Johnny Nunez has surprise in store for Ozzy Dugulubgov at WSOF 9

Johnny Nunez had a little bit of a roller coaster ride leading into his WSOF debut tonight, but the way things worked out, he’s in a prime position to make a major impact.

Nunez started out on the main card of WSOF 9. Then he got bumped to the untelevised prelims. But a couple weeks before the event, Nunez (4-0) got a call from promotion president Ray Sefo to tell him he was back on the main card, and opening it up against Ozzy Dugulubgov (5-1).

WSOF 9 takes place tonight at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card airs on NBC Sports Network (9 p.m. ET) following prelims that stream at WSOF’s site and NBCSports.com.

Nunez, who trains at Las Vegas’ Syndicate MMA, told MMAjunkie Radio he is expecting about 70 friends and family members at his fight tonight – a big family reunion. It’s his biggest stage yet, and Nunez helped bring in some solid ticket sales for the promotion in his debut, just like he promised Sefo he’d do.

To prepare for Dugulubgov, he had to train for a heavy-hitting left-handed fighter. But that came fairly easily at Syndicate.

“My coaches are the ones who watch film with me,” Nunez told MMAjunkie Radio. “He’s a southpaw, and that’s something you’ve got to get prepared for. He’s a heavy hitter and throws some heat. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, especially sparring with the guys I do (like) Evan Dunham. But we got prepared for his left hand. I’ll circle to my left and watch for that left hand – that’s it.”

In fact, Nunez believes his wrestling will win the day against Dugulubgov, and he might not even need to worry about his striking.

“My takedowns are right there, so he’s going to be in for a big surprise,” he said.

And if that surprise comes, there will be a big Nunez contingent at the Hard Rock that will have a trip that was worthwhile.

For more on WSOF 9, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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