Denis Bozokja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
Denis Bozukja wants to be the world champion in featherweight, welterweight and welterweight.
Dennis Buzukja is a name that many MMA fans already know. He’s a very potential man with a star-studded team and his journey to the UFC has been nothing short of dramatic.
After dealing with a frightening bout of COVID and missing out on his DWCS debut, he bounced back to rack up three straight wins, including a first-round finish, and is on track to earn a much-coveted UFC contract when he pitched in to face Calio Romero (6-1) during week one. From the ten week series.
“I think it’s more like a match that makes more sense than someone like Milicic [Baghdasaryan]’,” Buzukja told FanSided of his former opponent. “Melsik was like 300 kickboxing matches. I think it’s just the right fight for me at the right time. He is a strong opponent. I don’t condone it in any way. I’m sure he was working hard. Didn’t fight in like a year and change. So I know that’s another trigger for me because I’ve been active and whatever the reason for it, I don’t know what’s going on with it. But you know, I’ve fought tougher men. I do not condone him. It is dangerous in its own way. It’s here for a reason. But I think I have more experience. I’ve fought tougher men, and I have more weapons to get him out, than he has to drive me out.”
Denis Bozokja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
Buzukja has another advantage in the competition in that he is familiar with the DWCS format and fighting at UFC APEX will not intimidate him.
“I’m more comfortable there,” he said. “Bright lights and cameras don’t bother me. I saw it. I was there. You know, I cornered Aljo.” [Aljamain Sterling] with [Cory] Sandhagan and with the first [Petr] Fighting Yan, I went out with Aljo in the second battle of Yan. I’ve been around this atmosphere so much now that it has become normal to me. It wouldn’t take anything away from my focus on the fight and on my performance. So yeah, definitely a huge confidence booster for me, there’s just the familiarity with the whole place and everything.”
In addition, he was able to make his way to Las Vegas, Nevada where two of his teammates split time to acclimatize to the weather and train with two of the best weights in the UFC.
“I came in a few days early, like 10 days early, just to have a few tough sessions just to get acclimated a bit,” he said. “Heat is a little different, dry heat is a different thing. I remember the last time I fought here my mouth was dry during a fight and I think it affected me a little too on top of everything else. So I just wanted to keep everything away, just to cover all the bases, you know, even if Made a 1 percent difference, and just for the mental confidence just to get out here, and have some recent tough runs with Aljo and Merab [Dvalishvili[, just like the last final hard push before I started the weight cut.”
Dennis Buzukja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
Dennis Buzukja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
When it comes to his opponent, Buzukja knows he’s going to get a thought fight … but nothing he can’t handle.
“I think he’s going to try to strike with me, I’m going to touch him up and he’s going to try to shoot take me down, and maybe he gets me down,” Buzukja said. “I get back up and all and just I’m gonna break him. I’m gonna break him. I’m gonna touch them up. I’m gonna hurt him and I’m gonna just put them out with the shots. Whether it’s on the ground or on the feet, I’m gonna hurt him and he’s going down. He’s gonna be the fights gonna have to be stopped.”
He went so far as to describe how he sees the fight ending.
“I think he’s tough,” he said. “I think maybe he’ll come out of the first round you know, with his wrestling and stuff you might try to hold on and I’ll have to figure him out. But I don’t think he’s getting past the second round with me. My endurance is better than it’s ever been my grappling, my striking, my timing, my awareness, just I’ve been putting it together so well and I’ve matured so much in life and in the cage from the last few fights. I think second-round KO, that’s the prediction.”
Despite still having his DWCS appearance in front of him, Buzukja isn’t afraid to set big goals.
“My ultimate goal is featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight world champ,” he said. “I like to shoot for the stars and if you fall on the moon, it is what it is, but you got to aim high. If you’re not aiming high, then what are you doing for you, and I want to be the best. I want to prove that I’m the best and just more to myself, not to anyone else. My potential is my motivation. So seeing how far I can go motivates me every day. That’s what makes me work so hard. So that’s the goal.”
Dennis Buzukja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
Dennis Buzukja will have a star-studded UFC corner and even more in the crowd
Buzukja fights out of New York City, but the UFC APEX might feel like a hometown crowd seeing as he’ll have some of the best UFC fighters in his corner and in the small crowd.
He even had difficulties with which killer would be in his corner.
“Oh, man, this one was troublesome because first, they told me three,” he laughed. “So I had Ray [Longo] Aljo and Al [Iaquinta]And they are my companions. not shiny [Serra] I just had knee surgery. He had knee replacement surgery, so he couldn’t do it. So it was these three. Then they told me two, and I said, “Oh, come on!” Now I have to make a decision. Like, it breaks my heart. You know, it’s like I’m picking like a favorite but it’s not like that. You know, I don’t have any gym favorites. Everyone is my brother. But in the end, you know, I talked to Al and Aljo and I was working with Aljo more so that he knows my body, and he knows what I’m looking for. We worked together so Ray and Algo would be in the corner, but Al would still go out and he would be there. There will be a loan shark. Elir Latifi will already be there because he’s in town. He’s seen me train, so he’s coming to fight. So yeah, it would be a great support system for me.”
Some fighters may find fighting in front of these guys an added stress. Buzukja is not that fighter.
Denis Bozokja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
Denis Bozokja (Photo by Amy Kaplan/FanSided)
“I don’t look at it like I don’t feel pressured,” he said. “The pressure comes from me more. I don’t want to let myself down in my performance, I know what I can do. So I just want to let it all go and look good while doing it. And if I do, I know the win will come and I look good if I let it all go. So The pressure from the crowd and like the UFC fighters, I know where I am, you know, my mentality should be, you know, they should try to look good to me, you know, like a competitor’s mentality. I’m not saying I’m anyone compared to them. You know, I haven’t accomplished anything compared to these people, but it’s just a mentality as a competitor, not to sound conceited or anything.”
Buzukja fights on Tuesday, July 26th. His fight with four others can be watched live on ESPN+ starting at 5 PM PT.
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