On September 12th Bellator Fighting Championships will be showcasing their Light Heavyweight tournament finals. The tournament has been a grueling affair that has seen Kelly Anundson and Liam McGreary dispose of their respective opponents for a chance to face one another and leave the event with the tournament championship belt. The winner will also be awarded a title shot against either Emanuel Newton or Joey Beltran; the Light Heavyweight strap will be on the line at Bellator 124 as well.
Kelly Anundson, who fights out of American Top Team under Ricardo Liborio, is an example of a perennial underdog who keeps surprising fans, and keeps proving the odds makers wrong. So far he has ran through two opponents with undefeated records, and now has McGreary in his sights, another fighter with a 0 in the loss column.
I had the opportunity to talk with Kelly about the rigors of the Bellator tournament, his thoughts on McGreary, and what sets the fighters out of American Top Team apart.
Aaron Robbins: Hey Kelly, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to talk to me.
Kelly Anundson: “No problem.”
AR: So Kelly you will be competing in the Bellator Light Heavyweight tournament finals on September 12th against Liam McGreary, give the fans some insight on the demands put on the athletes participating in the tournament and how you deal with those demands.
KA: “I actually enjoy being part of a tournament rather than waiting several months between fights. I know when my fights are going to be and I can train accordingly. When you don’t have a scheduled fight you are training for the sake of training and hoping a fight will come along. Being in the tournament gives you a purpose for your training which is a big benefit for me. It is difficult to be in a tournament though, this will be my fourth fight in about five months so I don’t get the recovery time that I normally get in between my fights. I know that both me and Liam are a little dinged up and probably have a few minor things going on, but I don’t have any major injuries and I feel 100% ready for this fight.”
AR: You have done extremely well in the tournament up to this point that is without question. Your opponent, Liam McGreary, seems to be on a tear as well. Give us your thoughts on McGreary.
KA: “He is another undefeated fighter. I have already taken out two undefeated guys, one with a 10-0 record and another with a 9-0 record. I feel that he (McGreary) has a lot of pressure on him to perform and live up to everybody’s expectation of him. I don’t think he has fought the level of opponents that I have. It seems like he has been given some fights that were good match ups for him and I feel like I am going to be very difficult for him. McGreary is a good fighter with a solid skill set, but I don’t think he is ready for what I bring to the table.”
AR: Ok, with that being said, how do you see this fight playing out?
KA: “It’s a fight so I don’t want to give any predictions, but I would like to submit him. I feel my Jiu Jitsu is better than his, I feel my wrestling and boxing are better than his. He is taller than me but that can be an advantage or a disadvantage. If I can get inside I think that I will land the better shots. It’s no secret that he is going to try to use his height to keep me at the end of his reach, so I’m going to try to close the distance and strike from there or I’ll take him down and submit him.”
AR: You believe that you have sharper skills than McGreary, since you train out of American Top Team; it’s not a claim that is hard to believe. Give us an insider’s view of ATT and why there is so much talent coming out of that gym.
KA: “One of my head coaches is Mikey Rodriguez; he is a great boxing coach with amazing strategy and mentality. I have been working with him for over two years; Mikey gives me a lot of support, and believes in me. When you have somebody like that in your corner you feel like you can beat anybody. Liam doesn’t have the number or quality of coaches or partners that I have. The talent at ATT speaks for itself. We have athletes fighting in the largest organizations in the sport. A lot of the other gyms may only have one or two sparring partners for you to train with, but ATT you have several guys in your weight class and they are all top notch fighters. At any given time we have twenty black belts on the mat, we have some of the best striking coaches in America and our head coach, Ricardo Liborio, is one of the most respected figures in MMA. I have fighters and coaches surrounding me that have been in the sport since it began more or less.”
AR: The level of talent that comes out of that gym has always been impressive. What sets you apart from some of the other fighters coming out of that camp?
KA: “Well the coaches don’t set us apart or foster one fighter more than the others, it’s all about hard work there. I have been with American Top Team for about six years and I’m not the same fighter I was even two years ago. I think one of the big things for me was when Glover Teixeira came down to train with us. He really built up my confidence, I mean here I am going up against a guy who fought against Jon Jones for the title and I’m holding my own. Having Glover and fighters like “Big Foot” Silva to train with really hone you into a better fighter, and make you feel like it’s time to make your run at this sport.”
AR: I think it’s safe to say that you are making a great run for your title shot. Now there is something that I find odd, when you started this tournament the driving goal was to fight for the title against Emanuel Newton, however, Bellator has the Light Heavyweight Champion defending against Joey Beltran on September 12th. How does that change things for you, and do you have any preference on who you would like to face?
KA: “I don’t think it changes too much for me because I think Newton will retain his title in September, you can’t completely count Beltran out because he hits hard and anybody who steps in the cage has a chance, but I think Newton will come out on top. I feel that either man would be a good match up for me. I don’t think there is anyone in Bellator’s Light Heavyweight division that I can’t take to the ground and submit. I fought through the whole tournament to fight Newton, but either way I don’t have a preference, I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me.”
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