Former University of Alabama football player Eryk Anders has always stated that he will turn professional when he is ready and he will be turning pro after his final amateur MMA bout tomorrow.
Anders will be facing Jordan Fowler in Memphis, Tennessee at V3 Fights and the two fighters will be battling for the V3 Fights middleweight title.
With all of the amateur fights he has had to this point, why does Anders and his team feel this is the time to turn pro?
“In the past, it has kind of been a question. My coach Chris Conley will say that I need to see this and see that,” Anders told The MMA Report. “He just wants a finish product out there and he feels that I am at where I need to be to go ahead and make that pro debut. We are going to take this fight and after this fight, we are going to make that transition.”
From the outside looking in, people may think that Anders is looking ahead to his pro debut and may not have his complete attention on Fowler. However, that is not the case. All he is thinking about is his fight tomorrow night against Fowler, which he plans to impose his will in the fight.
“I am not too worried about my opponent. I am not sleeping or underestimating him. I really do not have fight camps,” he explained. “I train as much as I can everyday. I am always ready, always in shape, and always getting better. I know that I will be better than what I was the last fight. I really just focus on the things that I need to do to win the fight. Impose my will on my opponent and get that finish.”
A cliché in fighting is that you want to make a statement in a fight or impress other people in the industry. For Anders, he is not worried about making a statement as his only mission is to get the victory and wants to win by stoppage.
“I am not really sure how it’s going to end. He is a tough guy as I have seen a couple of his fights,” Anders stated. “He has fought some pretty good guys and they all go to decision with him. I am going to go in there and try to finish him. Whether it be knockout, TKO, or submission. If it goes to a decision, I’ll take that as well.”