Chartier: Yeah, so I think for Merab, it’s the streak that he’s on — the confidence, the cardio, and the wrestling.
For Sandhagen, this is gonna sound weird, but I think it’s his confidence going into this fight. He has a different demeanor than he’s had in the past. I think he’s coming into this more prepared and more like a veteran. The last time (he fought for the title) it was a knee-jerk reaction — “Okay, I’ll fight you on five weeks notice in Abu Dhabi” — and fought like he had to get on Yan right away and got tired.
UFC 320 FULL FIGHTS: Ankalaev vs Pereira 1 | Pereira vs Hill | Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2 | Sandhagen vs Figueiredo
I think this time he’s almost playing with house money; like he has nothing to lose. It’s “Okay, I’m gonna go against The Boogeyman, but I’m not scared though.” He looks loose on Instagram, he’s got a new team around him (compared to last time he fought for gold), which will give him more confidence, and I don’t think he’s as scared of the wrestling as a lot of these other guys were.
I think he’s ready for that gritty battle and I don’t think he’s gonna get frustrated by it.
Kyte: Yeah, I agree with all of that. I think he’s settled and confident in the people he has around him, what that has done for his game, and that instills some real confidence in you.
When you mention the confidence with Merab, generally speaking, how different is an athlete in camp, as they’re preparing, as they’re going out on the night when they’re just so confident in everything they’re doing?
