Ramazan Temirov says beating Lone'er Kavanagh at UFC 333 will set up a Joshua Van title fight

Uzbek flyweight Ramazan Temirov says a win over Lone'er Kavanagh at UFC 333 on Saturday, October 24, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi should lay the groundwork for a title fight with champion Joshua Van. Temirov made the comments through an interpreter at Wednesday's UFC 333 media day, MMA Junkie reported.

Kavanagh vs Temirov is on the main card of an event headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs Movsar Evloev for the featherweight title and Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title.

'I think it will go my way'

Temirov said he likes the stylistic matchup with the champion. "Joshua Van is a guy who likes to strike on the feet, and I think we're going to have a good fight," he told MMA Junkie and other reporters. "No matter who's going to be in front of me, I'm always ready. I don't think there's anyone who's very dangerous in my division, that's why I think our fight has to make sense, and it's going to be good. When I get there, we're going to see how it's going to be, but I think it will go my way."

According to MMA Junkie, Van is expected to make his next title defense against Manel Kape in early 2027, so Temirov would likely need another strong performance to force his way into the conversation.

The fight he asked for

Temirov called out Kavanagh after knocking out former title challenger Steve Erceg at 4:21 of the first round in Abu Dhabi on July 25. "I'm so happy that I could get the fight that I was asking for," he said. "After his last fight, he did a good performance and he's standing in the top rankings above me, so that's why I chose him so we can both show the striking skills in our fight."

He kept his prediction short: "Inshallah, like my last fight, I'll try to perform at my best... I'm not going to talk a lot. I'll just show you guys a beautiful show and a beautiful fight."

Where they stand

• Ramazan Temirov, 29, born in Karshi, Uzbekistan: No. 10 in the UFC flyweight rankings, 3-0 in the UFC (wins over CJ Vergara, Charles Johnson and Erceg), on a 12-fight winning streak according to his UFC.com profile, with 11 first-round finishes.
• Lone'er Kavanagh, 27: No. 6 in the rankings, 10-2 overall and 3-2 in the UFC. He upset Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision in a five-round main event in February, then was submitted by Brandon Royval with a rear-naked choke at 3:40 of the third round at UFC 329 on July 11.

UFC 333's main card airs on Paramount+ at 2 p.m. ET (22:00 Moscow time) on Saturday.