Those were Bellator Season Five fighter Steve Carl’s (14-2) thoughts upon seeing the former Maximum Fighting Championship 170 lb champ Douglas ‘The Phenom’ Lima (18-4) earning one of three victories in Canada.
Carl and Lima are scheduled to meet in the opening quarterfinal round of Bellator’s upcoming Season Five welterweight tournament, which kicks off this Saturday on the main card of Bellator 49.
Bellator 49 is scheduled to take place on September 10 at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the four bout main card airing on MTV 2, and in HD on EPIX.
Carl spoke to MMAMania.com about seeing Lima fight in Canada, as well as his thoughts on facing ‘The Phenom’.
Brian Hemminger: You’re facing a really tough prospect in Douglas Lima who’s highly touted. He’s the former MFC welterweight champion. What are your thoughts on this guy?
Steve Carl: I actually met Douglas Lima in the sauna in the locker room at his last fight in Canada because I was cornering another guy and I watched him fight. I remember thinking, “Wow, this guy is good! I hope I don’t have to fight him anytime,” and the very next fight, we’re set up to fight each other so I just laugh about it. I got to hang out with him in New York a bit for the Bellator promo material. He’s a really cool guy with a lot of potential. It’s gonna be a tough and dangerous fight but we’re out there to test each other. He’s a really tough fighter that I have to get over but I’m also a really tough fighter that he has to get over. We’re both out there trying to prove ourselves. I’m trying to prove that I’m still here and he’s trying to prove that he’s on the scene now too.
Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): He’s a guy that’s got really strong grappling credentials but he had a sick knockout in his last fight with Terry Martin. Where do you think he’s most dangerous?
Steve Carl: I think he’s dangerous everywhere. He’s got really nice hands, his ground game is great and that’s what he’s supposed to be. He’s a fighter. He’s not supposed to have wholes. He’s not supposed to be weak anywhere and at this level I shouldn’t be able to walk in there and think, “I’m just gonna take this guy down because he’s got amazing hands but his ground game sucks,” or, “His ground game is amazing, but his hands suck.” At this level, you’ve got to expect everybody to be able to do everything. You’ve got to turn it into a chess match and you’ve got to be a smarter fighter. It’s not all about the physical abilities, it’s about the mental game as well.
Be sure to check out the full interview by hitting the link above.