Yahoo Sports UFC 289’s Dan Ige wants to rebuild his brand before facing top-ranked foes again
VANCOUVER – Dan Ige is in a rebuild phase of his career ahead of Saturday’s UFC 289 matchup with Nate Landwehr.
After he put together a six-fight winning streak in the UFC featherweight division, Ige (16-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) fell on hard times with four losses in five fights, albeit to top-tier competition in Movsar Evloev, Josh Emmett, Chan Sung Jung and Calvin Katter.
Ige turned a positive tide in January when he scored a second-round knockout of Damon Jackson at UFC Fight Night 217. Now he’s set to face Landwehr (17-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on the UFC 289 main card, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ from Rogers Arena.
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For Ige, 31, the string of defeats was a hard reality. Now, he has the chance to get back on a winning streak this weekend, and said getting the job done is a critical part of his overall plan.
“As far as the rankings go right now, I’m just honestly trying to go out there and rebuild myself,” Ige said. “Rebuild my name, rebuild my brand. If I went out there and fought No. 4 and won like, cool. It doesn’t really do me anything. It’s not going to earn me a title shot right away. I’m all about winning and racking up those wins.
“I’ve been on a six-fight winning streak in the past, and I want to get back to that. I want to get back to just a good, long winning streak before I’m fighting the top five guys and eventually work my way back up to the belt.”
To hear more from Ige, watch his complete UFC 289 media day interview above. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.