Chase Gormley will be competing in a little over a week at Bellator 175 and it will be the final fight of his current contract with the promotion.
Even if the heavyweight doesn’t return to Bellator MMA after his deal ends, a return to the UFC will not be happening either.
“I like Bellator – they’re really great to me,” Gormley told MMA Junkie. “The heavyweight class is wide open, and I don’t think it would be a smart decision to look at the UFC or one of the other shows. I think (UFC heavyweight champion) Stipe Miocic and all those guys in the UFC are no joke. Bellator is better for where my skill level is right now. I think later on in life, I can make some adjustments and talk about that in the future.”
Gormley will be taking on veteran heavyweight Sergei Kharitanov at Bellator 175. This is a must win fight in Gormley’s opinion because a win puts him into title contention.
“The heavyweight champion for Bellator is going to be a big draw, so they want to make sure they get the right people there,” Gormley said. “That’s why I want to go out there and finish the fight, because I think it positions to me in a (potential) tournament or in a bigger fight or whatever they decide to do. If I go out there and win a boring decision, it puts me back on the back burner. The best thing I can do is go in there and knock him out. Then it at least gives me the opportunity for the title shot.”
Bellator 175 takes place on Friday, March 31 from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois with King Mo and Rampage Jackson headlining. Fightful will be providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
