Misha Cirkunov says he didn't really want UFC 206 matchup with Nikita Krylov in Toronto

TORONTO – After three straight wins to open his UFC career, Misha Cirkunov figured a notable matchup would come his way for UFC 206, the organization’s upcoming event in his home city of Toronto.

Instead, Cirkunov (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) got pitted against one of the least heralded fighters in the division that’s also proven to be one of the most dangerous. He faces Nikita Krylov (21-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at the Dec. 10 pay-per-view event at Air Canada Centre, a fighter that’s earned all 21 of his career victories by stoppage.

Cirkunov said he knows what Krylov is capable of and admitted the matchup is a challenge for him, but he also thinks there are other names in the division that would have provided a bigger boost to his career while being just as difficult to beat.

“Honestly, I didn’t really want that matchup,” Cirkunov told MMAjunkie. “I wanted some other names that are really, really big names. I wanted some top-10 guys. I told Joe Silva who I want, but he was trying, I guess, to hide those big names from me. Who’d they give me? They gave me a very, very tough fight, but not that many people know who he is. It is what it is. I never say no to a fight. That’s how I eat. So I’m expecting the toughest fight of my career.”

Krylov, No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, will hope to make progress toward being one of the big names Cirkunov desires when he goes for his sixth consecutive UFC win. “The Miner” struggled at the start of his UFC career, dropping two of three fights at heavyweight, but has been on a roll since.

The decision to move down to the 205-pound division has really allowed Krylov to find his groove. He’s won his past five octagon appearances, all by stoppage, and at just 24 continues to show evolution in his skill set with each fight. Cirkunov respects that, he said, and intends on taking Krylov as seriously as any opponent he’s ever competed against.

“He progressed a lot,” Cirkunov said. “We’ve seen in the UFC he lost on the ground at first, but now he’s on a five-fight winning streak. He has many submission wins, he has knockout wins – he’s a very, very tough guy. He’s very strong. He’s tall, lengthy. He’s a top-10 guy, and it’s just not many people know his name yet.”

Although it wasn’t the grabby name Cirkunov expected, Krylov still represents a step up from what he’s faced previously. Cirkunov’s three UFC wins all came against newcomers to the organization who were entirely unproven. Krylov has shown he belongs in the UFC and can win consistently at the highest level. That’s what Cirkunov wants to display, as well, and he thinks winning at UFC 206 will go a long way in accomplishing that goal.

“If a win against someone like Nikita Krylov doesn’t put me in the top-10 list in the rankings, then honestly I will never even look at the rankings,” Cirkunov said. “Nikita is one of the best top-10 fighters in the UFC at 205, and the reality is he’s challenging a lot of big names that are constantly either injured or they don’t want to fight. This is my third fight of this year. Nikita, same thing. We’re fighters.”

For more on UFC 206, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.