Following an impressive knockout win over Estevan Payan in September, Derek Campos is looking to stay on the path towards the Bellator lightweight title when he takes on former champion Michael Chandler this Friday at Bellator 138.
Against Chandler he faces a fighter known for his work ethic and perseverance. Campos knows Chandler is ready for a war, and is willing to engage in a firefight. He doesn’t however think that Chandler’s usual style of wading through hard shots to get inside is a good idea.
“I don’t hit lightly, I hit hard.” Campos told Bleacher Report. “If he thinks he’s going to go in there and take my best punches, that isn’t a smart game plan.”
Campos got into MMA after he got worn out from team sports as a kid. He wrestled and played football in high school, but when he got a glimpse of mixed martial arts, he knew he had to give it a try. Once he began training, he was hooked.
As a young fighter he looked up to Rich Franklin. Franklin was a well-rounded fighter with heavy hands, a style Campos admires and tries to emulate. Campos says his favorite aspect of fighting is that moment when his feet hit the mat inside the cage and it is finally time to make his hard work pay off, saying:
“There’s no better feeling that I get than whenever I get into that cage, run around it, and get back to my corner, waiting for the fight. As soon as that gate closes, and the ref looks at both of us and asks us if we’re ready, that for me is the most exciting part of fighting.
“That’s when you realize that all of your hard work is about to pay off and be shown to the world, when the cage door shuts and it’s go time.”
Campos feels that moment is his payoff because of the journey it takes to get to that point. All fighters deal with injuries, and all fighters are ‘hurt’ in some way when they go out to fight, but making it to the fight and staying healthy is difficult, which Campos thinks is the hardest part of the fight game.
The fight with Chandler is featured on the main card of Bellator‘s latest “tentpole” event, and is sure to be one of the most-watched MMA shows of the year. A stacked event headlined by two well-known fighters in Shamrock and Kimbo Slice will certainly attract a lot of eyeballs. Campos isn’t focused on the fact that he’ll be fighting on Bellator‘s biggest stage, or fighting in front of a pro-Chandler crowd.
He is 100 percent focused on putting it together in the cage and employing the gameplan he’s worked hard to come up with in training, saying:
“My main focus is implementing my fight, and my strategy against Chandler. This isn’t going to be the first time I have to go into the lion’s den and fight someone in front of their hometown crowd. So, my thoughts won’t be on the crowd, they’ll be on Chandler, and getting in the zone to do what I have to do to win.”
The “zone” Campos is referring to is the mindset that he feels allows him to overcome any adversity he might come across during the fight. He feels that putting pressure on a pressure fighter like Chandler is the key to throwing him off his game. He also feels that Chandler is the perfect opponent, because the fight will play into his strengths. He plans on making it a strategic, but still entertaining scrap, saying:
“I know I’m going to turn it on aggressively and have that killer instinct, and I also know when to turn on my tactics and strategy to really play a chess match and win. That’s my best quality, is to be able to bring a smart, and rowdy kind of fight.”
Although he takes great joy in mixed martial arts, and stepping foot into the cage, he doesn’t let his emotions control his actions during the fight. He feels he’s able to keep his emotions in check because he tries to leave it all on the mat during training, saying:
“I try not to let emotions get to me, but it’s hard not to. As fighters, we all fight for different reasons. For me, I try to get all of that out in training before I get there to make sure I’m 100% focused.”
After his last fight against Payan, he knew he had impressed the higher-ups at Bellator. He wasn’t 100 percent sure that he’d get the fight with Chandler, but he’s wanted to test himself against a fighter of that caliber for a long time, and jumped at he opportunity.
“I had been wanting to fight Chandler for a long time, ever since I first saw him fight. He’s the kind of fighter that as I fighter, I want to fight. I like to fight that kind of guy. I was stoked and excited, and [when the fight was offered] I said ‘Let’s do this’.
“As an athlete, I think he’s great. As fighter, he’s great as well, but I think he has a few holes in his game. We all do. But seeing him evolve from wrestler to fighter, I have a lot of respect for that. Going into this fight, I expect the best Michael Chandler. He always brings his best, so I am going to respect that to the fullest, and make sure to bring my best.”
He understands the task that lies ahead of him, and knows it won’t be easy. He also thinks that Chandler’s recent fights have taken a toll on the fighter, and Chandler may have taken too much punishment in recent bouts, saying:
“I’m expecting a grueling fight, but I’m also expecting him to be the one taking more damage. I’m very confident in my stand up, and I feel like may stand up is way better than his. As far as shots Michael has taken, I think he’s taken too many. It showed in his last fight with Will Brooks, he didn’t know where he was and he was incoherent with everything. “In your career as a fighter, depending on how you train and if you spar too much, if you take too many shots in a fight, it takes its toll. I think it’s begin to show with Michael’s last fight.”
Despite how he feels about the amount of damage Chandler has taken, he still thinks Chandler could be his toughest test to-date. He’s gearing up for a fight he feels will be unlike any fight he’s been in thus far in his career. Chandler presents a refined, high-level mixed martial arts skill set, but also possesses a strong mindset and will to win. Campos feels that he can make it his type of fight, and hand Chandler a crushing fourth loss in a row.
“I’ve fought tough wrestlers before, and I’ve fought stand up guys before. What I think makes Chandler different I think is that he has the will to win. On June 19th I’m going to find a way to break that will.”
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