ige said. “Whatever presents itself I’m definitely looking for the finish… He’s durable against certain guys and I don’t think he will be as durable as me, he’ll feel the difference.”
If Ige does finish Landwehr, he still isn’t sure what a win does for him. However, all he cares about is stringing together some wins and whatever happens after UFC 289 happens.
“I signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC and have to go out there and keep on competing and earn my way back to the top… It shows that I’m still here. I’m not going to move up in the rankings, this whole entire sport is about timing and opportunity, and I plan to go out there and establish my dominance and keep winning,” Ige concluded.
