"For this fight, I'm fired up and ready to go and ready to go out and show that I'm the better man...I think getting this rematch has me moving in the direction that I want to move in. I'm looking forward to getting two wins in a row and then hopefully getting a contender fight," stated Bellator welterweight Paul Bradley, who talked about his upcoming rematch with Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 148. Check it out!
PC: Paul, just days away from the rematch with Chris Honeycutt, how is everything going?
PB: It's going good, man. Everything is where it needs to be. I'm on par for weight and conditioning-wise, so yeah, definitely looking forward to getting back in there.
PC: Were you able to take anything away from the first fight with him before the head clash and implement it into your preparation for Chris this time around?
PB: I was lucky enough to bring in a really tall fighter, a national champion wrestler by the name of Taylor Johnson. He has the same style as Chris. It's been great. I said it before in past interviews, but for this fight, I've really been focusing on the conditioning aspect. It's something that I pride myself on, being able to go 3 hard rounds. Other than that, yeah, I've watched the fight and not a whole lot will change other than the fact that I need to start off a lot faster in this fight.
PC: How did you feel the first fight was going leading up to the stoppage and no contest?
PB: In the first fight, in the first round, he got a lot of takedowns, so he might have stole that round from me. It was a close round, but I think if you're looking at it from the outside, that probably got him the round. But you know, the second, my coach told me just bite down on that mouthpiece and just go forward and I felt like I was starting to get his timing and land some good combos and stopped a takedown and took him down. And then of course we had the clash of heads. It happens and it sucks, but it's part of the game.
PC: If you're looking at it from a football analogy, they say it's hard to get up for the same team twice. Has it been a challenge to get up for Honeycutt again or did the circumstances of the first fight make this an easy fight to get motivated for?
PB: You know, with Chris, since there was no outcome, I think the fire is still there. We didn't get to see who was the better man that night. I have had fights in the past where I rematched people and for whatever reason, against Nathan Quarry, it wasn't my night, but for this fight, I'm fired up and ready to go and ready to go out and show that I'm the better man.
PC: Your talent as a fighter speaks for itself, but anyone that looks at your record will see the strings of inconsistency. You win two and drop two, win one, drop one. What do you feel you have to do to put a little streak together?
PB: Some of those fights I went up a weight class on 2-weeks notice. That's no excuse. At the end of the day, you gotta win. I feel like a couple of those fights could have went my way too. But I feel like, just keeping my nose to the ground, I think good things will happen. I think getting this rematch has me moving in the direction that I want to move in. I'm looking forward to getting two wins in a row and then hopefully getting a contender fight.
PC: This is definitely an opportunity to make a statement, kicking off the Bellator season. What type of statement would you like to go out there and make against Honeycutt?
PB: I'd like to go out there and get a decisive finish or a dominating win just because of that decision. I think it's awesome that we're kicking off the New Year with us fighting and I think the fans won't be disappointed.
PC: You mentioned Chris' height and reach earlier. Is the key for you to close that distance as soon as possible and make him work in close?
PB: Yeah, you just said it. I gotta cut off his range and use my head movement. I feel like in the second round, I started to utilize my head movement and I caught him with a couple of uppercuts and some rights. Not by much am I the shorter fighter, but by an inch or so I am, so I have to cut the distance off. We have been working on a ton of movement for this camp and I have had taller sparring partners and I think it's been good for what's coming up against Chris.
PC: It's been a bit of a layoff for you. Have you been staying busy in the gym and rust will not be a factor?
PB: I took about 2 weeks off from my last fight and did some light grappling because of the cut, but about a month later, I was sparring and full go. I stay ready, so I don't have to get ready. That's always been my motto and I don't see that playing a factor considering when I fought Amoussou, I was off a year. I think it's more about what you are doing in the gym everyday and staying active.
PC: You recently picked up a win over tough veteran Josh Neer. That had to be a major confidence booster for you.
PB: I think it was a big confidence booster. That guy started fighting when I was still wrestling in college and he was beating some solid dudes and went the distance with the younger Diaz. Josh Neer is one of those guys who is hard to finish. I did my best trying to finish him, but there is no quit in that guy and he likes to play the mental game, but I don't really buy into that. I think it's all a waste of emotion when you're in there. I think it definitely propelled me in the right direction. I was pretty happy with that win over him.
PC: Thanks for your time; I look forward to the fight and best of luck. Is there anything you want to add before I let you go?
PB: I just want to thank all of my coaches and sponsors; everyone from Alliance, Eric Del Fierro, George Castro and my striking coach and management. Without these guys, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. VaporFi for the sponsorship and taking care of me, Hayabusa and Skylar Orthopedics, my surgeon in case I ever need that and Supplement Supply Depot by Peter Bernstein, who takes care of my body in camp and gets everything taken care of.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]