Ignacio Bahamondes confident he'll break into the UFC rankings by 2024: 'I'll sign on that right now'

Ignacio Bahamondes is confident he’ll get a number next to his name before the year ends.

Putting together quite the streak and with a chance to extend it this Saturday, Bahamondes (14-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is determined to work his way into the UFC’s official lightweight rankings in 2023. This campaign to get ranked continues with his fight against veteran Ludovit Klein at UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

“I think the people want it, the Latin American people want it, I want it, my team wants it,” Bahamondes told MMA Junkie in Spanish when asked about his desire to enter the rankings. “We want to be in the top 15. We want to compete against the top 15, and if this victory is not enough, that doesn’t matter. I’ll return in December and do another one.

“Next year I’m going to be there. You will see Ignacio “La Jaula” Bahamondes in the top 15. That’s for sure, I’ll sign on that right now.”

On a three-fight winning streak, Bahamondes, 25, is one of the most promising fighters coming up at 155 pounds.

Although he’s young, Bahamondes feels ready to make a statement against Klein (19-4-1 MMA, 3-2-1 UFC) and then fare against the ranked fighters in the division.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Bahamondes said. “With the team I have and the people around me supporting and working with me, I’m so confident that I could fight against anyone tomorrow. I trust my team completely. I trust the work that I do every day. I wake up every morning and I train. I might be tired, but I still get up and train. I feel like right now we might not be ready to fight for the title, but we will be. We’re not rushing. We’re taking things step by step. We’ll be ready for whatever the UFC throws our way. There’s no rush.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.