Gaston Bolanos (right) defeats Tyler Toner (left) via TKO at Lion Fight 16 July 4, 2014 - Photo Credit: Bennie Palmore

By Kelsey Mowatt

By looking just at their records, one might conclude this Friday’s bout between Tum Sityodtong and Gaston Bolanos is a mismatch, but the latter understandably has a different view.

Bolanos will face Sityodtong for the vacant, super lightweight title at Lion Fight 31 tomorrow, which will take place in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Bolanos heads into the bout having gone 8-0 in pro, Muay Thai action, while Sityodtong has put together an impressive 75-22-3 resume.

Recently Bolanos appeared on Full Contact Fighter Radio, and he was asked to respond to the argument that Sityodtong should be a sizeable favorite, on account of his lengthy record.

“I definitely don’t think it’s a mismatch,” said Bolanos, who helped Henry Cejudo coach his team during the latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. “It’s a fight that I wanted and that I was interested in having. Scott (Kent) said ya. If you look at all my previous fights, I recently just fought a guy with over 100 fights. If you look at his record, you can say it’s a mismatch but when you look at the fight, you can say those guys are going toe-to-toe.”

“I’ve been in this sport for quite sometime now,” added Bolanos. “Over ten years. I’ve been training and having fights for quite sometime now. I have over 30 amateur fights. Almost 40 if you include my professional record.”

Bolanos, who fights out of Dublin, California, was crowned Inside MMA’s “Rising Star” for 2015. The rising, 22 year-old fighter has also forged a dangerous reputation on account of his spinning back elbow.

“So, I mean, you can say it’s a mismatch as far as the experience goes but these guys in Thailand have been fighting since they were three, four years old. So, if you’re not challenging yourself, and asking for these fights; in my case at least, I feel like I’m not challenging myself, and I’m not doing my job as a fighter and putting on a show, if I’m not asking for these types of fights.”

Lion Fight 31’s main card will be broadcast on AXS TV. The card will also feature welterweight champion Jorina Baars taking on Angela Whitley.