Ricky Turcios Previews Upcoming Fight, What Changed Since Ultimate Fighter Win

The mixed martial arts (MMA) community will be treated to another night of great fights this weekend as former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos takes on the No. 10-ranked Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Vegas 58 this Saturday, July 9.

Joining them atop the card is the middleweight bout between Caio Borralho and Armen Petrosyan.

However, a fighter of growing intrigue is also set to fight on the same card in the form of The Ultimate Fighter 29 winner Ricky Turcios.

International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano recently interviewed Turcios to talk about his matchup with fellow bantamweight prospect Aiemann Zahabi.

Icasiano asked “Pretty Ricky” about what has changed since the time he won the entire competition and now, with Turcios saying that he has focused on controlling his emotions inside the cage.

“One thing that I’ve practiced more is controlling my emotions better as best as I can. That’s one thing I’ve told myself to practice more of during my training leading up to this fight. I’m another year older, I’m another year wiser. This time as I enter [the cage], I’ll be calmer and more collected,” said Turcios.

Turcios’ UFC debut was a successful one as he pulled out a spirited effort against Brady Hiestand to take the competition by split decision at UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Chikadze before going on a nearly year-long hiatus.

When Icasiano asked about his worries regarding ring rust, Turcios was quick to dispel that idea.

“The proverbial ring rust is just a fantasy word because during the year that I had in between the fights, I continued my training; training every single day,” he mentioned with pride.

“[I] stayed active during the whole year, continuing my training and all of that. Definitely needed the time to decompress after such a long tournament.”

Turcios also noted that he used his break to learn more about the nutrition side as well, crediting the UFC Performance Institute for giving him more knowledge about one of the more underrated aspects of being a fighter.

As he looked ahead to his fight with Zahabi, the Houston native could not contain his excitement in getting back inside the Octagon and potentially securing the win over the Canadian, which would validate his experience in The Ultimate Fighter.

“This weekend is the big fight. With every victory, you continue to climb the rankings of the UFC. I’m ready to fight. I come here with one goal and one goal only: to get the victory,” he glowingly stated.

Turcios and Zahabi's bout will be the final fight of the preliminary card at UFC Vegas 58.

UFC Vegas 58 will be showing live on ESPN and ESPN+ in the United States this Saturday, July 9, while fans in the Philippines can watch the fight live on Sunday, July 10 via Premier Sports on SkyCable and Cignal, as well as the TapGo streaming app.