Linton Vassell feels like he’s ‘dying’, cut to 205.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Bellator heavyweight Linton Vassell looks set to begin his revenge tour and kick off with a rematch against Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 292 on Friday night.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting for a while now. I’m really glad I got what I wanted,” Vassell told reporters on Wednesday.
After losing twice in a row in the light heavyweight division. Losing in his first heavyweight bout has Vassell wondering if he still has what it takes to become a professional MMA fighter.
“It’s pretty rough. I don’t like to lose and I’ve never lost 2 times in a row, let alone lost thrice. So I thought about quitting. talk to my coach They say they haven’t retired yet. You still have time in you,” he said.
“Ended up going back. change something Then I quarreled with Sergei Kharitonov, I had nothing to lose for that fight. I went there with everything I had, won, and then that changed everything around.”
A loss in that fight could end Vassell as a professional fighter.
“If I had lost that fight, yes, I wouldn’t be here right now. I think probably yes Let’s do something else.”
Now a rematch with Molawski is imminent. And Vassell will be sure to go back and correct the mistake he made in his first heavyweight fight in 2019.
“I made a lot of mistakes, you know? Things went wrong, you fixed them, and it continued quite a lot from that. I feel like what I did was wrong. I won’t talk about them. You’d better fix it immediately,” Vassell told Cageside Press a few weeks before press day.
“Five years ago, I was quite aware of what I was doing wrong and I corrected it. And I think that shows how I’ve won my last four fights. This rematch ignites a fire and it burns because I don’t like to lose.”
Setting up after losing is a difficult decision. But obviously Vassell was thinking about it after losing three matches in a row.
“Obviously after losing three games in a row. I have to arrange something. I even thought about retiring. When I said to the coaches they were like ‘don’t be so stupid’ we all lose and you will come back. You have a lot of time,’” he said.
“After losing that fight against Modovski. I lost again what happened? Even (idea) Mike was like (don’t retire) no we can build this. And I feel like it shows.”
The heavyweight seemed to be the impetus for Vassell to return to his professional career. And it shows great.
“Lose weight is cruel. ended up draining me a lot I walked around about 235 and tried to get it down to 230. Nothing really went. It always feels good leading up to a fight. then lose weight I felt like I was dying, dying,” Vassell said.
“I feel good on fight day. But it’s not the right weight. Nice to see heavyweight It’s a course that’s right for me.”
Watch Cageside Press’ interview with Linton Vassell above. The media day fight is live on our YouTube channel. Vassell will face Valentin Moldavsky in a bout at Bellator 292 on Friday night in San Jose, CA.
