The duo was initially slated to square off in mid-April, with Algeo having subbed in for Zubaira Tukhugov after he was forced out of his mid-March date with Ramos a week before the event. But before the tandem could take to the cage, Ramos was forced to the sidelines due to COVID-19 protocols, and the bout was pushed back a month.
Despite the change in dates, Algeo remains fully confident in his abilities to deal with whatever the flashy Brazilian featherweight has to offer on Saturday night.
“He’s got some bold stuff he’ll go for, but I’ve seen all that s— before; I’ve been doing striking forever, so I’m not too worried about it,” he said, offering his assessment of what Ramos brings to the table and how they match up. “I don’t think he’s a better wrestler than me, so that makes the whole jiu-jitsu thing pretty easy to avoid for the most part. I know he wants to get on the back and choke you out, but I’m a black belt too; I know all that s—.
“Then it comes down to two guys that can grapple, so who is a better striker?” he asked, taking on both roles of a two-person conversation breaking down his and Ramos’ striking abilities.
“Well, this guy is 2-0 pro Muay Thai and has been knocking guys out,” he said of himself.
“What has the other guy been doing?”
“Well, he throws some spinning s— and it occasionally works for him, so I like my chances.”
Although he certainly sees things stacking up and shaking out in his favor, don’t mistake Algeo’s belief in his own abilities as him overlooking Ramos or the disastrous potential one needs to avoid each time they step into the Octagon.
“I’m just going to make sure I stay in the positions where I like to work and he doesn’t,” he offered in closing. “Anybody can get hit with some s—, something can still happen, so it’s about not slipping on any bananas, implementing my game plan, and wearing him out.”
