The British heavyweight hopes to complete his comeback from obscurity by winning the KSW title.
Are you more focused now than any other time in your career?
Oh yeah. I’ve got a baby now and the clock’s ticking. Before, I was fighting for fun, but now I want to get as much money out of it as I can.
I used to suffer from anxiety really badly, so when I got kicked out of the UFC I got some treatment. Now I’m on the pills, I feel great and my performances have been really good, too. I used to be terrified before, but now I can handle the nerves and I’m the best I’ve ever been.
What is the biggest change since many fans last saw you in at a high level in the UFC?
The fire’s going again, I’m really enjoying the gym and we’ve got a lot of big guys here. I’m able to train at home because we’ve got a lot of heavyweights about.
Does that translate to a big improvement in your skills?
The improvement in my performance now I don’t have the anxiety is unbelievable. I never used to think about what I was doing when I was fighting. I was crazy like a feral cat.
Now I can step back, think and follow a game plan. I couldn’t listen to my corner either, I didn’t even know they were there. I feel great and I’ve been drilling well. I used to just spar, but I’m working techniques a lot more.
Did submitting James Thompson at Bellator 191 prove you were ready to compete at a higher level again?
I think the Russian guy I fought the month before [Anton Vyazigin in M-1] was a better fighter than Thompson, but that was on a big show, in front of my home crowd and a very decisive win.
That was a big moment for me and got me the KSW title shot – especially with it being on Bellator, the second-biggest promotion out there.
What did you know about Michal Andryszak before you signed to fight him?
As soon as they offered me the fight I’d say I’d do it. I’m at the stage of my career where if the money’s right – and the money was right – I’ll fight them. A couple of weeks later I had a watch of him and he is good.
Having fought athletes like Stipe Miocic, will your experience be an advantage?
I think it definitely will be. I’ve been in much tougher fights. He’s got a great record, a better record than me, but he’s not been in with the same quality of fighters as me and he hasn’t experienced the pressure I’ve been under. It’ll be a big plus for me.
He’s been saying that I’m old and it’s time to step aside, but I’m only five years older than him. He’s 25 and I’m 30. That’s not that old. Especially for a heavyweight. We can keep going until we’re 40. You cheeky bugger!
What do you have to do to avoid being stopped quickly like a lot of his opponents?
The longer the fight goes, the better it will be for me, but at heavyweight, you have to start fast or you can just get caught and it will be game over. Winning that first round is crucial. If I can get him on his back, that will set the tempo for the fight and I will win it.
There’s not a lot of people who can stop my wrestling, even when I’ve been to the States. If I want you on your back, you go on your back, but he’s a confident, young fighter who’s going to throw everything at me. I can’t rush things and I’ve got to pick my moment.
What would winning mean to you at this stage of your career?
I’ve won lots of belts in my career and they’re all sitting in my loft, gathering dust. If I win that belt, it’ll be on display. UFC and Bellator aside, KSW is the most popular promotion in Europe – it’s got the biggest attendances – and it’s definitely a belt I want. It could be great for my career and help me get the fights I want in the future.
What else do you hope to achieve in KSW?
I want to beat Andryszak, and then Karol Bedorf and Mariusz Pudzianowski are fighting the month after. The winner of us will fight the winner of them and I know KSW is coming to London. Ideally, I’d like to fight Pudzianowski there. As I boy, I used to watch him in the World’s Strongest Man, so it would be quite cool to get in there and fight him. It would be a lot of exposure fighting him and I’d be confident as well.
...
