Proud Of What He’s Accomplished, Raphael Assuncao Will Only Accept Title Shot Next

Last seen defeating late replacement Pedro Munhoz with a one-sided unanimous decision at last month’s UFC 170, No. 3-ranked UFC bantamweight Raphael Assuncao has made a strong case for a shot at dominant champion Renan Barao’s newly minted gold.

After all, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has reeled off six consecutive wins at 135 pounds, knocking off solid opposition like T.J. Dillashaw, Mike Easton, and Johnny Eduardo. Assuncao spoke up to FOX Sports today, making his opinion known about why the next shot at Barao should be his. In fact, he said he simply won’t accept any other fight at this point:

“I’m ready to challenge the champ. I’m not interested in fighting anybody else. No other fight makes sense to me, to be honest. As far as managing, I’ve been managing myself from the beginning, so if I don’t start speaking up for myself, nobody will. And respectfully, I won’t take any other fight right now.”

The normally soft-spoken Assuncao appears to be asserting himself quite heavily here, putting the UFC on notice that there’s only one bout he’s willing to take. Long-injured former champion Dominick Cruz’s return may potentially block Assuncao’s championship plans, and if it does, he said he’s not going to be a happy camper. Assuncao believes his body of work speaks for itself at this point:

“A title shot, it wouldn’t be a gift. I worked for it. They wouldn’t be giving it to me for free. I earned it. I’ll be pissed if it doesn’t happen. You know what? I’m proud of what I’ve done.”

Indeed Assuncao should be proud of what he’s done. With Barao owning wins over every other bantamweight contender in the top four, Assuncao is no doubt the natural choice to next contend for the belt. Assuncao suffered a hairline fracture on one of his ribs against Munhoz, but is scheduled to resume training within the next two weeks.

That means he’ll be more than ready to take on Barao should the UFC come calling. But with the shadow of Cruz still looming over Barao’s reign as champion, will Assuncao be passed over for a much more marketable championship bout featuring Barao and “The Dominator”?

Chances are probably good that it will, so Assuncao may have to buckle down and take another fight in the meantime.

Who do you think should be next to face Barao for the bantamweight belt?

Photo: Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports