UFC Fight Night 74's Francisco Trinaldo will start asking for fights he wants

Francisco Trinaldo

After a UFC stint that began at middleweight on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 1,” Francisco Trinaldo has been back at his natural home of lightweight for nine fights.

Trinaldo (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) found a good deal of success at 155 pounds and is now positioned to run his winning streak to four when he faces Chad Laprise (10-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) tonight at UFC Fight Night 74, which takes place at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The event, including Trinaldo vs.  Laprise, airs live on FOX Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

The fight against Laprise marks the third time Trinaldo has competed since March 21. That rate of three fights in a five-month span is accelerated compared to most fighters in the UFC, but not for Trinaldo.

“I’m always ready,” Trinaldo told MMAjunkie. “I’m always focused on training, trying to get better, as much as I can. So I never turn down a fight. If they want me to fight, I’ll fight.”

Laprise is an undefeated fighter and winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: Nations.” A win over an undefeated fighter would be a nice notch on Trinaldo’s belt.

“We’re putting together our strategy based on his game,” Trinaldo said. “There are many facets to it. I’m training my ground game, my jiu-jitsu. I’m well-trained. I believe it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.

“I’ve been training with Sergio Moraes and coach Andre ‘Dida’ Amade, as well several of my usual sparring partners. I’ve been getting ready in Curitiba (Parana, Brazil), which is where I live now. I’m prepared to fight standing up or on the ground. It’s important to get one’s head ready first, before getting the body ready. I am ready. The most important thing is to have a focused mind.”

A win over Laprise would be Trinaldo’s fourth in a row and fifth in his past six fights. A run of success like that puts a fighter in a very good position – a position, in fact, in which it becomes vital to begin calling out fighters.

“That is pretty important,” Trinaldo said. “I’m been putting in hard work and having good results. I do want to call out someone by name, but things have to happen at the right time. I don’t enjoy challenging opponents, but a time will come when I’ll have to call some people out. I’ll let people know that I can indeed beat whoever I decide to call out. But right now, I’m only thinking about Aug. 23. I just want to have a good fight. I guarantee that I will not be disappointing my fans.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 74, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.