Joe Warren (11-3) won?t lie to you ? all the trash talk he?s directed at Eduardo Dantas (16-3) leading up to their title fight Friday in Thackerville has come naturally to the wrestler, but he?s also done it with the express purpose of psyching out the young Bellator bantamweight champion. ?You know me,? he tells Cagewriter.
?I?m the world?s baddest man, and part of that is messing with people?s heads. Sometimes, getting inside a younger man?s head is the way to break him. It?s me doing what I do best. There?s a lot that goes into getting ready for fights. There?s a lot of factors, and one of them is being mentally stronger.?
The 37 year-old former wrestling world champ believes his decades of international experience have made him who he is, and is confident that he?s mentally stronger than the 25 year-old Brazilian. That?s part of the reason that Warren has so qualms with the fact that he was awarded an interim Bellator bantamweight title for beating Rafael Silva last May, despite the fact that Dantas last defended his title about six months ago.
?It?s not unfair at all [for Bellator to have created an interim bantamweight title],? Warren maintains.
?Dantas has been running from me for years. I?ve had three scheduled fights with him, and he pulls out the week before. I?m the man standing here with the belt. The last fight, in Atlantic City, he pulled out with six days? notice. So, they put me in with Silva and I beat him anyway. I think Silva is the tougher fighter, anyway.
?They told me Dantas would never fight again. They said he had mental problems, that he had brain problems. They said he was having panic attacks, passing out and that he would not ever fight again. They told me they stripped him of the belt. That turned out to not really be true, but they created an interim belt.?
Of course, Dantas believes he is still the rightful Bellator 135 pound champ. One way or the other, a win will settle matters on Friday.
Dantas believes he?s the quicker and more aggressive fighter. Warren doesn?t deny any of that, but he believes the fight will be decided by another set of factors.
?My advantage is that I?m a battle-tested warrior,? he says.
?I?ve been in this situation many times. I?m used to fighting in these high-pressure fights. I?ve won seven decisions, meaning I?ve been in five-round fights a lot. I?m comfortable in that space.
?He?s a young man who hasn?t been in these high-pressure situations. He?s just another Brazilian who I?m going to crush in Bellator. Those fourth and fifth rounds are my comfort zone.?
�Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
No comments:
Post a Comment