The undefeated Dulgarian makes his UFC debut this weekend, and poses the first grappling threat Marshall’s had to face in his pro career. Winning all five fights by finish, Dulgarian possesses the skills to either submit his opponent or ground-and-pound his way to victory once the fight hits the mat. For a dominant wrestler like Marshall, it’s an exciting challenge that will put all his skills to the test.
Saturday’s Full Fight Card Breakdown
“It’s my first time really fighting another wrestler or grappler,” Marshall said. “It’s pretty exciting. I’m always fighting strikers or kickboxers and stuff like that so it’s good to get another grappler in there and test my skills against his.
“He doesn’t have a lot of cage time because of his finishes but he’s 5-0, can finish quick, obviously dangerous, but a good wrestler, too. He wrestled D-2 [in college] and was second in the nation so I’m excited to see how I match up against him.”
While only being eight fights into his own career, Marshall believes Dulgarian’s lack of experience could play a role in the outcome of the fight. Having just made his UFC debut last December, Marshall knows how much pressure is involved in your first UFC fight week. However, Marshall says the one thing helping Dulgarian in this case is that the fight is taking place at the UFC APEX and not a large capacity arena.