Eryk Anders Feeling No Pressure in Wins and Losses
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After a three-fight losing skid, Eryk Anders was able to alleviate his ills with an impressive first-round knockout of Vinicius Moreira Castro at UFC on ESPN 3 in June. Now, he has the chance to piece together a winning streak when he returns to the Octagon Saturday night against grappling ace Gerald Meerschaert.
Against Castro, “Ya Boy” faced off with a skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner with eight submission victories in his nine wins. At UFC Fight Night 161, the 32-year-old will be tested by another grappler, one with an even more impressive resume as Meerschaert has tapped out 21 of his opponents, and often by way of a choke. Yet in Anders mind, what truly makes his foe’s grappling dangerous is his ability to lock on a submission at any time in the fight.
“I don’t think it’s any secret his preferred method is the chokes,” Anders told Sherdog. “The thing that’s most dangerous about him is no matter how the fights going for him, as long as there’s still time on the clock, he’s dangerous; and he can submit you. It’s something I know. It’s something I’m worried about. It’s something I’m definitely prepared for.”
In this chat with Sherdog, Anders talked about if he felt any pressure going into his bout against Castro and if he earned any special satisfaction from the victory. He also spoke on his history of fighting at both middleweight and light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and how that trait would only end if he earned a spot on either division’s promotional ranking. Conversation moved to his upcoming fight being close to his training home in Alabama and his expectation of many friends and family in the crowd rooting for him. The former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker also gave his thoughts on the recent news of college athletes possibly earning wages in the near future, and if there are any negatives to such a scenario.