No PR stunt: Does Bilyal Makhov still think he can step in with UFC elite right away? Yup.

LAS VEGAS – Bilyal Makhov may have his eyes on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (and before that, continued work at today’s World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas). But he’s still thinking down the road about his pending UFC career.

Makhov (0-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) signed with the UFC earlier this year without any MMA fights under his belt. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound heavyweight from Dagestan, a three-time freestyle wrestling national champion, isn’t letting the historic nature of his UFC deal overwhelm him much.

“This stuff kind of happens to me a lot,” Makhov told MMAjunkie in Las Vegas through an interpreter. “(I’m the) first in the history of Russian wrestling to compete in Greco-Roman and freestyle. And I’m the first to get signed to the UFC with no fights. For me, this is adrenaline – to do something in sports that is unusual and unique.”

He also said his venture into the world of MMA, which ultimately he hopes will happen in full after a run at gold in next year’s Olympics, isn’t something he’s doing as a public relations stunt.

“My approach to this is very, very professional,” he said. “I’m not doing this for some kind of PR. I’m doing this 100 percent. Anything I do, I think about how to do it and the best approach. I know there are some technical aspects of this game I need to work on. I’m still working on (my striking) with my coach. But it’s just a matter of time. My base is wrestling, and the rest I’m going to work hard to get where it needs to be to get up to the level.”

As an elite wrestler, he will fall into the same category as current MMA standouts like Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, who had wrestling as their base before working to get their MMA games up to full speed – and ultimately become UFC champions.

So does Makhov still think with a little work, he could be at that level in quick order – the level of a Velasquez, or current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum?

Why not?

“I think I can do it. I’m not just saying that for PR. I actually believe I can do it,” Makhov said. “I’ve been watching Velasquez and Werdum. I’m following them. I’m watching their fights, how they train, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get to that level in as short a time (as possible).”

Check out the full video with Makhov above. Then check out his Friday match against America’s Robby Smith at the World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas below.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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