Phumi Nkuta to CFFC 87 opponent, Ben Coyle: “I ran through everybody just like I’m gonna run through you!”
“Turbo” Phumi Nkuta is a confident undefeated flyweight representing the illustrious Serra/Longo affiliation out of New York. Nkuta blasted onto the flyweight division in 2019 following a dominant win at Bellator 231 over Adrian Haley, a bout in which put the flyweight division on notice.
In a few short days, Nkuta will make his second walk to the cage as a professional to face Ben Coyle, whom will be making his professional debut. This bout takes place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA at CFFC 87, live and only on UFC Fight Pass. The event is also officially sold out to the limited fans that are allowed to be in attendance according to Pennsylvania state guidelines.
This bout was originally scheduled to take place before the worldwide pandemic, earlier this year. After months of rescheduling, the bout is finally within just a few days’ reach.
On paper, this bout appears to be a “technician” (Nkuta) vs “knockout artist,” (Coyle) if you judged solely from their respective records. However, Nkuta doesn’t share the same sentiment.
“There’s not a single place I don’t feel confident,” Nkuta says about this matchup. “This guy’s in trouble”, he continues with a wide smile.
Noting his opponents’ dog-like pressure style of fighting, Nkuta emphasizes with a chuckle, “If he opens up a takedown, he’s going sky high”. Continuing with, “I can tag him and put him to sleep (too).”
Amidst presenting Coyle’s quotes to Nkuta in the interview, it was crystal clear to observe the growing excitement and overall exhilaration beaming from Nkuta about this bout as the questions kept coming. Replying, “I love it,” he persists in laughter.
“I haven’t been tested in my past fights. I ran through everybody just like I’m gonna run through you”, he says following Coyles accusation/questioning of Nkuta’s previous opponent’s skill level. Closing down our interview, Phumi Nkuta says with a bold and confident smile, “Turbo beats Ben Coyle, (slight pause) let’s go round one…Whichever way I feel like!”
Tune in below as MyMMANews catches up with “Turbo” Phumi Nkuta ahead of his flyweight showdown with Ben Coyle at CFFC 87. We discuss how Phumi thinks he’ll take out the debuting fighter. We have Nkuta reply to Coyles’ bold statements during his interview with MyMMANews last week. Nkuta talks about training during the pandemic, and what he expects for his future in the sport!
