Tonight's LFA 30 headliner Curtis Millender thinks UFC deal is 'overdue'

Welterweight Curtis Millender has won his past five fights, with the most recent one coming by head-kick knockout. his past three were in top-tier promotions under watch by UFC matchmakers. And after tonight, he will have headlined three straight events.

Ask Millender (13-3) if he should be in the UFC, and his answer is unequivocal.

“It’s overdue now,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “I definitely should be there.”

He doesn’t know whether his next fight, an AXS TV-televised scrap with Nick Barnes (12-2) tonight at OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., serves as one last hurdle before the big show. It might be. But the way he sees it, he’s running out of options.

“I really feel after beating Nick Barnes, there’s nobody on the smaller circuit to beat,” Millender said. “It’s time for me to be showing off my talents worldwide and fighting the best guys in the world.”

The UFC’s welterweight division is among the deepest in the sport, so Millender will certainly have his hands full if he gets the call.

First, though, he needs to beat Barnes. And given the competition for UFC contracts, he probably needs to do it in dominant fashion.

“It’s going to be spectacular, because that’s what I’m going to do,” Millender said. “I definitely don’t go out there just to win; I go out there to dominate my fights. I prepare for a war, but I’m expecting a shutout.”

Check out the full video above.

And for more on LFA 30, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.