American UFC fighter: 'I thought I was Khabib'

UFC American welterweight Punachele Soriano said he could barely handle the pressure he faced before his fight with Miguel Baeza at UFC on ESPN 57.

"The whole training camp I felt so much pressure! Every day I was wondering if I could still do MMA, if I could handle it all.

I thought I was Khabib. I thought I wore a papakha on my head and spoke Dagestani or whatever they say. I wasn't sure who I really was anymore," the American said in an interview with the UFC.

Recall that Soriano defeated Baeza by unanimous decision of the judges.