Nikolay Veretennikov details cordial fight week encounters with Danny Barlow before UFC on ESPN 61

LAS VEGAS – Nikolay Veretennikov has no intention of stirring things up with UFC on ESPN 61 opponent Danny Barlow before they step into the octagon. Quite the opposite, actually.

Veretennikov (12-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) said he’s crossed paths with Barlow (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on multiple occasions ahead of their welterweight bout on Saturday at the UFC Apex (ESPN, ESPN+). From the elevator in the host hotel to the hallways outside the media room, it has been all respect between the upcoming foes.

“We just saw each other here and we saw each other before in the hotel and we actually rode the elevator together,” Veretennikov told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I don’t have any aggression toward him or any kind of anger against him. This is just sport. This is professionalism. We have to come out here and do our job and then after the fight, if we have to hug it out, I can wish him good luck after the fight. But the point is for us to get in there and do our work.”

Veretennikov, 34, admits he doesn’t know much about Barlow. He did some brief tape study, but other that said the knowledge is minimal, which he’s OK with because he spends much of his preparation on self-improvement.

It’s a big moment for Veretennikov in making his UFC debut, and he said he will allow his skillset to find the best path to victory.

“I never plan out my fights ahead of time,” Veretennikov said. “I think the octagon will show and you will see it yourself.”

To hear more from Veretennikov, check out the video above to see his complete UFC on ESPN 61 media day interview.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.