Issue 187

January 2020

The seasoned fighter reflects on his second stint at Bellator and his increasing maturity

You came into this second stint with Bellator fighting former champions in Benson Henderson and Patricky Pitbull. Is it different fighting an up-and-comer who is trying to make a name off of you?

No, not necessarily. Now in this game all of the guys are pretty well-rounded and pretty good. Anybody that has been doing the sport or following the sport for awhile, I think, is fair game. 

In your first run in Bellator you were facing guys like Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran. What is the difference in the first version of Bellator and the current version of Bellator as you see it?

The first version was run by Bjorn (Rebney) and it was run in mainly a tournament format. Now it is an actual event every time out and there is not much in the way of a tournament format anymore. Basically, I would say that I am fighting in Strikeforce now. 

Is that a good or bad thing?

I would say it is a good thing. It's been really cool dealing with Scott Coker, Mike (Kogan) and Rich (Chou) and all those guys. It has been really cool here.

I've heard from the vast majority of fighters who have jumped from the UFC to Bellator that it is a more fighter-friendly organization. Do you feel that way?

No. They are both fighter-friendly organizations. We, as athletes, have to come in, show up and put on a show and have good performances. We are fighters. We are entertainers. All in all, it's all good.

You have always been an emotional fighter but in recent years you are an emotional fighter, fighting to control those emotions. How has that yin and yang, that balance, evolved over the years for you?

I would say just like any man that goes through his teenage years and moves forward and goes on to become a man. I'm 36 years old now and that in and of itself has helped me mature and deal with my emotions much better than before. I am more seasoned. 

As far as in a cage specifically, how has that maturation process changed your fight game or style?

I would say that I had a lot of things going on outside of the cage that I would bring into the cage and it would come out. Now I think I have everything balanced and we are OK.

You are on a bit of a losing streak in Bellator. What would it mean to get over the hump and get on a nice, long winning streak?

When I fought Benson I fought a little too slow and I didn't pull the trigger enough in that fight. Then when I fought Patricky I went all-out in that one. I am trying to stay somewhere in the middle and I think if I do it will all come out OK.

You've told me before that the one thing that has always dug you out of any hole is fighting. Can you elaborate on that thought?

Hmm. I think we are all fighters and in this world we are all fighting to live and fighting to survive. For me, I am actually doing it with my bare hands. 

You have accomplished so much in your career. What are your motivations at this point in your career?

I have one thing left to do and that is to become a world champion. That is my motivation. That is what drives me. Before I can close this chapter of my life, I have to become a world champion. It would be really cool to do it under this promotion and become a champion in Bellator.