Fil-Ams Ricky Turcios, Kevin Natividad collide in UFC Fight Night

MANILA, Philippines – For the entire interview – in fact, in every interview he does – Filipino-Salvadoran-American mixed martial arts fighter Ricky Turcios (11-3-0) is animated, smiling, and filled with confidence.

However, when asked what advice his parents — his Salvadoran father Henry and Filipino mother Sherry — gave on the eve of his bantamweight clash with Filipino-American Kevin Natividad (9-3-0) on Sunday, November 20, in UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, he fell quiet for a good five or six seconds. That’s an eternity for Turcios, who’s always talking and joking around.

“Be smart,” he softly said. “Fight smart.”

In the 29-year-old Turcios’ previous fight against Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, Turcios, a Tasmanian Devil of a fighter, Turcios looked tentative. Instead of engaging the Canadian, he took a step back as if he was overthinking the fight.

“That’s it, man,” you said it right. “Too much overthinking.”

The result was a unanimous decision win by Zahabi, sending Turcios and his coaches back to the drawing board.

While for the first time in Filipino-American mixed martial arts fighter Ricky Turcios’ young career, he is going up against another Filipino in Kevin Natividad.

“Sunday will be all business,” he proclaimed. “The plan is to hit him and kick him.”

There will be a sense of desperation on the part of Natividad, who lost his first two UFC fights via knockout to Batgerel Danaa and Miles Johns. That’s not a good way to start one’s UFC career. A third straight loss and most likely, he is getting cut from the world’s premier combat sports organization. So most likely, he will go hard against Turcios.

Hence, the advice to fight smart which he did not do last time.

Natividad is not the first fighter Turcios will face who is on a losing streak. He fought Bob Bradshaw, who was in the midst of a three-match losing slide. Ricky won and Bob went on to lose three more ending his MMA career.

“I tweaked a few things in camp,” added Turcios. “You have to keep growing as a fighter. And this is a big fight as they come.”

UFC Fight Night will be televised on the Premier Sports Channel on Skycable and Cignal and on the TapGo TV streaming application at 5 a.m. Sunday.