After a few near misses, UFC Fight Night 95's Jussier Formiga doesn't mull over title shot too much

BRASILIA, Brazil – In the UFC’s scrambled flyweight division, one good night can make all the difference.

Jussier Formiga (19-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is aware of that. But, in spite of acknowledging the importance of his win over Dustin Ortiz (15-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 95, the Brazilian flyweight doesn’t want to let his title aspirations wander too far.

“This win puts me back to the front line,” Formiga said.” I’m one of the guys, also, to maybe get a shot at Demetrious (Johnson, current flyweight champion). But I’ve come close so many times that I don’t even want to question that too much. I prefer to leave it in the hands of the UFC. If this fight is meant to happen, it will happen naturally.”

The flyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 95 event at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FS1.

The victory sent Formiga back to the win column after a loss to onetime title contender Henry Cejudo. While happy with the positive outcome following a nine-month layoff, the Brazilian fighter admits he encountered some rather unique difficulties with Ortiz’s game.

“I thought it was funny, at points I paid more attention to his beard than his neck,” Formiga said with a laugh. “Maybe that got a little bit in the way. He defended very well.

“The fight started off a bit tense. The first round was very close. When it ended, Dede (Pederneiras, Nova Uniao’s head coach) told me it was a very tough round. So I knew I had to come back in the second to impose my rhythm and pressure him at all times.

“Thankfully it worked. I was able to dominate him on the ground the entire time. In the third, I went in with a plan to strike, but we ended up scrambling, and I was able to get to his back again, and it went the distance.”

Currently the No. 5-ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, Formiga is also aware that Johnson’s next title challenger will not be him or any of his fellow UFC flyweights – but rather the winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 24: Tournament of Champions.”

Having a promotional newcomer getting a title shot ahead of him, however, doesn’t really bother the Nova Uniao product. Praising the level of talent in the show’s current season, Formiga believes that what matters is that the move will help fill up the UFC’s 125-pound roster.

“I think it will be very good for our division,” Formiga said. “I think 50 percent of the fighters there will come to the UFC and this will give our division more visibility. So I think, in a way, ‘TUF’ was very important to our division.”

Though optimistic for the future of his weight class, Formiga remains uncertain of his own.

“It’s hard to speculate (what’s next),” Formiga said. “Demetrious fights in December, and in December (Joseph) Benavidez fights (Henry) Cejudo, as well. Benavidez has fought Demetrious twice, and, if Cejudo wins, he’s fought (Johnson) as well. So I don’t really know how it’s going to go. I don’t pick opponents.

“Now I want to go home, rest and, in 2017, whomever the UFC wants me to fight, I’ll go in there and do my job.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 95, check out the UFC Events section of the site.