Just a month ago, former Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran was slated to take on Goiti Yamauchi, but that all changed when Yamauchi went down with injuries.
Roufusports’ Emanuel Sanchez took the fight on short notice and will defend his 2-0 record in the promotion on Friday at Bellator 139.
The change-up hasn’t dramatically affected the way Curran is looking at this fight.
“[Injuries] happen all the time,” Curran told The MMA Report. “You kind’ve just have to roll with it. Doesn’t really change up too much. It didn’t change my camp up too much. The only thing was, we were doing a little bit of training together. We know each other pretty well, and I feel like this is going to make for a pretty interesting fight.”
After losing 3 of his last 4 against some of Bellator’s premier featherweights, Curran is eager to just get in the cage -regardless of who his opponent is.
“I was happy for the fact that [he] stepped up and took the fight,” Curran said. “Obviously, [he] feels pretty comfortable with it, and I’m going to have to go in there and just handle business. It’s just another fighter, another job and I’m looking to go in there and make a statement and get back on a win streak again.”
Aside from the obvious desire for a win, Curran has a general idea of the goals he wants to accomplish against Sanchez.
“I just want to go out there strong and put the pressure on right away,” Curran said. “I want him to feel my power right away. Obviously, look for the knockout or the finish as soon as possible.”
What’s plagued Curran in his losses against Daniel Weichel, Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus has been his hesitancy. His lack of aggressiveness is a problem that Curran readily admits and is prepared to resolve.
“In my last fight, I feel like I was pretty patient,” Curran said. “I wasn’t really going after it, didn’t have the killer instinct and I just let the fight slip through my hands. Maybe if I put the pace a little bit higher and put the pressure on him, I could’ve won it. You’ve just got to go back, make the right adjustments and figure out the mistakes you made. That’s definitely one of my bigger mistakes. I have to come out a lot more aggressive and just unleash the animal.”
And if Curran is able to do that against Emmanuel Sanchez, he wants a shot to do the same against the top tier of 145 pounders in Bellator.
“I’d like to get a rematch with Daniel [Weichel] and work my way back up to the title,” Curran said. “I feel like I’m couple fights, two fights away [from a title shot]. There’s a lot of good talent in our organization at 145. I just need to stay focused, focus on one fight at a time and just go in there and handle business Friday night.”
Be sure to check out this week’s edition of The MMA Report Live to catch Pat Curran talking about being back with his cousin Jeff’s gym as well as his analysis on Sanchez’s game.