When Derek Campos made his way to the cage for his Bellator debut against UFC lightweight veteran Rich Clementi at Bellator 70, he was heading into a battle that he was perceived to be an underdog in according to oddsmakers, and he performed like one.
Clementi, a fighter in his mid-30s who heading into bout having lost three of his last four, submitted Campos with a guillotine choke in the first, which was the first and only time that Campos has ever been finished.
The loss to Clementi as well as his decision losses to Diego Brandao and Scott Cleve have been tough on the 25-year-old, but he’s been able to use those defeats to reevaluate himself and retool his MMA game.
“I feel like my past losses made me step back and analyze why I lost those fights,” said Campos. “Whatever the reasons were, I wasn’t going to let them happen again.”
Since the sobering loss, Campos has matched his career-high in consecutive wins by piecing a together a four fight win streak over the likes of Martin Stapleton and Brandon Girtz. Tonight, he’ll look to win once again tonight at Bellator 113 when he takes on Tim Welch in the opening round of the season ten lightweight tournament.
“Tim Welch was one of those guys who, when I first looked at him, all I could think was ‘iron chin’ and ‘hard-headed’, “said Campos. “I’ve watched some of his fights and the guy – I’m not trying to be cocky or anything – to me, he’s not too technically sound but he’s relentless and he can sure as hell take a punch.”
Even though Campos has the intentions of fighting with a technical game-plan, he still expects his match-up with Tim Welch to be a delight for the fans.
“When fans watch me fight Tim Welch, they should expect to see a crazy, relentless fight between two guys with iron chins,” he said. “We’re going to be trading big punches, and I can tell you right now that one of us won’t be standing when it’s over.”
Campos is heading into his first Bellator tournament as someone that is flying under the radar, but he is already accepted that position.
“I’ve been kind of a sleeper in MMA, and I’ve just been trying to evolve while I’m off the radar. That way, I can compete with the best once I ‘arrive’ in my weight class, maybe against guys like Chandler and Alvarez.”
Campos is ready to show the world that he’s not the same fighter that tapped out in the first frame again Rich Clementi. Starting with Tim Welch at Bellator, Campos has his eyes set on winning the season ten lightweight tournament and joining the fold with the promotion’s top lightweights.
“I’m looking to win this tournament and, through it, I want my game to evolve. That way, if I get a fight with Chandler or Alvarez, I’ll be ready for it.”