Logan Storley knows he’s going to be walking into hostile territory Friday in the biggest fight of his career.
Storley (13-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) has the perhaps unenviable task of headlining Bellator 281 in London against Michael Page (20-1 MMA, 16-1 BMMA), an MMA national treasure in the United Kingdom. If that wasn’t enough pressure, the interim welterweight title will be on the line.
But Storley doesn’t seem to be worried about the edge Page will get from the friendly crowd at OVO Arena Wembley. When Storley wrestled at the University of Minnesota, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American, he learned something about fighting on enemy turf.
The University of Iowa and Minnesota has a big rivalry that’s gone on for a long time,” Storley told MMA Junkie Radio. “You walk into Carver-Hawkeye (Arena), it’s 15,000 people that don’t like you. Usually, we were ranked (No.) 1 or 2 in the country, and I always wrestled a top-eight guy. I’ve been booed at, yelled at and all those other things. I’m used to it. At the end of the day, you’ve got to put that out of your mind and go in there and compete.
“But I know I need to be active on top and do damage and not let that crowd pay any factor in this fight. I’ve got some red, white and blue and I’m going to enjoy it. At the same time, these fans are great every show I’ve watched over here. I’ve got nothing against them. I know they want their guy to win. … But it’s my time right now, and I’ve got to go in there and do my job. That’s what I plan to do.”
Even though Storley has to go on the road to fight Page in Page’s home city, he’s not only the betting favorite, but he’s the betting favorite by a fairly wide margin. At online sportsbooks, Storley can be found as much as a -350 favorite.
That may come as a surprise considering Page has but one loss in his MMA career and is widely considered one of the toughest standup specialists to figure out. But Storley has but one loss, as well, and thinks he’ll eventually figure out how to handle “MVP.”
“Obviously, he’s got a unique style and a one-of-a-kind style,” Storley said. “Am I going to find someone who’s exactly like him (to train with)? No. Is he going to find someone who can do what I do? No, I don’t think he can. Of course he’s unique and he’s flashy and he’s fast. But how long can he do it, and what happens when I put him on his back and put the pressure on him?
“The biggest thing with him is, you can’t get frustrated. He’s hard to get that distance, get that timing. Maybe I don’t get to my takedown. Maybe I don’t really land much and not a lot happens. You have to stay calm. You have to stay focused. So I don’t know if the first three minutes really tell everything. It’s a long fight and things can change really quickly.”
Check out Storley’s full interview with MMA Junkie Radio in the video above.
