Pat Healy returned to the Titan FC cage at the beginning of the year and won the vacant lightweight title with a split decision win over Kurt Kinser at Titan FC 33.
The winner over Kinser was his second straight victory since his exit from the UFC in 2014 and the other victory came against Bellator veteran Ricardo Tirloni in a fight that took place in Argentina.
While some people thought that they victory over Kinser would get Healy back into the UFC, Healy was not surprised he did not get the call and knows he needs a dominant performance in his upcoming title defense to get the call from the UFC.
“I only have two wins since I’ve been outside of the UFC,” Healy told The MMA Report. “I think it will take a little bit more of a dominant performance. I think if I can get a finish in this fight that might be enough to get a call.
Healy (31-20, 1NC) will be looking for his third straight win when he defends the lightweight title against fellow former UFC fighter Mike Ricci in the main event of Titan FC 34 and he feels this is a great stylistic matchup for him.
“He is a tough guy and comes from a good camp,” he said. “I am sure he will be well prepared. He is pretty well-rounded. I think it’s a good style matchup for me and I think he will have problems with me kind of grinding him out. He seems to have problem with people that stay on him and try to work that style against him. That is what I am best at and I think it’s good for me.”
For his past couple of training camps, Healy has left Portland and has been training with Donald Cerrone. “Cowboy” has a gym set up at his house and has multiple fighters that train alongside him, including Healy. The change in scenery has been a great thing for Healy and he is back to enjoying training, which was not the case when he was going through a losing streak in the UFC.
On July 18, Healy will be able to show the improvements he has made in his game against Ricci. While he is ready for a five round battle with Ricci, he would prefer to win the fight by stoppage before the final bell sounds.
“I certainly hope to finish him. That is my plan,” he said. “I am working hard on that going in. I will be prepared for a five round fight, but I certainly want to stop him before that.”
Check out Healy’s complete interview with The MMA Report from today’s The MMA Report Live.