UFC Auckland: Brad Riddell set to bring the violence in fight on home soil against Magomed Mustafaev

Brad Riddell (right) made a statement in his UFC debut in October. Photo / Getty Images

In his UFC debut in Melbourne in October, Brad Riddell showed the wider mixed martial arts world what they can expect any time he steps into the cage.

The Kiwi lightweight claimed a unanimous decision win against Australian Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 243 in a slugfest that earned each fighter a US$50,000 fight of the night bonus.

"I'm a man of violence," Riddell told the Herald of his style. "I'm glad I found the sport."

In February, Riddell will be bringing his brand of violence to Spark Arena.

The 28-year-old will meet Russian Magomed Mustafaev at UFC Fight Night Auckland on February 23, joining teammate Dan Hooker on the card.

In Mustafaev, Riddell welcomes an opponent with an equally brutal history as his own. Mustafaev has won 15 of his 17 professional MMA bouts, with 11 wins by knockout and four by submission. He has never gone the distance, with his two losses coming by submission.

"These better fighters always bring out the best side of me," Riddell said.

"I like going deep in the fight; I like going to the end because I know I'm built for that. I know I'm not going to quit down there and will come out on top, so I never have any worry about a fight.

"I think that's a lot of fighters' worst fear – getting tired. A lot of people are scared of getting knocked out, that's a fear, but a lot of people are scared of getting tired and getting beaten that way. Not me, I won't get tired. I've seen Magomed get tired – I've seen him get tired in a few of his fights. It will be interesting to see how he deals with me."

Mustafaev, who holds a 3-1 record in the UFC, has made an impressive start to his career with the promotion, and fought former lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee two fights ago.

However his track record and list of recent opponents wasn't something Riddell was overly interested in as he focused on the fight in its simplest form.

"I think the guys in the UFC, they glorify them. There are a lot of great fighters around the world that aren't in the UFC and might never get in the UFC, so it doesn't really matter to me.

"It's just another name with two arms and two legs to me."

Confirmed bouts for UFC Auckland

Lightweight: Dan Hooker v Paul Felder (five round main event)
Lightweight: Brad Riddell v Magomed Mustafaev
Light heavyweight: Tyson Pedro v Vinicius Moreira
Heavyweight: Ben Sosoli v Rogerio de Lima
Welterweight: Jake Matthews v Emil Meek