LAS VEGAS \u2013 Fares Ziam is finally ready to take his UFC career to the next level.<\/p>\n
After notching his fifth consecutive win over Mike Davis in February, the streaking lightweight told MMA Junkie<\/a> that he’s not ready for a ranked opponent. He wound up drawing rising contender Kaue Fernandes this past September but withdrew after the passing of his grandmother.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Ziam was then booked against Nazim Sadykhov in Saturday’s UFC 323 prelims at T-Mobile arena, and he passed that test with flying colors. Ziam (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) showed off his grappling and striking en route to a Round 2 TKO<\/a> to make it six wins in a row \u2013 and now he’s ready for a ranked opponent.<\/p>\n “I said to many people after my Mike Davis fight that I don’t want a top 15, I want a guy like me to evolve.” Ziam told MMA Junkie and other reporters during the UFC 323 post-fight news conference. “Tonight it was this, so I want a top 10. A top 10 will be great.”<\/p>\n Ziam’s six-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is the second-longest active streak in the division behind Paddy Pimblett’s seven.<\/p>\n “Six-fight win streak in the UFC is not bad. It’s very good because all the guys are very hard,” Ziam said. “In the lightweight division, we have a lot of prospects, but for me, I am top 15 rigrht now because a six-fight win streak is very good, and let’s go for a top 10.”<\/p>\n