MELBOURNE, Australia – Rani Yahya was willing to accept a fight with an opponent outside of the bantamweight rankings for UFC 234. However, he’s not making the same concessions going forward if he gets the win.

Yahya (26-9 MMA, 11-3 UFC) will fight Ricky Simon (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday as he pursues his fourth consecutive victory at 135 pounds. The Brazilian credits his opponent for his skillset and accomplishments, but considering Yahya has won seven of his past eight bouts, he expected a little more.

“Ricky Simon, I recognize his value as a fighter,” Yahya told reporters, including MMAjunkie, at UFC 234 media day. “He’s not a ranked guy, but I see that he is dangerous. He likes to come to the fight, but he makes so many mistakes during the fight that a mistake with me will be trouble for him.

“I was expecting someone ranked, but after I look at his record, I noticed he’s an LFA champion, and I see him as a prospect. I’ll beat him up then. For sure I’m going to grow in this division and fight the very best in this division.”

UFC 234 takes place at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Yahya vs. Simon is part of the pay-per-view main card following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass.

Although Yahya, 34, has been part of the UFC roster since January 2011, he’s never had more momentum on his side. The submission expert has tapped out every opponent on his current three-fight winning streak, and he intends on continuing that trend against Simon.

If he’s able to do that, Yahya expects to receive a serious fight in the bantamweight division. He knows he’s probably not going to receive a championship fight but said he deserves someone who will at least put him in the conversation..

“I’m going to make them pay attention,” Yahya said. “A good win over him is going to put me in a good spot in the division. It will be four wins in a row, and I don’t see many guys in the division like this. Marlon Moraes has four wins in a row, and he’s getting the title shot. Of course, he’s doing that against ranked guys. I’m definitely going to be in a very good position after this.”

To hear more from Yahya, watch the video above.

For more on UFC 234, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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