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Friday, Mar 20, 2015

Bellator 136: Saad Awad’s Focused on “Good Performance” Against Rob Sinclair, Not Rubber Match With Will Brooks

Saad Awad after stopping Will Brooks (photo via Bellator)

By Kelsey Mowatt

Since Saad Awad has faced Will Brooks on two occasions, and is the only man to defeat the Bellator champ, the words ‘rubber’ and ‘match’ continue to follow the lightweight vet. But, for now, Awad is going to focus on his April 10th scrap with Rob Sinclair, and worry about facing Brooks for a third time later.

“You know, of course, anytime you fight in any organization, that’s going to be in the back of your head,” Awad said on a recent episode of Full Contact Fighter’s podcast. Especially, I think if anybody’s in good standing for it, I think I’ll be, just for the fact that there should be a rubber match sooner or later.”

“I was stirring up the pot last week, I started thinking about it and all this crap, but you know what, if the time comes, it comes, you know what I mean?” Awad furthered. “Whether it’s after this fight or after the next, or whatever. I’m not worried about it as much as I was before.”

Awad knocked out Brooks in less than one minute, when the two met for the first time in February, 2013. But in the rematch, at Bellator 105 that October, Brooks avenged the loss via unanimous decision. Since then, the 28 year-old Brooks has gone to defeat Alexander Sarnavskiy and Michael Chandler (twice), and lay claim to Bellator’s lightweight belt.

The 31 year-old Awad, on the other hand, has scored consecutive wins over Joe Duarte and Sergio Rios.

“For now, until whenever it comes, I’m just getting better, and as  long as I can focus on myself, and focus on keep getting better, and sharpening all my tools, then when I do get it, if it’s tomorrow, or in two years, I know I’m going to be a better fighter the longer it takes,” Awad added.

“So I’m not really worried about jumping in for the title right now. If I get offered it, I would be more than happy to take it, because that’s what everybody wants. But, we’ll see; we’ll see what happens. I’m just going to go out there and put on a good performance, and if I get it, I’ll be more than happy to take it.”

Of course, in order for Awad (17-6)  to take another step forward to a rubber match with Brooks, he’ll have to get past Sinclair (12-2). The 35 year-old, British fighter hasn’t fought since September, 2012, when he worked his way to a split decision win over UFC vet Andre Winner. The BAMMA veteran has won five straight fights.

“I know he’s a hard hitter;  he likes to stand up and likes to kind of try to bully guys, so, and he’s from overseas where they’ve kind of got a chip on their shoulders, where they like to stand and bang,” Awad said, when asked for his assessment of “C4”. “So I see this one as being a pretty exciting fight.”

Bellator 136 will be hosted by the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California, and will feature Brooks taking on Dave Jansen in the main event.

The April 10th card will also see lightweight Marcin Held battle the aforementioned Sarnavskiy, and Joe Schilling face middleweight, Rafael Carvalho. The main card will be broadcast on Spike.

posted by FCF Staff @ 8:00 am
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