Enrique Barzola is excited to return to the Bellator cage on Friday.
“The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2” winner is eager for his first fight of 2023. He’s set to take on veteran Erik Perez in a featherweight contest at Bellator 292 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Not only will Barzola (18-7-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) get a chance to snap a two-fight skid and restart a campaign for the Bellator bantamweight title, but he’ll also get to fight having prepared with none other than former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Velasquez is back to coaching the MMA team at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose after he was granted bail this past November in his case of attempted murder involving a man accused of molesting Velasquez’s 4-year-old son.
“At the moment, he’s a coach of the team,” Barzola told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “He’s working with us. He’s working with all the fighters, from the young ones to the ones that have a long trajectory in MMA. He helps us focus. He supports and pushes us with all the experience that he has. He was a great fighter, he was champion, so we all admire him at the gym.”
Barzola, who’s been training at AKA for the past several years, has experienced training under Velasquez before and after his legal situation arose. The Peruvian fighter sees a difference.
“He’s always supported the fighters, even before this situation happened,” Barzola said. “Then he goes through that situation, he spent like half a year locked up because of what happened, and now he returns, and with a great attitude. His attitude just has so much excitement. He’s really pushing us.
“He’s not training us like he’s a retired fighter, and now he’s a coach. He’s training us like if he were still fighting. He’s really supportive, and he’s sharing all his experience with us. He’s truly pushing us to our limit. He’s a great coach.”
Barzola enters Bellator 292 on the heels of defeats to top contender Magomed Magomedov and former champion Juan Archuleta. Prior to the pair of loses, Barzola had a 2-0 start in Bellator, defeating Nikita Mikhailov and Darrion Caldwell.
After competing against some of the best in Bellator, Barzola thinks he can still put together wins and make another run for the title.
“Absolutely,” Barzola said. “If not, I wouldn’t be training. I still want to train hard every day. I have that discipline of waking up early, eating well, training hard, and everything needed to keep climbing. This sport is of ups and downs. I’m an experienced fighter and I plan on moving upwards. I’m waiting for my moment, and I’m focused. I’m going to be ready.
“I’m going to win two or three more fight, and then I can deserve to fight for the title. I don’t want the title right now, but it will come through my work and good results. I’m focused on this fight and hopefully next year I can be in a position to fight for the title.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.
