Karl Albrektsson | Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
Following a stint in Rizin, Albrektsson signed for Bellator in the summer and intends to make an immediate impact.
On a huge weekend for Bellator which includes back-to-back events, a prospect from Europe is looking to make a big statement internationally in the hopes of making a lasting first impression.
Karl Albrektsson (9-2) fights out of Pancrase Gym Sweden and is the latest in a slew of European signings over the past year. In his younger days, he got into some trouble while at school so decided to take up boxing to try and channel his energy in a positive way. Albrektsson really enjoyed participating in ‘the sweet science’, which made his younger brother take up MMA not that long after in the hope of finding the same fulfillment. It was at this point that Albrektsson began to get worried that his brother would be able to beat him up after learning different aspects of the ground game, so he decided to take up the sport too. His sibling picked up an injury which prevented him from progressing further in MMA but he found happiness in coaching and can always be seen in Albrektsson’s corner for all of his fights.
After making his professional MMA debut in 2012, Albrektsson moved to 4-0 with finishes in all of those bouts which earned him a call up to Rizin when they were still in their infancy as a promotion. The Swede faced current top Bellator light heavyweight contender, Vadim Nemkov, in his Japanese debut and defeated him by split decision. That was the last time that Nemkov was toppled in competition, which displays some of the raw talent that Albrektsson possesses. He continued to feature for Rizin in the years that followed and received his only two career losses in the promotion against Valentin Moldavsky and Jiri Prochazka, who are both highly touted.
“Competing in Rizin was a dream come true and a great learning experience,” stated Albrektsson. “I always wanted to compete in Japan and I was pretty young in the game when I got there too. During my time in Rizin, I got a ton of experience and fought some really tough guys. Sometimes I got the win and sometimes I didn’t but all of those fights were really beneficial. I got to see some of my idols like Mirko Cro Cop, Fedor and Rickson Gracie in person who I realized were once just like how I am now. It provided me with memories for life that I will never forget.”
“I developed a lot over the bouts I competed in there,” continued Albrektsson. “I got to see what I did well, what I did wrong and where I could improve. The mental side of my game also moved to the next level as I learned how I needed to be leading up to the fight and what my mind-set should be like on fight night. Due to those experiences, I now think that I am the best I have ever been. I want to be the best in the world but the road to greatness is not straight, it is up and down.”
Albrektsson is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, which caught the attention of Bellator over the summer and that’s when negotiations started. According to the light heavyweight, there wasn’t a lot going on with Rizin around that time so he decided to sign a contract with the American promotion. However, this wasn’t the first time that the company had tried to get his signature as he was first approached back in 2014. Five years ago, Bellator wanted to sign Albrektsson for a short notice fight, but due to a lack of experience in MMA and other commitments he declined their offer. Albrektsson believes that now is the ideal time to make an impact in Bellator and with their rumored expansion into Sweden next year, he can’t wait to see what the future holds. If that card does come to fruition, he made it clear that he would like to be the main event.
He isn’t allowing himself to look too far into the future though as he knows that he is facing a formidable task inside the cage on Friday night. Bellator have thrown Albrektsson straight into the deep end of the division by giving him former champion, Phil Davis (20-5, 1NC), in his promotional debut. The American is a 26-fight veteran and has defeated some of the best light heavyweights in the world across his career. Albrektsson admits that he wasn’t expecting such a high-profile name for his first Bellator outing, but is looking to take full advantage of the opportunity presented to him.
“When I found out this was the fight, I was on my way home from holiday at the airport in Athens,” explained Albrektsson. “My coach, who is also my manager, told me that I was going to fight Phil Davis. It was a ‘oh sh-t’ moment. I got really excited that I would be facing such a big name and it’s just down to me to have fun now. It’s a sign of appreciation from Bellator as they think I can beat him and I know I can beat him which is what I need to do on Friday.”
“I’ve continued my training as usual and improved in all areas,” continued Albrektsson. “He is a good wrestler but this is mixed martial arts and he has competed in that for a long time. I see myself as an all-rounder and I’ve wrestled with Division I NCAA wrestling champions before. It’s up to me to be on my game and to not show any respect to his wrestling. I know how to wrestle, how to get out of certain situations and I know I can take Phil down too.”
A win in itself would be impressive enough, but Albrektsson has enough confidence in his own abilities to have even higher expectations of himself. Phil Davis has only been defeated five times in his MMA career, by the elite in the division, but has never once been finished. He managed to withstand Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson’s jaw-shattering power and was only narrowly edged out by Ryan Bader twice by split decision. Albrektsson has ended 7 of his 9 victories by stoppage and believes he can add to this statistic by getting Davis out of there before the final bell.
“Just because something hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it won’t happen or can’t happen,” said Albrektsson. “I will be the first person to finish Phil Davis. I strongly believe that I can but if I don’t, I will still get the victory. My gameplan is to knock him out and I predict I will do just that!”
“My goal and aim with Bellator is to become champion. If that wasn’t the case, I would not have taken this fight and I wouldn’t have come here. I want to prove that I can beat everyone in the light heavyweight division here.”
Bellator 231 can be seen live on Sky Sports Action for viewers in the UK and Ireland at 2am BST early on Saturday morning. Fans in the US can watch on Friday night at 9/8c on Paramount Network and DAZN.