‘It’s time to originate rock climbing the ranks’: Eire’s Richie Smullen focused sooner than pivotal Bellator bout

SBG Eire stalwart Richie Smullen has quietly build together a walk of seven wins in opposition to appropriate one defeat over the route of the previous five years — however sooner than a showdown with the unbeaten Timur Khizriev at Bellator 297 on Friday evening, the Arklow man says it’s now time to originate practising an global title.

Smullen, who’s 4-1 total in Bellator, will construct a immense leap if he extends his a success sequence previous the number eight-ranked Dagestani in Chicago. The combative Irishman has a protracted historical previous, even supposing, of taking on warring parties from jap Europe — with three of his latest wins coming in Ukraine, with none of his opponent seeing the tip of the 2d round.

“I’m in a position to’t wait,” Smullen said of his latest take a look at to assembled media sooner than his strive in opposition to on the Wintrust Arena. “It’s time that I climb the ranks now. I’ve bought a ranked opponent, so it’s time to beat this man and stride from there, beat the next man.”

Smullen traditionally employs a suffocating grappling fashion, even supposing some counsel that this would possibly occasionally likely be advanced to implement in opposition to a fighter who comes from Dagestan’s assembly line of wrestling consultants. He’s confident, however, that his manner obtained’t wish to be tailor-made to alter to Khizriev.

In actuality, he says that his opponent is in for a shock.

“I’ll be taking him down,” Smullen said. “I’m taking him down. I’m on top of him, educate him what true grappling is then. Him on his abet, me on top elbowing his face in.

“Underdog or now not, I’m laborious to handle. So I’m taking a explore forward to it. I don’t know why I’m the underdog. We now occupy the identical amount of fights. I fought excessive-stage opponents, as properly. So, that’s appropriate someone’s knowing underdog or now not. I don’t give a f*ck about other folks’s opinions.”

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