Andre Harrison began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2011 and the fighter out of Long Island made his Titan FC debut in December as he defeated Aaron Neveu.
Prior to coming to Titan FC, Harrison (8-0) had only competed in the Ring of Combat promotion in Atlantic City and three of his seven wins in that promotion came by stoppage.
Ring of Combat is a promotion that is known to get fighters into the UFC, but Harrison decided to leave the promotion for Titan FC and one of the factors in the decision was due to Titan FC having a TV deal.
“I wanted to get a little more exposure,” Harrison told The MMA Report. “I know Titan is televised and that would be me access to a broader fan base. Also, I wanted to show that I can fight in other places besides Atlantic City. All of Ring of Combat fights are in Atlantic City. I wanted to show that I could fight out of my comfort zone as well.”
In his Titan FC debut, he defeated Neveu by unanimous decision and it was his fifth career victory by decision. Looking back at the fight, Harrison believes he did not perform well in the fight.
“Personally, I do not think I fought very well,” he explained. “I do believe that I have good stand up and I just felt like — it was one of those things that he can out of the gate and was very close. He threw a right kick, which when you throw a right kick to a wrestler, it’s a single leg takedown. Clear as day. You drill that thousands of times a day. To me it was just right there. I did not get a chance to show any of my standup I believe and I wish I would have.”
On March 20 at Titan FC 33, he will have the biggest challenge in his career when he meets Ultimate Fighter alum Cody Bollinger. He is looking at this fight to prove to the fans he is not the fighter we saw in December and expects to put on a fight that the fans will enjoy.
“Not to take anything away from my last opponent, but inside that distance, there is not to much striking that can be done. Maybe some knees, maybe some elbows but nothing too much. Cody does not necessarily smother everything like that. He looks like he would like to stand back and exchange as well. I think we will see a little bit more fireworks in this fight.”
When people look at the Titan FC 33 card, they will talk about the four title fights. When you look past the title fights, many people believe that the matchup between Harrison and Bollinger could end up being the fight that steals the show. For Harrison, he believes it has the potential to be the fight of the fight and the fans that tune in will not regret it.
“I definitely feel we have the potential to be the fight of the night. I do believe that people that are watching this will be on the edge of their seat. I do think there will be a lot of action and the fans will enjoy.”