You came into Bellator in 2018. There, you went on a four-fight winning streak, including finishes over well-regarded fighters Derek Campos and Sam Sicilia. After that, you fought for the title against Patricio Freire but unfortunately lost by KO. The following bout was a TKO loss to a lesser-known Jay-Jay Wilson. What lessons do you take from that?
“It is what it is. It’s the fight game. I’m a naturally confident person. And that kept increasing as I kept winning. That’s how I went into my fight against Patricio. My confidence was so high, I was no longer grounded in reality. I underestimated Patricio. He’s one of the best featherweights of all time. In my head, I felt predestined to win. I didn’t respect the fact that as a fighter, he could damage me as much as I could damage him. The blindness caused by overconfidence caused me to completely stray from our strategy. It was childish of me, and it cost me the title bout.
“Against Jay Jay, several things went wrong during my training camp. Due to COVID, I came to the fight in Connecticut by myself. It was my bad luck to take a spinning punch behind the ear, near the back of the head. I take nothing away from my opponent. But maybe I rushed into booking another fight, despite the setbacks in training. I was looking to put the loss to Patricio behind me, so I wasn’t thinking straight. I rushed it. I needed more time to recenter, and to do everything correctly. Both losses brought valuable lessons. My eyes were opened to several factors. I’ve changed my game. I used to see myself as a striker who fought MMA, with enough grappling skills to defend myself. By viewing my own fights, I see that I’m a grappler as well as a striker. I’ve changed my mindset going forward.”
Your next opponent is Daniel Weichel, who almost beat Freire on two occasions. How do you see this bout playing out? How do you see yourself winning?
“It’s going to be a great fight. I visualize a finish. I never train to win by decision. Of course, every fight is unique and I have to be flexible in that regard. I feel it’s going to be a hard-fought three-round bout, since Weichel is very technical and has a warrior’s heart. The only way to stop him may be by KO. Victory will be mine. I see no other possible outcome.”
Talk about your training camp.
“My camps are done in Ireland, at SBG, as always. I spent some time improving my boxing base. I felt that my striking game had stagnated, since I felt so confident in it. I didn’t have to neglect my striking in the past, as my grappling skills are on par with anyone else. ”
What are your goals for the future?
“My goal is the same as always. I want to prove that I’m the best in the world. That’s my objective. It’s what I work for. So, I have to climb the ladder one step at a time, and win the belt. After Weichel, I want to face someone above me in the ranking.”
Anything else you’d like to share?
“There’s no doubt that this fight in Dublin will be the best performance of my career. I’m dying for the day to arrive so I can put on a show. ”