Canadian UFC welterweight Chris Clements doesn’t look to simply pick up the win when he competes. Instead, the Team Tompkins fighter says he’s is in the sport to entertain fans and put on a show.
Clements, who fights out of London, Ont.’s Adrenaline Training Centre, recently stepped in for the injured Thiago Alves and will take on Siyar Bahadurzada at UFC 149 in Calgary.
The dangerous Afghani striker made his UFC debut in April and disposed of the highly regarded Paulo Thiago with a one-punch, 42-second knockout. That had many fighters nervous about taking a fight with the former Shooto middleweight champion, but not Clements.
When Clements heard about Alves pulling out, it was a matchup that intrigued him right away.
“I had heard Alves was out and my manager was actually in Singapore for One FC at the time, so I messaged him right away, I sent him a text message saying, ‘hey I heard Alves is out, think I can get that fight?’ I was asking for it,” Clements told UFC CENTRAL host (Showdown) Joe Ferraro on The Showdown on Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
“He didn’t get back to me right away so I emailed him the same thing and he got the email … he went to get a hold of (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva, and as he was trying to get a hold of Joe Silva, Joe Silva actually messaged him and asked him. So it was kind of like I was asking for the fight at the same time Joe Silva was messaging (my manager) for me to take it. I figured that’s a good fight for me … I think it’s going to be an exciting fight.”
A memorable, fan-friendly scrap is exactly what Clements is looking for and he believes Bahadurzada is the perfect opponent to produce that.
“I enjoy what I do; I think it’s fun; I think he’s a good challenge for me; I think we match up well. It’s not like I’m going in to fight some guy that wants to lay me down and hold me down the whole time. I’m going in with some guy that wants to do the same thing that I want to do. I like putting on a show for the fans. It’s the reason why I got into. I’m not in there looking just for the win. I want the world to enjoy what they see and he’s the perfect guy to do that against.”
The 36-year-old is coming off a win in his UFC debut as he defeated Keith Wisniewski at UFC 145 in Atlanta in April and is still beaming about it.
“It was an amazing experience. I had a smile on my face for a week. As you watch the fight, about half way through the fight I had a smile on my face. I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Despite being a veteran of the sport, he is new to the UFC. It appears that his bout with Bahadurzada will be on the main card, but Clements isn’t worried about any extra promotional responsibilities that may be required of him.
“I’m sure now if I stay on the pay-per-view things might get a little bit more hectic as opposed to being a Facebook prelim, but I’m looking forward to it. That’s what we put all the hard work in for.”
Clements, who is currently on a five-fight win streak with four coming by knockout or TKO, said that he will likely spend his training camp at Adrenaline but he could spend a week or two preparing at the Tristar gym in Montreal.
UFC 149 takes place on July 21 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary and is headlined by a featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch.
Also on The Showdown:
— Mississauga’s Claude Patrick talks about his upcoming UFC 149 fight against James Head.
— A look back at The Ultimate Fighter Live finale.
— Are controversial stoppages occurring too frequently in MMA?
— All the latest news, notes and fight announcements in the UFC.
— A breakdown and predictions for Friday’s UFC on FX 3 card.
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