Jose Delano says Sean Shelby told him he has what it takes to fight any ranked opponent

The Brazilian featherweight faces unbeaten Murtazali Magomedov on the UFC Vegas 124 prelims and told MMA Fighting: "I don't think things are going to turn out too well for him."

Jose Delano says UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told him he has what it takes to fight any ranked opponent, as the Brazilian featherweight prepares to face unbeaten Murtazali Magomedov on the UFC Vegas 124 prelims at Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Using Sean Shelby's words, I've already been tested a lot," Delano told MMA Fighting. "I'm one of the best-prepared guys ever to come out of the Contender Series and make it into the UFC. I've already been tested extensively in the LFA, so this is just a consequence of that. If they put me against a ranked opponent, I'll handle it. Those are Sean Shelby's own words. He said I have what it takes to fight any ranked opponent and put on a good fight."

Delano stopped short of putting himself among the division's best. "Winning is a different story," he added, laughing. "I believe I can go toe-to-toe with some guys in the rankings, but with some of the top 10 guys, man, I still have some work to do."

The 17-3 Brazilian earned his UFC contract by beating Manuel Exposito on Dana White's Contender Series in 2025 and won his debut in April with a unanimous decision over Robert Ruchala. Magomedov is 11-0, and every one of those wins has come inside the distance, seven of them in the first round. On his UFC debut in June he submitted Melsik Baghdasaryan with a twister at 1:17 of the first round.

Delano still expects the Kyrgyzstani to struggle. "I don't think things are going to turn out too well for him," he said. "He's going to start out striking, and when he starts getting uncomfortable with the striking, because he will get uncomfortable, he's going to want to close the distance, smother me, try to get a body lock and put me against the cage."

"He has never been tested, with all due respect, against someone at my level," he continued. "I've been tested a lot, I've fought against the best on both the regional and international scenes. I've fought outstanding strikers, outstanding grapplers, so this is a test for him, because he's never fought someone with experience on both sides."

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