Martin Stapleton entered Bellator last year as a lightweight and following back to back defeats in the promotion, he is dropping down to the featherweight division tomorrow night to face Goiti Yamauchi at Bellator 125.
Stapleton was immediately placed into the season nine Bellator lightweight tournament at this time last year and was eliminated in the opening round when he was submitted by Saad Awad.
Following the defeat to Awad, he returned less than two months later and would once again be defeated as he lost a decision to Derek Campos at Bellator 107. Since the defeat to Campos, he took a fight outside of the promotion and got back on track with a submission victory against Stanislav Enchev. After the back to back defeats in Bellator, Stapleton had to re-evaluate his career and along with having more balance in his life, he also changed is training.
“Having lost my last two fights in Bellator definitely made me re-evaluate the way I was doing things,” Stapleton said. “It didn’t demoralize me in the slightest, not even for a day! It increased my motivation tenfold. There is nothing this world could do to me that could demoralize me as long as my kids are healthy. My mentality is way too strong for that.”
“I re-evaluated my life and the way I was preparing for fights, and I knew that I had to bring more balance to my life and my training. I had way too much stuff going on in the past that affected my preparation and made me lose my way a little bit. Don’t get me wrong – I was training hard, really hard, but I had no balance. I’ve literally changed everything: my training, my mentality, and my approach to things that don’t affect me. I’ve now found the proper balance and a level of preparation that I genuinely don’t think many fighters in the world can match.”
“Regarding the change in my training, I now train under Karl Tanswell at SBG in Manchester and we have a great relationship with the guys over at SBG Ireland. There’s definitely a great feeling around this thing right now. The environment that’s been created for us to train in is, in my opinion, the best in the world.”
Tomorrow night, he will meet Yamauchi, who is coming off a decision win at Bellator 120 against Mike Richman. When Yamauchi entered Bellator, he was considered on of the top prospects in Bellator and Stapleton sees him more than just a prospect.
“Goiti Yamauchi is seen as an up-and-comer, but I see him as more than that,” he said. “I think he’s already proven that he’s a world class talent. I have nothing but respect for Goiti and his skills, and I’m looking forward to testing myself against him.”
“As far as what my advantages might be, you know, I don’t look at fights like that. A + B does not equal C in MMA. I believe I can put a gameplan together unlike any other that Goiti has been faced with before. I believe I can move in ways he’s not had to deal with and, most importantly, I believe I can defeat him. That’s it.”
While Stapleton is unsure that kind of impression he left with the fans of Bellator in his two previous appearances, he wants the fans to know that they will see a world class featherweight working his way up the ladder to a title shot. His climb up that ladder begins tomorrow night and he is confident that he will walk away with a victory by stoppage.
“When I sit back and try to envision this fight, I see two world-class fighters showcasing the best skills of the night, and me getting my hand raised at the end! The only word I’d use to describe my fighting style is ‘creative.’ I’ll just fight my kind of fight, create opportunities and then capitalize on them when they emerge. I’m confident that I can finish Goiti Yamauchi but I’m not in the habit of shouting out when, how or why.”