Saad Awad wants fight that will set him up for winner of Brent Primus vs. Michael Chandler 2

TEMECULA, Calif. – Saad Awad continued to build credibility as a lightweight title contender on Friday when he pushed his winning streak to three with a victory in the Bellator 193 co-main event. Now he wants a chance to truly turn the corner.

Awad (22-9 MMA, 10-6 BMMA) defeated J.J. Ambrose (28-8 MMA, 1-3 BMMA) by unanimous decision at Bellator 193, which took place at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif., and aired on Paramount followed early prelims streamed on MMAjunkie. It was a solid win for the Bellator veteran, who was forced to overcome an early hand injury in the fight.

In the lead-up to Bellator 193, Awad expressed some disappointment in his lack of promotional push from the Bellator brass. He felt his fight was under promoted but believes he will continue to force the organization’s hand by winning his fights.

“I’ve been a little bit vocal, but at the end of the day, they’re going to give me who they want,” Awad told MMAjunkie post-fight. “Maybe I’ll start asking for more people, but when I do ask, I don’t get it. So I don’t know. I think I put on a good performance, and we’ll see what comes next.”

Awad said he would gladly take a title shot at the first available opportunity, but he’s also realistic about his position. He knows the chances of his next fight being for the belt are highly unlikely, especially with Bellator having just announced a rematch between 155-pound champ Brent Primus (8-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) and Michael Chandler (17-4 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) for April 14.

If Awad had his druthers, Bellator would line him up for a title-eliminator with another top contender around the time of Primus vs. Chandler so the winner could get on a timeline to face the champ. Who that other top contender would be, though, is something which escapes Awad’s mind.

“Whoever is the top guy, I’d like to fight him to put myself in title contention,” Awad said. “I just want an exciting fight. Whatever name is out there. I don’t even know how is a top five guy. I think I’m a top five. Whoever they think is top three I’d like to fight one of them. If not, just whoever is going to bring an exciting fight. I’ve been fighting a lot of wrestlers lately, and I’ve been trying to fight a striker because I’m tired of throwing a punch and then getting grabbed on.”

To hear more from Awad, check out the video above.

For complete coverage of Bellator 193, check out the MMA Events section of the site.