Curtis Millender (photo via LFA)

By FCF Staff

After having his nine-fight winning streak snapped via a first round, submission loss, Curtis Millender says his ground game has been a focus heading into UFC 236.

The noted striker will take on Belal Muhammad on Saturday night, following a quick, tap-out loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in March. In advance of his latest bout, Millender said the following, while admitting he needs to improve his jiu-jitsu skills (quote via MMA Junkie):

“The cat’s not out of the bag,” Millender said. “That’s always been in the chink in my armor; you’ve got to take me down if you want to try to win. But I just got to let these dudes know this (expletive) isn’t going to be easy every time. … Just because you’ve been doing something for so long you’ve got to continue doing it. You can’t just learn it and stop using it because you get good at something else. That’s one of the biggest things I learned.”

The 31-year-old Millender (17-4) has gone 3-1 to date in the UFC. Muhammad (14-3), meanwhile, is coming off a decision loss to Geoff Neal, after winning four straight.