Damir Hadžović: If I don’t win Sunday, I’m out of the UFC

Bosnia’s bomber Damir Hadžović knows that his back is against the wall as he steps into the Octagon to face Nick Hein this Sunday at UFC Hamburg. The 11-4 fighter has a 1-2 record in the UFC, and dropping to 1-3 is a dreadful prospect for Hadžović:

“I see this as, if I don’t win this fight I’m going to get kicked out of the UFC,” Hadzovic told Bloody Elbow. “So I have to win this fight, so I don’t want to make any crazy mistakes. I want to fight this fight the hard way. If the finish is there, I will take advantage of it when it comes. But I am fighting for my place to fight.”

Much of this sense of urgency felt by Hadžović derives from some residual frustration following his most recent loss to Alan Patrick. Acting as his own biggest critic, Hadžović has pinpointed his shortcomings in that UFC Fight Night 125 Bout:

“It wasn’t my best performance,” Hadžović said. “I think it was one of my worst. I feel a little ashamed of it because I could have done so much better.

“Instead of being like, ‘Hey take it easy, this is a good match-up for you.’ I just wanted a finish, but he took the advantage and he got the better of me. But I still believe I am the better fighter. I would love a rematch. And also, it was the first time I fought outside Europe.”

A rematch with Patrick would be great, but Hadžović is looking forward to Nick Hein, a four-year veteran of the Octagon with a 4-2 UFC record. Hein, a native of Germany, will be entering the fight with the fans behind him, but Hadžović believes the fan support will not negate his belief that this matchup is stylistically advantageous for the Bosnian:

“It’s a good fight for me,” said Hadžović. “He’s a south paw. My last fight was a south paw, so I continue on the same the path. The last guy was long and awkward. This guy is short and stocky and suits me better.

“My boxing is better, my kickboxing is better. Only his judo is better,” continued Hadžović. “But this isn’t a judo match in a gi. My wrestling is better, too. People think I have bad wrestling…no! Listen: I’m not a bad wrestler. I have good wrestling. I just didn’t want to wrestle in my last fight. My state of mind was wrong. I just wanted to strike. I wanted to make an exciting fight, but this time I want do mixed martial arts more. I want to mix it up.”

Nick Hein vs. Damir Hadžović is the featured bout of the FS1 prelims, which begins at 12PM ET, with the main card also airing on FS1 two hours later at 2PM ET on the same network.