nt"

LAS VEGAS – Manny Bermudez is feeling pretty appreciated right now.

It’s no wonder, as the undefeated UFC bantamweight recently signed a new four-fight contract that could extend his impressive streak.

“I feel like they like me,” Bermudez told MMA Junkie on Wednesday.

Bermudez (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been working at the UFC Performance Institute to shore up a few nagging injuries with an eye on returning this summer. He’s also reevaluating the caloric side of his job after a weight miss in his previous outing, a first-round submission of the previously unbeaten Benito Lopez in February.

“It sounds like it’s going to have to be a dietary, lifestyle change,” Bermudez said. “I like my food, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

Before he pumped the brakes on his competitive schedule, Bermudez sought to steal the zero of another up-and-coming bantamweight, Sean O’Malley. But O’Malley remains in limbo with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after a positive marijuana test.

“I think International Fight Week would have been awesome,” Bermudez said. “I was looking at fighting Sean. I thought it would be cool to have two undefeated guys fighting each other. I think a lot of times, two guys like that don’t get put up against each other.

“That’s what was cool about me and Benito. Somebody’s got to lose. I think that’s more interesting than having one guy that’s undefeated and one guy that has a couple losses. I think it makes it seem like the guy with a couple losses is going to lose.”

If Bermudez is looking for unbeaten competition, there aren’t any other options besides O’Malley and “The Ultimate Fighter 27” winner Brad Katona. But either of those fights sound just fine to him.

And with four more fights to burn, he’s got time to get to both.

To hear our full one-on-one interview with Bermudez, watch the video above.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.