TRAINING: I have strength and conditioning practice three days a week in the morning.  I wrestle five days a week with college wrestlers. Depending on the day of the week or what I have coming up, I have sparring, jiu-jitsu or pad work at night.

When and why did you start training for fighting? I started training MMA after I was done with my college wrestling career in 2009.  After wrestling was over for me, I still wanted to compete. I wasn’t ready to change my lifestyle. At the time I was roommates in college with Josh Sampo, who is another UFC flyweight, and he had been fighting, so he got me into it.

What ranks and titles have you held? Fightmatrix currently has me ranked number eight in the world. And I had a 135 amateur title in Missouri.

Do you have any heroes? I loved watching Olympic weightlifting growing up. Naim Suleymanoglu was the greatest weightlifter who ever lived. He was a three-time Olympic champ. I always looked at him like a hero.  He was 4-foot-10 but lifted three times more than his own body weight.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It is still unreal. It is definitely a dream come true, but the real work starts now. Finally all the hard work and sacrifices are paying off.  I am not the kind of person who gets satisfied easy. Being in the UFC adds that much more fuel to prove to people that I belong there. Now the real journey begins.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? Yes, I wrestled for Nassau Community College and Lindenwood University. And I earned my Business Administration degree from Missouri Baptist University.

What was your job before you started fighting? Wrestling Coach

Specific accomplishments in amateur competition? I was a two-time All-American in college and I was a Turkish National Greco champion.

Favorite grappling technique: Ankle lock

Favorite striking technique: Punching in the face

•    Pro since 2010

•    Two wins by KO, one by submission

•    Coming off May 2013 TKO win (:30) over UFC / WEC vet Antonio Banuelos

•    Lone pre-UFC loss came via decision against UFC vet Chico Camus in April 2012

•    Two first round finishes