Ireland’s Peter Queally stands one win away from becoming the nation’s first Bellator world champion, and he says he’s ready to take the fight into the trenches to get the belt.
Queally prides himself on his cardio and his toughness and, speaking during a virtual media day session in Dublin, “The Showstopper” said the longer five-round format of a title fight, coupled with the home cage advantage, means the fight has swung firmly in his favor ahead of fight night.
“No matter what he has done in the last six months, he’s not going to catch up to my engine,” he explained.
“That’s going to be the difference in this five-round fight.”
Queally said the chance to fight for a world title in front of his home fans is a “dream come true,” and the veteran lightweight said he took a load of positives from his first fight with Pitbull, a fight he won via TKO stoppage due to a cut sustained as Queally found his mark as Pitbull shot in for a takedown attempt.
“When do you see him shooting for takedowns? Never,” he explained as he recounted that fight.
“He was doing this because the fight wasn’t going his way. He wasn’t enjoying the stand-up and this was his alternative, to try and take me down and change the course of the fight. So that said a lot about it.
“With the actual stoppage, I understand why he was frustrated. I wouldn’t want to be stopped from a cut, no matter how bad it was, to be honest.
“I think it probably should have been let go, but this would not have changed the course of the fight. I was two rounds up and he had a hole in his head now. So I was going to win the third round, or stop him… so the right man got his hand raised on the night.
“I took away a lot of the assumptions that I already had. That if I pressured him, he would fatigue. I knew if I stayed tight, had faith in my guard, the power wouldn’t be an issue, which it wasn’t.
“Just that overall my fitness would carry me through that fight, and that’s even more concrete now that it’s five rounds. So this is going to be a war of attrition and we’ll see how much he can take on the night.”
And, with two extra rounds on the list, and a strong training camp under his belt, Queally said he’s ready to take the action into the trenches, where he excels, once again in a bid to score his second win over the Brazilian and capture championship gold.
“I’m here for a fight. A real fight,” he stated.
“I will not be shooting for takedowns, I can guarantee you that. I won’t be trying to score points. I won’t be doing any of this.
“I’m in here to fight him, and I want this to be a war. I want this to be horrible for both of us, because nobody can beat me in this kind of fight.
“This is my plan, just to make this absolutely disgusting for the two of us and let him break, and see how much he can take.”
He also had a word for the 10,000 fans who are set to pack the 3Arena on Friday night.
When asked if he wanted to tell the fans what they could do to help power him to victory, the Irishman just grinned, as he explained the fans would do their job regardless, without his promptings.
“I don’t need to tell them anything. I know what they’re going to do,” he said.
“They know all the lyrics to ‘Zombie.’ They’re going to sing it. They’re going to chant ‘Ole, ole, ole, ole.’ They’re going to boo when he comes out.
“They’re going to make that place a cauldron like it always is, so I don’t need to tell them anything. They know what to do!”