ST. LOUIS – Rising light heavyweight fighter Alex Polizzi continues to climb up the divisional ladder, but his mindset remains the same.
At Bellator 276, Polizzi (9-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) partakes in the featured prelim against Brazilian standout Jose Augusto (7-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA). Whether his opponent was 0-100 or 100-0, Polizzi keeps the same mindset. The past is in the past. All he can control is the present.
“It’s kind of cliche at the point, (but) you’ve got to treat every fight coming up as 0-0, coming into it fresh,” Polizzi told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Thursday. “Really, the only thing I’m looking back for is lessons we can pull out of fights, whether that’s a win, whether that’s a loss, we’re always learning, we’re always trying to get better and bring our game into a more refined edge for that next fight.”
Augusto, 29, has proven a tough out during his short Bellator tenure to date. After a submission win over UFC alum Jonathan Wilson in his Bellator debut, Augusto nearly defeated former UFC title challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson before he was knocked out in a back-and-forth affair.
Polizzi knows the challenge in front of him is great, but isn’t focused on his opponent. The mindset he enters Bellator 276 with is that he can only control what he can control.
“I’m sure that he’s on the same trajectory, the same kind of ideas I am,” Polizzi said. “Nobody likes losing. But the fact of the matter is I’m not doing a whole lot of looking at him (or) opponents. I’ve said it before. I’m more focused on my game plan and what I’m going to bring to the table, so whatever he’s cooking up, whatever he’s got in store, hopefully he’s ready for me.”
Bellator 276 takes place Saturday at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out Polizzi’s full pre-fight news conference in the video above.
