UFC Edmonton touches on a broader story in the career of Chad Anheliger where he can turn bitter disappointment into unprecedented euphoria this weekend. At UFC Fight Night Edmonton, which transpires on October 17th, Anheliger throws down in a bantamweight bout Steven Koslow. Anheliger has a new child in the fold who is only a matter of weeks old. That fighting father element coupled with feeling mentally rejuvenated and optimized from his time on the sidelines, Anheliger said [via MMA Canada],
“Yeah, I’ve been fighting pro for so long. I’ve had tons of fights, tons of training camps. My mindset has always been very obsessed with success in my training and my fights. This is a good opportunity for myself to just remember that I know how to do these things and I don’t need to obsess. Fighting is a great thing. I’m going to go in there feeling a little bit freer. I’m not going to be as overtrained as I typically am. It’s a problem I have. It’s a problem a lot of high level fighters have is overtraining.”
“So, this is just kind of the perfect ingredient to help me have the best fight I can. Feeling in a really good place. I knew the baby was coming so I really got ahead of my training. Got in shape earlier. Yeah, it’s a different style of camp and different style of like athletic peaking for me. But I think it’s going to be a perfect benefit.”
“Now that I’m older, I can’t really train the exact way I used to. Plus, how I was doing it wasn’t the most effective, for sure. I was just training and training and training and getting injured and all that stuff. Now I’m just feeling the best I’ve ever felt.”
Considering Koslow is also returning to the cage after a multi-year layoff in terms of how much that can obfuscate what the opponent’s current skills are and how to strategize for them, Anheliger stated [via MMA Canada],
“Yeah, I mean, that’s what the UFC does best. They find ways to make these fights interesting and have different perspectives. I haven’t looked anything up, but I would imagine; I’m coming off two years, he’s coming off four years. It’s got to be one of the longest kind of combined layoff fights that have been happening in a long time, maybe ever. Yeah, it’s interesting. Four years [for Koslow], and he’s a younger guy, too. So, four years could mean so many different things for him.”
“Two years has meant a lot of different things for me. So, yeah, it’s exciting. It kind of just frees you up a little bit to just train, be the best version you can. Then get out there and fight. I can’t obsess about things he’s done in the past or things he might do. Same for him and me.”
“So, it’s just kind of this different style where we’re just going out there and we’re going to see what happens. We’re all going to learn together, the fans, the fighters, everybody’s going to see how this fight plays out in real time.”
UFC Edmonton holds even more importance this time around for Chad Anheliger
With his prior UFC bout also taking place in Edmonton and how much returning for this Alberta-based card means for him. Anheliger quipped [via MMA Canada],
“Yeah, man. It’s super exciting. For me, it’s kind of this perfect redemption timeline the way it’s all happening. I had a really poor performance last time in Edmonton and had a really bad injury. I was really frustrated about how I left that. Then I had a long time to get back in training and fix up some skills.”
“Then just the way the timing has worked out full circle, I get to come back to Edmonton and just kind of erase the negative. Give myself a real positive return to the cage for myself and for my fans. Yeah, I just couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t have drawn it up any better.”
In terms of the machinations of the matchup and some of Koslow’s better skills showcased across his combative resume, Anheliger said [via MMA Canada],
“Yeah, for sure. He still has his natural ability in grappling and jiu-jitsu. I know that that’s where he’s very dangerous. I’m sure he’s been working on all the other areas to even out his game. I didn’t think he had the most well-rounded game before.”
“But definitely he’s dangerous in the jiu-jitsu grappling area. So, I’m going to be prepared for that. But yeah, I’m just kind of expecting just an overall better version of him in all areas. Yeah, I’m going to want to test out everything. I want to feel out everything and see where I find my path to victory.”
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
