Nicolas Dalby | Experience Is Key

Dalby has built a well-deserved reputation as an exciting, crowd-pleasing fighter, but what sometimes gets missed is the fact that he's also a very cerebral competitor, who makes sure he steps into the Octagon well prepared, with his opponent well scouted.

Saturday night will be no different with the Dane suggesting that his opponent's past fights have highlighted some key technical areas he can exploit on fight night.

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"With the background he has and the team he comes from, he's got great wrestling (and) he's training with great guys, but he also has a lot of holes in his in this game," said Dalby. "He's not willing to push the pace very often, and when he does, he seems to burn out his energy. So, I feel like, if you really had to look at it black and white, it's a classic grappler versus striker match. He's got some strengths and weaknesses, and it's gonna be interesting to see how many of those I can exploit on Saturday."

Dalby has been on a journey of constant improvement, both as a fighter and in his personal life, and he's been refreshingly open about his battles with depression during his career. His willingness to talk about mental health has led to him hosting lectures on the subject in his native Denmark as he looks to use his personal experiences to give back and help others.

"I feel like I have a lot of experience that can benefit other people," he said. "Through the years, I've received so many DMs on social media from people all across the world telling me how much they appreciate that I also share the more personal and vulnerable side of my life as a fighter.

"Combat sports is a very egotistical sport, it's an individual sport. So for me, it's not that I don't try and give back as much as I can to my coaches, to my teammates and all that stuff, but this feels like a nice way to be able to give back to the world and my society in a more general sense. 

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"I've had a crazy life. It's an unusual life to be a UFC fighter. So be being able to kind of put those experiences into some motivation or inspiration for other people is nice."

Dalby also explained that, by sharing his experiences away from competition, it helps give him perspective and the chance to learn more about himself so he can be better inside the Octagon. It's also helped him to be less hard on himself and to better accentuate his own positives.

"Sharing my experiences through lectures, they give me reasons to reflect," he explained. "And by doing that, I also keep learning more about myself and understanding why I operate the way I do, why I act the way I do. 

"So, in the process of doing these lectures, I also learn a lot both about the people I give the lectures to, but especially myself as well. So it's kind of like a very healing and interesting journey to be on in that perspective."

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For the 41-year-old, Saturday night offers another chance to showcase his skills. It's a journey Dalby is relishing just as much now as he did when he first set foot in the Octagon in Goiania, Brazil, more than a decade ago.

"This sport has been a part of my life for 20 years, and I've been doing martial arts for 25 years this year, so combat sports in general, and MMA, is a core of who I am," he stated. "It's not the only thing in my life, (being) a fighter, but it's a big part of my life. Over half of my life, I've been doing martial arts. So, it's important for me.

"Honestly, when I started, I just wanted to win a fight. I started combat sports to learn self-defense, and then the competitive side was intriguing for me to test myself. That's actually been the core of my motivation ever since.

"I just want to push myself and test myself and see how good I can get, and overcome obstacles, both inside and outside of the Octagon. That's why I'm continuing to do this, because I feel that fire and ability to keep pushing."

And Dalby plans on pushing his way to a particular record that has real significance for him, as he looks to surpass a mark set by his compatriot and training partner.

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"My goal for 2026 is, after winning this fight, is to become the Danish fighter with the most UFC fights," he revealed.

"The legend Martin Kampmann, who I've been training a bunch with for this fight, he had 17 fights, and this is my 15th. So that's a that's a professional goal I have for 2026 – to get on par, or even improve that record. 

"And then, of course, have some great fights (and) some great victories."