Rising UFC middleweight contender Baisangur Susurkaev revealed who he wants to call out if he gets his hand raised at UFC 328.
The 25-year-old Russian, nicknamed “Hunter,” made his promotional debut last August at UFC 319, finishing fellow newcomer Eric Nolan by submission in the second round. He then followed that up with a brutal third-round KO over Eric McConico at UFC 322 in November. Since then, Susurkaev has taken the past six months off to train and get better, and he returns this Saturday at UFC 328 when he battles Djorden Santos in what appears to be a mismatch. According to the betting odds, Susurkaev is a -750 favorite to win.
Baisangur Susurkaev Reveals Future Callouts
Should Susurkaev win at UFC 328, as the betting odds suggest he will, he already has a few names in mind for whom he will call out. Speaking to reporters at UFC 328 media day, Susurkaev listed some names of fighters whom he plans on calling out after he beats Santos, though he said he doesn’t plan another callout of Bo Nickal, whom he called out after his win at UFC 322.
“(Djorden Santos) is not famous. He’s a good fighter, maybe better than Bo Nickal. I still want big names, maybe someone famous. Now I don’t have interest after this fight in fighting Bo Nickal. I think he’s scared of me. I want to fight Roman Dolize, Marvin Vettori, top 15, top 20. I’m ready. I hope they will give me after this finish, I hope,” Susurkaev said.
“I saw Dolidze’s No. 14, so if I beat him, I will be No. 13. The next fight after, I can also fight Fluffy (Anthony Hernandez) or someone like this.”
Other Rising Middleweight Contenders Set to Fight at UFC 328
In addition to Susurkaev, there are a few other rising middleweight contenders fighting at UFC 328.
Ateba Gautier takes on Ozzy Diaz in the featured preliminary card bout. Gautier is only 24 years old and is already 4-0 in the UFC with three finishes. He looks like someone who can be a middleweight contender for many years to come, and the UFC is giving him a huge platform to fight in a big spot on this card.
As well, Marco Tulio takes on Roman Kopylov in what should be an exciting fight between two strikers. Tulio is 2-1 in the UFC and lost by knockout to Christian Leroy Duncan in his last bout, but he is still one of the top young fighters in the weight class and someone who could break into the top 15 soon, as well.
Of course, the main event of UFC 328 is headlined by UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev taking on Sean Strickland. In many ways, then, this is a middleweight showcase bout. Between the headliners, Susurkaev, Gautier, and Tulio, the present and future of the UFC’s 185 lbs division is well accounted for. It’s going to be a fantastic evening of fights, and it will be interesting to see what the UFC does next with all of these dangerous middleweights, depending on the outcome of Saturday night’s fights.
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