Edmonton — Las Vegas-based bantamweight Timmy Cuamba welcomes Louis Jourdain to the UFC this weekend, with the bantamweight fight part of UFC Edmonton at Rogers Place this Saturday.
Cuamba (10-4) will look to bounce back from a loss against Benardo Sopaj while attempting to spoil the debut of Charles “Air” Jourdain’s younger brother. Thanks to that familial tie, there’s been a little more focus on the fight than there might otherwise be.
“I knew there was a lot of attention around him because of his older brother and all that. But at the end of the day, you can’t bring your brother in there with you,” Cuamba noted, speaking with Cageside Press and other media outlets during Wednesday’s UFC Edmonton media day. “He has to fight on his own. He’s a tough competitor, he’s going to come ready to fight and I’m ready for whatever he brings on Saturday night.”
A few years back, Cuamba won his own Contender Series fight, though he wasn’t signed straight to the UFC. Still, he made it to the promotion, and knows what Jourdain is going through this week.
“I know what he’s going through mentally. I know that first UFC fight nerves, I know exactly how he’s feeling,” suggested Cuamba. “And I know it’s going to play into my advantage on Saturday night.”
While recognizing his opponent’s skillset, Cuamba also added that “I have a certain game plan, and I know when it’s implemented, I’m going to out-class him.”
If you peruse Timmy Cuamba’s social media presence, you’ll find video of him fighting as a youngster. And even back before he hit double digits in age, the UFC was the goal.
As he put it, “it’s been my dream since I was eight years old.” According to Cuamba, he had a fight on his coach’s show at just 10. “And now we’re all fighting on the big stage. It’s a dream come true. I promised myself at a young age I was going to be a world champion, and I’m not going to stop until I achieve it.”
The next step is Louis Jourdain. “I’m definitely going to spoil the party on Saturday night,” Cuamba said in regards to the match-up, which is a home game for Jourdain in his native Canada. “Everyone’s going to be shocked, and I can’t wait to see everybody’s reaction.”
Watch the full UFC Edmonton media day appearance by Timmy Cuamba above.