Amir Sadollah unfazed by UFC Fight Night 24 opponent switches

March 23, 2011

by Steven Marrocco on Mar 23, 2011 at 3:00 pm ET
One injury dropout sucks, but it's a common thing in the fight game.

Two injury dropouts, though, are pretty unusual.

Maybe it's because he's a few minutes removed from a pleasant slumber, but Amir Sadollah (4-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) isn't sweating a revolving door of opponents that's lead to DaMarques Johnson (12-8 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at Saturday's UFC Fight Night 24 event.

"My job is to train to fight, and who it is is secondary to being ready to go do my thing," Sadollah told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

The main- card bout takes place Saturday at Seattle's Key Arena and airs live on Spike TV.

Johnson is the third proposed opponent for the winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 7" after Duane Ludwig and James Wilks were forced to drop out with injuries.

You can bet Sadollah is just happy to have a fight at this point. No fight means no money – and no chance to impress the brass. So while he's been forced to glance at three different sets of footage, it's a small burden to bear.

"I definitely think he's exciting and a talented guy," Sadollah said of Johnson.

If anything, it's a reminder to focus on his own strengths and not those of his opponent. There's ample opportunity to get caught up in the minutiae of what this guy or that guy likes to do, and that can lead to a fight served on someone else's terms, he said.

Sadollah, though, wants to be the one imposing his will out there. And he can be sure whoever is in front of him in the octagon will be tough.

"I think at the end of the day my job is to make my fight the best one," Sadollah said. "That should be my goal no matter who's on the card. I don't think it's possible anymore to fight on a UFC card without talented, big-name guys. That's just the way it is."

And he's confident that if he shows well and fights to his potential, he will be rewarded for it even if he doesn't win a performance bonus.

"The UFC's always been really generous," Sadollah said. "Even if you don't get 'Fight of the Night' or 'Submission of the Night' (bonuses), they're generally pretty generous. If they think you deserve extra, they'll give it to you."

His opponent, Johnson, has gotten extra on several occasions. After a runner-up finish on "The Ultimate Fighter 9," he earned a "Submission of the Night" bonus against Edgar Garcia at UFC 107. Then he stopped Brad Blackburn with a flurry of strikes at UFC 112, which got him a "Knockout of the Night" bonus. Most recently, he submitted Mike Guymon in the first round with a body triangle at "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2."

None of Johnson's UFC fights has gone the distance; Sadollah, though, has reached scorecards on his most recent four appearances. Ludwig and Wilks both were coming off decision outcomes.

So the stage appears to be set for an exciting fight. If that helps to put a bonus in Sadollah's pocket, coffee is on him.

"I have no doubts it's going to be good," Sadollah said.

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.