OKTAGON lightweight Akonne Wanliss is careless when it comes to how he finishes Jakub Bahnik at OKTAGON 48 in Manchester.
‘J3DI’ faces the #7 ranked Czech when OKTAGON makes their first outing on British soil on November 4 inside Manchester’s AO Arena.
Wanliss’ knockout in his promotional debut earlier this year in Prague propelled him to the rankings ahead of the upcoming big-stakes fight with Bahnik.
The former Bellator man is expecting a standup fight with his opponent but doesn’t mind if it goes to the ground.
He said: “So, it’s a fight, you never really know what’s going to happen but I do expect him to come out and try and box. I don’t really focus on what he’s going to do. I know that’s his strength that he’s got but I know everywhere else in MMA he’s pretty weak.
“If I was him, I’d keep the fight standing as long as possible. Don’t go down to the ground, stay away from the cage and try and box! That’s probably how the fight’s going to go and he’s either going to get knocked out or if he does try and shoot and we end up on the ground, I’m way, levels, ahead of him so he’s going to get submitted down there.”
Wanliss Discusses Development During Camp
Wanliss couldn’t do too much development during his OKTAGON debut, with the fight ending in less than three minutes. Therefore, all of his progress as a fighter leading to this fight has to come during training camp.
The Brit spends his time training at Team Renegade out of Birmingham with the likes of the Edwards brothers and Jai Herbert. Leon Edwards is currently also in camp ahead of his upcoming UFC title defence vs Colby Covington at UFC 296.
Wanliss said his developments during this camp have been across his entire martial arts skill set.
He said: “For me, it’s just the journey as a mixed martial artist. It’s constantly trying to develop every single set of my skills. I’m constantly working on my wrestling, constantly working on my striking, constantly working on my condition.
“I might already have an eight-pack but that doesn’t mean anything in the cage! So, I’m really trying to push the physical aspect as well.
“I’m just trying to be a better version, every single time you see me there’s just a new level, a new level unlocked and new levels will be shown come November 4th.”
Akonne Wanliss Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch with the full interview with Akonne below:
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