COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Austin Vanderford feels he has all the ingredients to pull off the upset and become champion.
The unbeaten Bellator middleweight contender returns to action this Friday in the headlining act of Bellator 275 in Dublin, Ireland. Vanderford (11-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) looks to dethrone Gegard Mousasi and take his 185-pound title.
It’s not an easy task, as Mousasi is 11-1 in his past 12 bouts. He’s only been defeated once in Bellator, losing a majority decision to Rafael Lovato Jr. in 2019.
Vanderford, who trains at American Top Team, is well aware of the challenge at hand and feels confident he can take home the belt to South Florida.
“He’s a very intelligent fighter,” Vanderford told MMA Junkie. “You see him in a lot of fights where he looks disinterested in the fight and going out there. I think some people, in my personal opinion, some guys just don’t have the right game plan to go out and fight someone like that. Without giving away too much of what I have planned, you’ll see my game plan. I’m very confident in what I have prepared and what I have going forward.
“A lot of fights are style matchups too. Some of the guys who fought him just aren’t good matchups for him. Whereas I think I’m a really difficult matchup for him.”
Vanderford has been fighting since 2017. Although he’s no rookie, the 31-year-old knows he’s still in the early stages of his fighting career. Becoming champion on Friday night would be the first building block for his legacy in MMA.
“It would be huge,” Vanderford said when asked what would it mean to become Bellator champion. “I’m 31, but I haven’t had that many fights. I haven’t fought for that long. I feel I’m still coming into my own as a fighter. So to get a belt and be a world champion this early on in my career, I feel like this is going to be huge for my legacy down the road.
“With my whole heart I think I’m one of the best in the world right now and I’m ready to go solidify that on the 25th.”
