While a number of fighters made emphatic statements at this past weekend’s UFC 166 event, perhaps none was more impressive than Adlan Amagov (13-2-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) announcing his arrival in the UFC’s welterweight division.

After a stunning first-round knockout of T.J. Waldburger, Amagov wants to take a big step up the pecking order and hopes to book a bout with perennial contenders Martin Kampmann or Jake Shields.

“It all depends what UFC has planned for me, but I would like to fight in New Jersey on Feb. 1,” Amagov told MMAjunkie.com through an interpreter. “I have a lot of fans in the area who would love to come support me. I’ll face whoever UFC wants to put in front of me, but I’d like to fight Martin Kampmann or Jake Shields.”

Prior to Saturday night, that request might have been seen as a little far-fetched. Prior to his UFC run, the 27-year-old Russian fought four times under the Strikeforce banner. And while he was victorious in three of those fights, he was perhaps best known for a bizarre January 2012 loss to Robbie Lawler.

But on Saturday night, Amagov impressed with a vicious knockout of Waldburger, impressively blasting his opponent with power punches while defending a takedown. It’s a position often seen in fights but that rarely leads to a finish. However, Amagov said he knew he was capable of ending the fight.

“I was thinking I needed to win the fight and make a statement,” Amagov said. “I was more relaxed had a great camp at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA. I believed that I had enough power to knock him out from that position. I have done it before.”

Amagov was right, and Waldburger suffered the consequences. The vicious power punches left Waldburger unconscious on the floor, eventually being carted out on a stretcher. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer any serious injuries, and Amagov said he was relieved, as well.

“It’s the nature of the business, but I felt bad for him,” Amagov said. “My manager Sam Kardan and I went over to speak with his manager, Audie Attar, to make sure he was OK, and Audie said that everything was OK.”

Referee Jay Stafin received criticism for his slow intervention, but Amagov admits he was focused on the victory and doesn’t really have a strong opinion on the official’s performance.

“Honestly, I had no idea during the fight with all the adrenaline rush,” Amagov said. “I think the last punch could have been avoided if the ref stopped the fight in time.”

Amagov, who lives in Moscow when he’s not training in the U.S., is looking forward to enjoying some time off, but he’ll be back to work very soon. After UFC President Dana White labeled him “scary,” Amagov is expecting a tough assignment. As far as he’s concerned, the tougher, the better.

“I’m happy to keep focusing on my development, but I also hope I’m on the way to a title shot,” Amagov said.

For complete coverage of UFC 166, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.