Lozano Wants to Break Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle
Chris Lozano (left) faces Brent Weedman on Saturday in Atlantic
City, N.J. | Photo: Keith Mills
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Once-beaten Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight Chris Lozano has only been fighting professionally for two years, but a background in boxing and wrestling has made the transition to mixed martial arts much easier. However, his nine-fight career has not been without strife.
“I was dead broke [when I signed with Bellator]. I was in debt,” Lozano told Sherdog.com. “You know how it is when you’re fighting paycheck to paycheck.”
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“This was a chance to be able to train where I want to train and to make things happen,” he said. “It was a no-brainer. I was 6-0 at the time. I want to be [Bellator] champion, too, but I’m champion of another organization and that is putting money in my pocket.”
After achieving a corner stoppage over UFC veteran Yoshiyuki Yoshida in his promotional debut at Bellator 31 in September 2010, Lozano was set up for a main card bout with former champion Lyman Good in the Season 4 welterweight tournament six months later. Admittedly, the bright lights of the first MTV2 televised main event were a first for Lozano. He considers it a wakeup call of sorts.
“I had the bigwigs saying, ‘No pressure, but this is the first main event ever.’ I was on billboards,” he said. “I fought Lyman in the first round of the tournament [and] took a head butt. I had never been hurt like that. He’s not an easy dude to beat up. He won a decision, but it definitely made me calmer.”
Lozano will get a second crack at tournament glory when he faces Brent Weedman in the Season 5 welterweight quarterfinals at Bellator 49 on Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. The seasoned striker poses a far different test than Good. While Good was content to stay at distance and use his jab, Lozano does not believe Weedman will follow a similar game plan.
“He’s definitely super tough,” Lozano said. “I think our styles match up great. Weedman is gonna come out and try to beat me [up]. I think this upcoming fight is gonna be a real test of everything: my endurance, my ground game and my standup. It’s gonna be a fight. It’s not gonna be a test of who can outbox each other, who can land more jabs in a round, like my fight with Lyman.”
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