Well, I don’t think you can ever say that the creator of the famous Rashad Evans face that we all know and love. In fact, Machida has 8 knockouts against damn tough competition. Sure, Mousasi has 18 knockouts, but I’ll be damned until Mousasi can finish BJ Penn. 2005 BJ Penn, as a matter of fact. Still, this will be a chess match worthy of Bobby Fisher and a pee-drinking karate master tomorrow night on Fox Sports 1. This is a big deal. Yet, Mousasi feels completely comfortable.
Too comfortable? This is what Mousasi said to MMAJunkie Radio:
“It’s not going to help me if I think all the time about the fight, I know what is on the line. I feel really good. I did the best training I could, so I’m not worried about anything. I didn’t miss anything. That’s why I’m confident.”
“I’m going to put pressure on [Machida], but steady. I’m not going to run at him. I want to fight aggressive, but you need two people, and he does not want to play that game. So you can’t go trying to be the aggressive guy, because that’s what he wants.
“I’m going to go forward, because you don’t want to make him feel comfortable. I’m not going to go backward, that’s for sure.”
“He’s a dangerous opponent; he can finish fights,” Mousasi said. “But he’s not really a hard-hitting fighter. If you don’t do anything stupid, he’s not going to be able to knock you out.”
On paper, that looks like exactly what a fighter like Mousasi needs to do to win, but who the hell knows what’s going to happen? All we know is that the next contender will likely come from this fight.
I hope this fight is a draw. I like both of these guys too much.
