Despite losses in two of his past three fights, Hakeem Dawodu has grand aspirations for his career. Dawodu (13-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) still thinks he’s championship caliber in the featherweight division and he intends to use longtime veteran Cub Swanson (28-13 MMA, 13-9 UFC) as proof when they meet in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 51 , which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN//streams on ESPN+. “This is a big fight against a big name, against a legend that everybody knows,” Dawodu told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Thursday’s media day. “So I think if I make a big statement and get a finish this fight, it’s going to put me right back in the rankings systems and go back on my run and really try to become the champion that I think I can become.” Although Swanson is on the tail-end of his career, he still represents a meaningful fight for Dawodu
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