DALLAS – Abdul Razak Alhassan views his UFC 228 matchup with Niko Price on Saturday as one that will finally lead to increased notoriety among the greater MMA audience.

Alhassan (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Price (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) are positioned to open the UFC 228 pay-per-view card, which follows prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass from American Airlines Center in Dallas. That spot on the lineup is typically reserved for action fights that will lead to big finishes, and on paper the welterweight matchup has all the ingredients to live up to that reputation.

Although Alhassan said he was surprised to be bumped from the prelims to the main card roughly a week out from the event, it’s a position he welcomes and said only adds to the stakes.

“This is the kind of fight that when you win it’s going to put you somewhere you want to be,” Alhassan told MMAjunkie. “People are watching like, ‘This guy is coming, we’ve got to watch out.’ Because usually people don’t care about you when you’re lower. But when they see guys coming – we’ve both trying to shoot up the ranks – so I’m sure it’s going to put me where I want.”

The fight between Alhassan, 33, and Price, 28, came together on relatively short notice, but both men were eager and willing to compete on the card. Alhassan is excited to return to Texas, where he spent most of his pre-UFC career, against an opponent who he know is going to come after him.

Alhassan and Price own 20 stoppages out of 21 combined career victories, and that has all the makings of an explosive encounter. Alhassan said he welcomes that type of fight because it’s going to elevate his profile in the sport closer to where he desires.

For many MMA athletes, the goal is to rise the rankings and get a championship belt as quickly as possible. Alhassan said he has the same end game as everyone else, however, he said enjoying the journey and process of getting there is just as important to him, and that’s why he focuses on one fight at a time.

“Everybody sits down think about, ‘I want the belt,’” Alhassan said. “They think about the belt so fast. I want the belt, of course I do want to have the belt all the time, but for me I just want to see who they put in front of me. I’m going to beat you. I just want to keep doing that then when the belt comes at the right time, I’ll get it. I’m not in a hurry.”

For more on UFC 228, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.