Bellator 134: The British Invasion is shaping up to be one of the promotion’s biggest events of 2015, with a full cast of standout British fighters ready to take Uncasville, Connecticut by storm.
Linton Vassell (14-4-1NC), one of the most surprising British light-heavyweights in recent memory, readies himself for another career defining fight, this time against veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (16-12) at the Bellator 134 event.
“I’m very excited for this fight, I’ve got Sokoudjou next, he’s a tough opponent,” Vassell explained. “Basically, this is me coming back from my last loss. So I’ve got to prove a point, and it’s just special representing the UK, and fighting with my team mates, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Describing Sokoudjou as a 30-year-old, who might as well be 40; due to the amount of damage he has taken in his career, Vassell expects to make a statement in his return at Bellator 134: “Well the fight always starts standing, so I’ll obviously trade with him, but I finish my fights from the ground, everyone knows that obviously. Yeah, he can trade to try and stop me be but can he stop me from getting him down there and stop me from finishing him?
“But to be honest the gameplan here is to take him down and beat him up, that’s how I win fights and that’s what I want to continue doing.”
Throughout a storied career, Cameroonian Sokoudjou is most well-known for his 23-second knockout of “Lil Nog” Antônio Rogério Nogueira at PRIDE 33, but “The Swarm” rubbished his veteran opponent’s ability to still finish fights with one shot.
“Everyone’s got one punch knockout, I’m not really worried about what he’s going to do. I’m just concentrated on what I’m doing, I’m training with some of the top boys over in Florida at Blackzillians, so I ain’t worried about what Sokoudjou has got for me, he needs to be worried about what I’m going to do for him.”
The BST Northampton fighter makes his return after a fifth round rear-naked-choke loss to light-heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton (25-7-1) at Bellator 130 and declared the biggest change for this this fight will be finishing his camp with the Blackzillians in Florida.
“I just train as I always train, but maybe just add a little bit more fitness in and a bit more more strength and conditioning, but I usually train the same. The major thing I did do is not change camps but go and train over in the States, so that’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I think this loss definitely gave me the push to do that.
“I would say that’s the main thing I’ve done, gone over to Florida and started training with some of the boys over there.
“I felt like I was inches away from winning that title and you know I’ve come away from this even more hungrier than before, I know where I’m at and I know what to do.”
This time, Liam McGeary (9-0) will face Newton for the title in the co-main event of Bellator 134, and Vassell knows should both of them leave the Mohegan Sun Arena victorious, it could lead to a possible all British clash: “We’ve been asked this question a few times, obviously that would happen but we said when it comes to that, obviously, we’ll deal with it.
“We’re both in the same weight category, we’ve both got our careers going for that title, obviously when it comes to it then obviously we’ll have to fight, but I take one step at a time, Sokoudjou’s next, then whoever they’ve got next obviously, take that person out as well.”
Photo by Jorden Curran
