\n<\/p>\n
Las Vegas \u2014 Flyweight Marcos Degli earned a UFC deal on Week 7 of Dana White\u2019s Contender Series this season, submitting Paris Moran at the Meta Apex on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
It was the culmination of years of hard work, with the Brazilian putting the effort in on the regional scene at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d been working so hard, and I said \u2018what do I need to do?\u2019 13 straight victories, fighting the toughest guys in Brazil, I keep beating them up. And I was like \u2018what else do I need?’\u201d recalled Degli (15-3), speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. \u201cBut I thought about this every day of my life, and I was like \u2018what I need, what\u2019s really going to happen is I\u2019m going to be ready.\u2019 And whenever they made the call, we knew we needed to be ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Degli now hopes to make his promotional debut either at the end of 2026, or in early 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to be really active and fight tops, every five months. So we\u2019d be ready December, early January. I think that whenever they make the call, I came here to work, I came here to get bread for the family. Just give me a call, and I\u2019ll be ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also spoke to Cageside Press about how close he came to fighting Marwan Rahiki in Australia earlier this year. With Jack Jenkins hurt, Degli was an option; eventually, Ollie Schmid took the fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came really close to that, but I think it was a visa thing. I was kind of ready to take on the opportunity, even though he was a 145\u2019er, I would have been able to fight him,\u201d noted Degli. \u201cIt didn\u2019t work out, but I thought \u2018something better\u2019s coming for me\u2019 after that.\u201d<\/p>\n