Brett Cooper has had his hand raised inside the Bellator cage on six separate occasions, but it was in a loss that Cooper showed the potential of being a force in the Bellator middleweight division.
In his second fight against Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 98, Cooper was a late replacement. He had stepped in on short notice to replace an injured Doug Marshall.
As what would be expected for any late-replacement fighter coming off two losses that was contending for a championship, Cooper was a heavy underdog heading into the bout. Thing is, nobody told Cooper.
Cooper went out and threw caution to the wind, implementing an aggressive game-plan that led to a close and captivating contest with Shlemenko. Cooper won two of the five rounds of the fight on all three of the judges’ scorecards, and he was just the second fighter to take Shlemenko to championship rounds.
Even though Cooper’s loss improved his stock in a lot of MMA circles, he still remains disappointed about the loss.
“I might be getting more respect from other people’s perspective for the Shlemenko fight, but a loss is a loss to me and it’s disappointing. So I’m looking to get back to winning and smashing some people,” said Cooper. “I guess, really, if you think about it, I might’ve been one round away from being world champion,”.
This Friday, Cooper will have another opportunity to work his way back into a title shot as he takes on former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove in a middleweight tournament fight. From a technical standpoint, Cooper really respects Grove’s game in all areas.
“Grove’s got good all-around skills and knowledge of the game. Good technique on the ground,” said Cooper. “He’s well rounded, you know? He’s no joke.”
With that being said, Cooper still does have questions about Grove’s desire to be great as a fighter at this stage in his career.
“I was talking about ‘having that fire’ earlier, and I’m not sure he still has that anymore to be honest,” he said. “Even in the height of his career, I still think I’d beat him. I think I’m going to win this fight by knockout.”
Finishing fights, especially by way of knockout is the kind of trend that Cooper wants to bring back in his career. Although three of his last victories went the distance, the majority of Cooper’s wins do come by way of strikes, and he’s looking to add that the KO/TKO total on Friday night.
“Everyone should expect knockouts and finishes from now on. That’s me,” said Cooper. “I gotta get that belt around my waist and give Shlemenko some payback. I’m just here to whoop people’s asses.”