Esteban Rodriguez will collide with Chris Camozzi for the interim cruiserweight championship at BKFC 88 on April 17th. Securing a long-awaited bout against the ex-BKFC champ for his own chance at a strap in the promotion has the always excitable ‘Mohawk’ Rodriguez especially fired up. As he touched upon his mindset heading into a moment of this magnitude, Esteban Rodriguez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Oh, man. Dude, it has been a dream come true, man. We have been training our entire career for this one. We’ve had [Chris Camozzi] on the list for a long time now and I am ready to show the world that I’m that new future 205 champion, baby. Let’s go.”
Alessio Sakara is the lineal cruiserweight champion and it would seem like BKFC would be inclined to book the victor of this Esteban Rodriguez vs. Chris Camozzi interim title clash for whenever the promotion’s next Italy card transpires. While addressing the massive nature of the fight in front of him this weekend while also giving a peripheral look to possible subsequent big opportunities that would come with an ideal outcome here in Denver, Esteban Rodriguez stated [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Oh yeah, man. I’m ready for whatever this is to come, man. Like, this has been a huge stepping stone to be able to really accomplish the big thing. Like I really want to get into that $25 million tournament, baddest man tournament coming up here this year. So, I’ve been hearing a lot of things about that. So that’s where I’m like, “Oh, please Lord, give me the opportunity to show them my new skills and the new monster, man.” So, I’ve been really targeting everything to get on that card, which is going to be monsters that I’m going to be fighting, for sure.”
“Because it’s like 265 to, I believe, 195. So, anybody in that weight range can be fighting each other. It’s just like those are going to be the best of the best. So, I’m ready to go take on some of the top number one knockout artists. I have to take some names off and put some bodies on the account, you know what I mean, to be able to start getting my name up there. So, I haven’t been able to play nice with anybody.”
“This fight, I’m going to really separate myself from the herd, man. Because I have been doing too much work, man. I’ve been doing so much new things, bringing out new muscle movements, different type of explosive movements, and it’s like, oh man, I’m feeling phenomenal right now, touching new levels, and this fight is going to be one for the books.”
Rodriguez has also quasi-sized up Camozzi a bit as the two were seen getting a little comfortable with each other at a BKFC Ice Wars card recently. When discussing what was going on in that situation with noticeable clinching and head connectivity between the two combatants, Esteban Rodriguez quipped [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Oh, yeah. Yeah. So, you can’t come into my backyard and not expect to be facing a contender. So, I [had] seen that he was coming over to the Ice Wars at Soaring Eagle. So, I popped up over there. He [Chris Camozzi] was able to give me the opportunity to actually see him face to face. I had to take my shot to get that belt, man. At first it was kind of like those, oh, I think he thinks this is a role play, but I’m like, bro, this is my belt now, bro.”
“Like, I got that feeling. Oh, man, it was awesome. He started snatching me up a little bit and he grabbed my neck. Glasses got broken and it was pretty intense, man. A little bit after kind of that little scruff, a little bit with the neck grabbing and everything. So, I was able to really test him and see what his clinch game was like. Man, he is in for a bad day at the office, man.”
Esteban Rodriguez will show “the next most entertaining fighter in the world” at BKFC 88
Esteban Rodriguez is different in many regards and while many fighters don’t seem to glean a meaningful amount of information from public dust up interactions of that persuasion it seemed like ‘Mohawk’ gained an extra measure of confidence. When getting into the specifics facets of how that brief scenario emboldened his perceptions of how well the active clinch fighting piece would go for him when the two end up fighting, Esteban Rodriguez said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Well, as like my last fight, I was able to really find out that I was actually a clinch master. I found out I actually feel comfortable without sight and being able to just go off of straight feel and senses. Like I love the clinch game. I feel very confident and comfortable in the clinch game. My long arms, man, I can just reach out under there and grab in and they can’t hide from it, man. They can’t hide from it.”
“So, it’s like I’m hoping if this comes down to it, like we end up going into the clinch because I’ve been touching new levels. Really testing myself and pushing myself, leaving myself out there to really; that’s where my confidence is coming from. Because I’ve done things that I know people don’t usually do. I found a comfort zone in that fire, man. You know what I mean? It’s just been phenomenal, man. I’ve been feeling the difference in it.”
“Like, my sprints have gone up a crazy, crazy amount. I’ve been gotten so much more faster now and everything that I’m just doing now has just been really just more springy and explosive. I feel way more connected with my body. Like everything now is just going to be something completely different. Like I’m going to go out there and show them the next most entertaining fighter in the world, man.”
