TORONTO | There will be a lot of Canadians in attendance at UFC 297, which takes place in Toronto on Saturday, and of them all, Mike Malott may be the one with the most to gain.
The welterweight from Burlington looks to increase his record to 11-1-1 (4 KOs, 6 submissions) against American Neil Magny (28-12-0, 7 KOs, 4 submissions), a tough guy who doesn't intimidate him .
“He's an established, durable, tough guy, but I made a name for myself by beating guys like that,” he said during Wednesday's press day.
“My opponent doesn't mean much to me, I'm facing the number 13 and I want to have a number next to my name, that's all that matters.”
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The 32-year-old fighter is having a special week as he will be fighting at home, something that hasn't happened to him often.
“I'm feeling incredibly good, it's a completely different week because my parents live 40 minutes away and I'm spending the week at their house. I can eat at home and go to my gym to train, everyone on my team sleeps in their own bed.”
This gives him the opportunity to relax from the hustle and bustle that usually occurs in the days before the gala, as everyone usually stays in the same hotel.
“Usually when you walk into the hotel it's like a light switch and a pride of lions finding each other. I can feel that energy and then leave it behind and go home.”
Particularly
Additionally, the gala will take place at the Scotiabank Arena, a building he often visited in his youth.
“The best day of every year as a child was when my dad came home to watch the Leafs with two tickets he got at work.”
It is therefore obvious that Malott will have a very special evening at the home of the Leafs and the Raptors.
“The opportunity to represent my country in this arena, which remains the center of Air Canada in my heart, and compete for a placing is invaluable to me.”
No pressure
When a colleague pointed out to Malott that he was often viewed as Canada's next great mixed martial arts champion, he took the statement in stride and rejected any pressure that might come with it.
“What pressure? On Saturday 20,000 people will shout my name, that's support, not pressure. I’ve spent the last 20 years preparing for this,” he said with a broad smile.
“I spent a lot of time with my mental coach imagining the crowd. It’s a bit like a fire, you can let it consume you or use it as food.”
As is often the case in this universe, he was humble.
“I’m just a kid from Burlington, Ontario who started karate and taekwondo when I was 14.”
TORONTO | Serhiy Sidey was born in Ukraine but grew up in Burlington, a remote suburb of Toronto, and will have his first-ever UFC fight at home.
“I'm really grateful that I was able to have my first fight without the UFC so quickly and at home,” he admitted during Wednesday's media day.
“I knew I would get this chance, I just had to work hard to make it happen.”
At 27, he's still young in the world of mixed martial arts and the UFC, but there's no way he's going to crack under the pressure of an arena screaming his name.
“Some may see it as pressure, but for me it is motivation and I will benefit from the energy of the audience.”
As such, he gives a speech similar to that of Mike Malott, the other local boxer that fans will be encouraging on Saturday night.
Courtesy of UFC
revenge fight
The special thing about Sidey (10-1-0, 7 KOs, 1 submission) is that he will face Ramon Taveras (9-2-0, 5 KOs, 2 submissions).
Why is this special? His victory, which he achieved on September 5th as part of Dana White's Contender Series, the front office of the UFC, came against Taveras.
The Ontario bantamweight doesn't seem too bothered by having to face the same opponent within four months of each other, something that rarely happens in this universe.
“I’m used to rematches, I’m just going to make sure I beat him even cleaner.”