This Saturday Nov. 12 the UFC will come to Anaheim, Calif. to make history. In debuting its first FOX show the UFC has brought out the big guns in scheduling the heavyweight championship. While Dos Santos and Velasquez prepare square off, the preliminary bouts will christen the Fox Sports Octagon. One of the young talents to take center stage in the Honda Center on Saturday is welterweight Paul Bradley.
After his first close decision loss to Rafael Natal at UFC 133, Bradley will rematch the wrestler Mike Pierce. The welterweights first met in April of 2009’s RIE: Brotherly Love Brawl. After the two battled three long rounds, a close decision went the way of Mike Pierce. The two big welterweights’ strong wrestling canceled each other out in their first fight forcing a stand up battle. Bradley has grown as a fighter since his defeat against Pierce and believes he has improved significantly in both striking and grappling.
“I have watched Mike’s [Pierce] fights and there are some things that he tends to do a lot of and I am going to look to capitalize on. I’m sure he’ll try to take me down, as he tried last fight, but it will probably be a striking battle again.”
In all of Bradley’s past fights he trained in his native town of Minneapolis at The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, but after losing his first fight in the UFC, Bradley implemented geographical changes to his preparation by moving to San Diego. Now part of Alliance MMA, Bradley is training with the likes of Phil Davis, Dominick Cruz, Brandon Vera and boxing coach Eric Del Fierro. With the improved training staff, “The Gentleman” feels ready for battle.
“As soon as I found out I had this fight I knew I needed to get away from home and just kind of seclude myself,” Bradley said. “Here in San Diego there is nothing else to do but train, fight, eat, and sleep, and although being away from home is hard, it was a sacrifice that needed to be made. I look at it as a boot camp before I go to war.”
Being on the UFC on FOX debut fight card, Bradley knows the focus of the event, and is feeling no difference from any of his previous fights.
“The card is more geared towards getting the first UFC fight on the Fox Network, and they are showing one fight: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez. I train for every fight the same whether the logo on the cage is UFC of CFX back in Minneapolis.”
Reflection of previous fights can aid any fighter’s future success as experience provides introspective knowledge. Bradley has 18 wins on his record, but going into the Honda Center Saturday night he is focusing solely on the 19th, and the man that stands in his way.
“Its all the same. It’s still a fight. Nothing is going to change it once you get in there”
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