When Will Brooks makes his walk towards the Bellator cage this Saturday for his interim lightweight championship match with Michael Chandler, he’ll be walking towards a fight that he is expected to lose.
The last time that Brooks walked his way to a fight that he was expected to lose by the oddsmakers, he ended up making a name for himself.
“Remember the name Will Brooks” is what boxing and MMA commentator Mauro Ranallo decreed after an unknown lightweight from Illinois went out and ran through Satoru Kitaoka, a respected veteran of the Asian MMA scene, at DREAM 18.
In the wee hours of the morning in the United States on a day that Americans would celebrate the changing of the calendar from 2012 to 2013, Brooks made his name in Japan.
Heading into his fight with Kitaoka, Brooks was hardly a blip on the MMA prospect radar, but after Yuji Shimada restrained Brooks from landing ground and pound strikes towards the end of the second frame, Brooks became one of the most intriguing up-and-comers in the division.
Bellator would end up signing Brooks, who would go on to rebound after being knocked out by Saad Awad to eventually win the Season Nine Lightweight Tournament and get a victory of his own over Awad.
Now, Brooks is set to fill in the void of an injured Eddie Alvarez to take on Michael Chandler at Bellator 120. Brooks was originally scheduled to face Nate Jolly, but he jumped at the chance to face the former lightweight champion once he go the call.
“Since I got the call, I’ve just realized that all the maturing, training and improving i’ve been doing all comes down to this,” said Brooks. “This is my opportunity. This is why I’ve been doing this: to be one of the best, and to be one of the best you have to beat one of the best.”
Brooks is eager to use the platform to increase his notoriety as a mixed martial artists, just like he did in Japan.
“I just want people to be paying attention to me. I want to knock Michael Chandler out. That’s just where I’m at. I want to prove something.”
The 27-year-old believes that he’s matured as a fighter and person, and he’s ready to solidify himself as a pillar of the sport’s lightweight division.
“I’ve demonstrated that I have the ability to be a dominating figure in this sport. I’ve earned it. I’ve just flat-out earned it.”
To earn those credentials of being of the weight class’ top fighters, Brooks will have to demonstrate that ability against Michael Chandler on Saturday. While the oddsmakers have Brooks tabbed as a massive underdog, Brooks doesn’t pay much credence to that.
“I’m a problem. I’m a problem for everyone in my weight class, and I’m a problem for Michael Chandler.”