Roman Puga only has one aspiration for his UFC career, and that’s to have championship gold wrapped around his waist.
Puga (6-1) acknowledges that he’s just at the start of that journey, and likely has multiple years of work ahead before it’s realized. However, he got off to a solid start this past Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 88 when he won a thrilling unanimous decision over Taner Trembley (7-1) to secure his first multi-fight UFC contract.
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The fight was so good, in fact, that it was just the sixth instance in DWCS history where both the winner and the loser were given deals by UFC CEO Dana White. Puga came out on the winning side and finally got the chance to react on Friday after skipping media for an immediate hospital transport on fight night.
“It still feels like Cloud Nine kind of,” Puga told MMA Junkie. “It’s almost unreal. I knew right after I won that fight that I got my contract, and I got the feeling that so did he. We went the distance, we went to war and showed a lot of heart and showed what Dana White wants to see.
“Tuesday night, It was one of the books for sure. It answered a lot of questions and showcased I am that dog. I can do it.”
Puga said he sustained no serious injuries in the fight and only has to heal some “superficial bruising” on his face. He’s already thinking ahead to the next step, and that’s a date for his official UFC debut sometime before the end of the year.
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With his 30th birthday next month, there’s no time to waste for Puga. He wants to get his run in the featherweight division going immediately, cause that will only bring him gold sooner.
“Quickly, I want to stay active and become a household name in the sport,” Puga said. “Showcase that I’m here to make history. I’m here to leave my own legacy in the UFC and I’m willing to fight anyone and everyone in front of me to show I can become a top contender. Then when I become a top contender, we’ll have the discussion of what’s next. We already know what I want, and that’s the UFC gold belt. I’m not going to beat around the bush about it. I want that UFC belt around my waist. The featherweight division.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Roman Puga aims to be ‘household name’ in UFC after DWCS contract win
