HOUSTON – Dan Ige beat Mirsad Bektic with a split decision Saturday on the main card at UFC 247 in Houston.
Take a look inside the fight with Ige, who quietly has five straight wins after a loss in his UFC debut.
Result: Dan Ige def. Mirsad Bektic via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Updated records: Mirsad Bektic (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), Dan Ige (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC)
Key stat: Ige outstruck Bektic 64-29, though Bektic landed three takedowns.
Ige on the fight’s key moment
“I knew I won. I won the first round pretty clearly. I out-fought him, I out-boxed him, defended all his shots. He never really hit me with anything. Second round, I obviously lost. I played on my back probably a bit too long, but I let him wear his arm out. In the third round, I came back and I clearly won that round. I beat him everywhere, I stopped his takedowns. I just came back and did what I do in the third round that is take guys to the deep waters.”
Ige on rising up the charts
“I’m looking to just keep climbing the rankings, keep getting wins and establish my name as one of the best fighters in the world.”
Ige on what he wants next
“What’s next for me is just keep the ball rolling – make it six wins in a row. Make it seven in a row. … Mirsad was supposed to be ranked when I fought him. He was No. 13 (in the UFC rankings) and he just fell off the rankings the day before I fought him, so I’d like to come back and get a ranked guy, get a top 15 and prove that I’m top 15 worthy, that I’m top five worthy, champion worthy.”
To hear more from Ige, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
