MIAMI – Nikita Krylov had no intentions of taking over two years off.
Krylov (29-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returns against former light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 314 main card opener from Kaseya Center (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Krylov hasn't competed since submitting Ryan Spann in the first round in March 2023. He was scheduled to face Azamat Murzakanov this past Novemeber at UFC 309, but the fight was scrapped when Murzakanov withdrew.
The 33-year-old contender, who's on a three-fight winning streak, was hoping to fight a lot sooner.
"I've been trying, I've missed this thing a lot," Krylov told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter Wednesday at UFC 314 media day. "I've been trying to come back for a long time. Unfortunately, the last fight that was scheduled November in New York, that didn't happen, but I don't think that that camp was a waste.
"It was a great camp. We considered it to be like a stepping-stone camp for this one because I haven't been in the octagon for so long. It's good that I had a full preparation for that fight. I'm excited, and I think I'm in one of the best shapes I've been in a long time, or potentially in my life. With this opponent, I think Dominick Reyes is a very good fighter. He's a very tough fighter, he's a great fighter, and I think we're up for an exciting fight."
Krylov is aware that he may be looked at as the forgotten contender, but plans on picking up right where he left of against Reyes.
"The memory that the fans have are only as good as the last fight that you had," Krylov said. "So unless you fight a lot, most likely people aren't talking about you. People don't remember you. But what I'm bringing right now is the mindset that I'm going to remind everybody why I was on that streak, why I was so good, and why I was talked about before I stopped fighting because of this layoff."
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