Interview With Terry Brazier Ahead of Bellator 248

History in France

Bellator has announced it will be the first mixed martial arts promotion to hold a major event in France, with Accor Arena set to host Bellator Paris on October 10th. I was lucky enough to speak to Lightweight Terry Brazier ahead of his bout vs Yves Landu.

Terry ‘The Dominator’ Brazier

Terry Brazier (11-3) makes his return to the Bellator cage after 11 months away from competition. The Englishmen suffered a unanimous decision loss to the hands of Soren Bak at Bellator London, so he will be looking to make a statement come Oct 10.

Related: Getting to Know: Soren Bak

The former ‘BAMMA’ Champion is no stranger to bouncing back from losses. After suffering a shock loss to Chris Bungard in Newcastle, Brazier returned with an impressive submission victory over Alessandro Botti.

With Brazier struggling to get some real momentum going under Bellator, don’t doubt this man’s ability for one second. He was the man to beat under ‘BAMMA’. A solid 9-fight winning streak backs that up, with wins over UFC newcomer Rhys McKee.

Yves ‘You Know’ Landu

It will certainly be a night to remember for Yves Landu (15-8), as he makes his official Bellator debut in his home country of France.

The 34-year-old has a collection of world titles while competing in France. Landu has secured gold in 100% Fight, Le ROI DU FIGHT & Octofight . The Frenchman had a strong start in 2019, securing three wins over Matheus Pereira, Jean Marc Howell, and Aymard Guih. Three months afterwards, Landu’s four-fight winning streak was snapped at the hands of Hiroto Uesako while competing oversea’s in Japan at RIZIN 18. This was the first time Landu had been finished with punches in his career.

Interview

How has life been for Terry Brazier amongst all the madness of the global pandemic. Have you been able to train as best you can, or has your normal schedule been affected in any way?

Brazier – “I normally do my training camps abroad, this time it has been in the UK, which has involved a lot more commuting. All of my gyms are in different areas of the country so they are all approximately 2 hours apart from each other (S&C / BJJ / Boxing / MMA / Sparring).”

As someone who likes to compete regularly, how mentally and physically challenging has it been for you to sit back and not go into camp?

Brazier – “It been a huge challenge, as I enjoy the focus & discipline of fight camps and tend to get to Thailand a few times a year, as this helps me cope with my PTSD, so that’s been a new challenge. Fighting is a release for me, so I’m grateful to Bellator & Jude Samuel for this opportunity.”

Your last bout came against the tough Soren Bak. What did you take away from that defeat, if anything?

Brazier – “I feel like I was getting too much direction and, as a soldier, I was just following orders, but I’m naturally an instinctive fighter. I feel like I rocked him in the first round and then he didn’t want to fight. I felt like I caused a lot more damage and a lot more strikes.”

The bout v Landu will mark nearly a year since we last saw you inside the cage. Does the long period of time away from competition concern you at all? Many fighters fear ring rust, what’s your take?

Brazier – “No, I feel better. It’s given me time to get where I want to be, mentally & physically.”

What does it mean to you to be part of such a historic card come 10/10/20. Bellator is making history, hosting the first legalized MMA event in France, a lot of eyes will be on the card. Does this motivate you more? 

Brazier – “No, I’m just looking at it the same as any other fight, I’m just excited to fight and don’t really care where it is.”

Landu will be making his official Bellator debut, do you feel you’ll have the advantage with you being more familiar to being under the bright lights?

Brazier – “He’s had 10 more professional fights than me, and once you’re in the cage, its just the two of you anyway, no matter how many people are watching.”

Stylistically, how do you view the matchup between you guys? Have you had any time to study the game of Landu? Are there any flaws you feel you could exploit in his game? 

Brazier – “Not really bothered about his style or game-plan. I’m just going to go into it and fight my fight, I’m an instinctual fighter so sometimes I think it can be detrimental to study another fighter’s style.”

You can follow Brazier’s career at:

Twitter –@MMABrazierTerry
Instagram – @terrybrazier
Facebook –Terry “The Dominator” Brazier

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