LFA is putting on a card this Friday when they head over to Chandler, Arizona to host LFA 188. The Bantamweight title will be on the line when John Sweeney looks to defend his Bantamweight title. Sweeney was able to clinch the title back in June 2023. This was when he was able to get a unanimous decision victory over Allen Begosso. He will be facing rising contender Rafael Do Nascimento. Nascimento is coming into this fight off the back of a unanimous decision victory over Jordan Winski. Combat Sports UK has been able to speak to Kasey Tanner who will be looking to put on a show in the co-main event
Kasey Tanner is currently 6-1 and is currently coming into this fight off the back of a unanimous decision defeat. This defeat was against Jean Matsumoto in last season’s Dana White Contenders Series. Kasey Tanner will be looking to right the wrongs and get back to winning ways as he looks at a shot in the UFC or an LFA title shot in the future.
Kasey Tanner on His Last Fight
Tanner was unfortunately not able to get the victory in his last fight against Jean Matsumoto. This was a unanimous decision defeat and I was able to ask Kasey about how he thought this fight went. I also went in to ask what improvements he has made since that fight happened. Explaining about what improvements he has made and how he thought about the defeat Kasey explained;
“I haven’t spoke much about the Matsumoto fight but I wasn’t healthy going into the cage, if I were I would of attempted to use my strength in wrestling much more, I’ve improved my defense on the feet and feel I’ve gained confidence and experience from such a competitive fight.”
It turns out Kasey wasn’t going into this fight 100 percent which would not have helped his performance. If a fighter is not able to go into the fight 100 percent then he isn’t able to train properly. This means there could be gaps in the game plan which his opponent was able to take advantage of. While people could say that he should have pulled out if he wasn’t 100%. They don’t always take into account how big of an opportunity this was. Kasey Tanner still believed he had enough to get the victory in front of Dana White and this will get you closer to a UFC shot. This is the goal for every fighter to get into the UFC and to win the belt and Kasey tried everything he could to get this victory.
Improvements Made
Even though Kasey Tanner was not able to get the victory he should be able to take improvements from that fight. Kasey Tanner should also be able to see what he was able to have success with. Even though he was not able to get the victory there is still areas in the fight which a fighter would have done particularly well. I was able to ask Kasey what he thought he did particularly well during that fight. Kasey responded by saying;
” I don’t believe I did anything great to my abilities besides staying composed, other than that my skills were limited and I chose to bite down and fight.”
Kasey wasn’t able to do anything to the best of his abilities. However, he was able to stay in the fight and he still bit down on his mouthguard and swing to make this into a fight. If Jean Matsumoto was going to win Kasey was going to make it as difficult for him as he could even if he wasn’t 100%. This time around Kasey has been able to have a full camp. This will allow him to showcase the best version of himself. This will help him in getting the victory to try and get into the UFC once again.
Training Camp
I was then able to ask about how his training camp had been for this fight coming up. I was wondering if Kasey was coming into this fight healthy and if he had been able to work on anything new for this fight. Training camp is used for a fighter to work on the game plan. Being able to find holes in his opponent’s game as well as his own to be able to patch these up. I was wondering how this training camp had been for Kasey. He talked about this when he said;
“Training camp has been well im focused on sharping the skills and being prepared for whatever may come.”
Kasey Tanner is coming into this fight 100 per cent and has been able to get all his skills together. Kasey is making no mistakes this time around and is making sure he can come out on top no matter where this fight goes. Preparation is key in going into this fight and this has gone well this time around he should be able to showcase his ability and hopefully prove he deserves a title fight or a UFC shot.
Weaknesses of His Opponent
During training camp Kasey Tanner will be watching tape of Thiago Belo to see how he fights. This is in turn will allow him to find out in mistakes in his game. These mistakes is what Kasey will be targeting when they enter the cage Friday evening. I was curious to work out what weaknesses Kasey Tanner has seen from his opponent so far. Explaining what he has seen Kasey responded by saying;
“I feel Thiago will fade under pressure. I look to take advantage of this and break his will.”
Kasey Tanner doesn’t believe Thiago Belo will be able to keep the same pressure throughout the whole fight. He believes as they go into the later rounds while Kasey will be able to keep the same pace Thiago Belo will fade. This will allow Kasey capitalise on this mistake. He will be able to keep more of a control of the fight and determine where this fight will go to be able to find the stoppage a lot easier.
How Will the Fight Go
I was able to ask Kasey how he believes this fight will play out and if he has a prediction. Every fighter will have an idea of how a fight is going to go however, will it go that way they will have to wait and see but they will have some sort of idea. Speaking about how he sees this fight playing out and what his prediction is he explained;
“This fight will be a first or second round stoppage by way of knockout or Tko”
Kasey has been able to speak about how he sees this fight going previously when he spoke about draining his opponent out. Kasey believes he will be the better fight on the night and won’t need the judges scorecards. Tanner can see this fight staying on the feet and achieving a knockout or a TKO victory.
Fight Week
As we are now on fight week and with the fight coming up I was able to ask Kasey about the pressure he feels about fight week as well as from fans. As fans, we want to see the highlight reel stoppages like the ones from Max Holloway at UFC 300. However, this is not always possible to get. Speaking about how he handles the fan pressure and the pressure from fight week Kasey explained;
“Lately I don’t feel much of the pressure. I’m not worried of anyone’s opinions but the ones closest to me. On fight day I’ll give it my best and results will speak for themself.”
This shows that Kasey doesn’t let the pressure impact the performance he produces in the octagon. Kasey won’t be pressured into making sure he gets the stoppage victory but is focused on getting the victory. He believes going in with his mentality will help him produce the best results.
What is next For Kasey Tanner
I was then able to see what Kasey Tanner had planned for the future and if he had anyone he wanted to face off with next. Explaining his plans he said;
“Anyone on the bantamweight ufc roster is who I want next.”
The future is bright for Kasey Tanner and having thoughts on the UFC and wanting a fight is everyone’s goal at the end of the day. After Kasey explained this I also asked if he thought a victory against Thiago Belo meant he should get that call-up for a UFC shot or a LFA title opportunity. Explaining what he thought Kasey said
“According to Dana after last years contender series fight, I’m one win away from the call, I think a finish over Belo puts me in the ufc.”
This shows that Dana White is impressed with what he has seen and has told him he is not far from getting an opportunity on the big stage. A victory this Friday may be all he needs before he starts his journey in the UFC to face the champion, Sean O’Malley.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
