David Rickels: I Feel Like A Worldbeater In Training

In an interview with MMA Junkie, David Rickels (17-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) spoke about his upcoming fight with Aaron Derrow (14-8 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) at Bellator 171 on Friday. It airs on Spike from the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas. Here are highlights:

On having his loss to Melvin Guillard overturned: “I just don’t know how anyone could take that away as any kind of win. It’s still an ‘L’ in my eyes. That was one of my best training camps I’ve ever had and to come up short, mentally kind of hurt. For me to come up short really hurt, but taking a little time helped me with that – getting the wheels turning again and getting me back in the right state of mind to get back in a fight.”

On what drugs Guillard tested positive for: “I would definitely think differently (if he tested for PEDs); I’d still be upset. Have I fought guys who have been on PEDs? I can guarantee it. To me, this dude failed for cocaine. I just lost to the dip(expletive) who barely trained and did cocaine before the fight, so that really (expletive) me up mentally. I’m like, ‘How the (expletive) can I put in so much effort and then this guy beats me?’ That part is what hurt the most.”

On putting his training to good use: “I want to go out there and I want to perform well. I feel like a worldbeater in training. I’m the tip-top in terms of timing and speed and everything. I want to go in there and feel that same energy in the cage. I want a good win and to see what’s next.”