Lone’er Kavanagh has not made major changes to his preparation for Ramazan Temirov. The British flyweight says the work has centred on mistakes from his last fight, a submission loss to Brandon Royval in July.“There hasn’t been too much change. It’s more about learning from the mistakes I made in the last fight,” Kavanagh told TimesofIndia.com ahead of his UFC 333 fight on October 24 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. “I have such a good team around me that we’re always evolving and working on the finer details – the little things we need to improve.”
Kavanagh, ranked sixth in the UFC flyweight division, faces 10th-ranked Temirov. The fight comes after a year in which he beat former champion Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision in February before losing to Royval in July. Both bouts went beyond the opening round, but ended differently for the 27-year-old.“Both fights have taught me a lot, and I’m going to continue learning from them,” Kavanagh said. “Every fight I have and every mistake I make will teach me something until the day I retire. I think that’s the main thing – I’m always learning.”The Moreno fight was a five-round test against a former champion, while Royval submitted Kavanagh with a rear-naked choke in the third round. The latter bout also earned both fighters Fight of the Night honours. Kavanagh now returns to the Octagon against an opponent coming off a first-round knockout.Temirov stopped former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg in July, extending his winning streak to 12 fights. The Uzbek fighter has a 20-3 professional record, including 12 knockout wins and 11 first-round finishes.“Obviously, Ramazan is very powerful. He likes to come forward and land big shots, and I feel like that works very well for me,” Kavanagh said. “As long as I stay focused and switched on, I’m able to make it a good fight and keep myself safe.”Temirov called out Kavanagh after the Erceg victory. The Englishman, however, sees little reason to read a personal motive into the challenge.“I think it’s just a fight that makes sense, right? Obviously, he wants to climb up the rankings, and I was next on the ladder,” Kavanagh said. “So I don’t take it personally because I do the same thing. I’m always looking to climb upwards.”
The rankings give the bout a clear purpose. Kavanagh is looking to consolidate his position after the Royval defeat, while Temirov has the chance to beat a top-six opponent after his win over Erceg. For Kavanagh, the immediate target is to establish himself as a future title contender.“I think it’s a good fight to establish myself as a future title contender,” he said. “He’s got a good record and is coming off a good win, so I feel like the winner will be right back at the top.”He is not ready to name a preferred opponent beyond Saturday. Kavanagh said he would speak to his coach and manager after the fight before deciding on his next move.“I’m not too sure yet. I’m very much a one-fight-at-a-time kind of person,” he said. “So, I’ll get this one done first, then we’ll speak to my coach and my manager and see what’s next.”Asked what version of himself fans should expect to see against Temirov, Kavanagh returned to the idea of continued improvement.“The best version of myself – the one that’s always improving,” he said. “And, yeah, that’s what’s going to happen.”UFC 333 will be live on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV.