SAO PAULO – Russian welterweight Alexander Yakovlev knew he didn’t have to agree to travel to Brazil for his UFC debut, not to mention accept a fight with perennial contender Demain Maia. But he also never considered turning it down. “I was supposed to fight Yan Cabral on May 10 in Ohio, which would’ve been extra exciting since my K Dojo teammate Albert Tumenov was on the same card and it was in the U.S.,” Yakovlev told MMAjunkie through an interpreter. “But when they suddenly asked me to step up to fight Maia, my coaches and I thought it was a great opportunity. We agreed that I have the tools and experience to beat him, and so we gave them an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ “We could have turned it down, of course, but that was never really a consideration in this case.” The 29-year-old Yakovlev is the latest Russian fighter to make his way to the sport’s top promotion
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Alexander Yakovlev sees defeating Demian Maia as perfect entry to UFC – MMA Junkie