Cage Fury is returning this Friday when they host Cage Fury 132. During the card 2 titles will be on the line. This includes the men’s middleweight title and the women’s bantamweight title. Currently, the women’s bantamweight title is vacant however, 2-0 Emily Martins will face off against 3-2 Auttum Martin for the vacant strap. In the main event former UFC fighter and Cage Fury middleweight champion Kyle Daukaus will defend his title when he faces 5-1 Keanan Patershuk. Before his upcoming title fight on Friday, Combat Sports UK was able to speak to Keanan Patershuk. Combat Sports UK was able to speak about his training camp as well who he is hoping to face off against next with a victory.
Keanan Patershuk on Grappler vs Striker Match-up
Kyle Daukaus is the current middleweight champion who currently holds a record of 14-4. Out of those 14 victories 11 of these have come by way of submission. The other 3 have come due to a decision with 0 victories due to knockout. This shows that Kyle Daukaus prefers to fight on the ground to be able to wrestle his opponent and get the submission victory.
This Friday he will be up against Keanan Patershuk who out of his 5 victories 4 have come due to knockout and the other due to submission. Out of those 4 knockout victories, all have come in the first round. This shows that this could be classed as a grappler vs striker match-up. I was able to ask Keanan Patershuk if he would agree if that was the case. Keanan responded by saying;
“It’s definitely more of a striker vs grappler scenario. True I love to finish my fights standing but I’m just as comfortable on the ground as I am striking.”
This shows that while Keanan prefers to keep the fight on the feet to be able to knockout his opponent he is just as comfortable on the ground. While he agrees about this being a striker vs grappler match up he suggests that Daukaus doesn’t underestimate his grappling abilities. If Daukaus does go for the takedown and think it will be an easy night he may be in for a rude awaking. This is due to Patershuk being able to grapple as well as being able to strike.
Training Camp
Training camp is key for any fighter to be able to go into a fight and being able to be successful. This is due to fighters being able to work on their weaknesses or their opponents weaknesses. Not only are they able to improve their ability they are also able to watch tape to be able to find any weaknesses their opponent may have. However, while fighters are able to improve they do also have to be careful. This is due to fighters also being able to injury themselves during the training and ruling themselves out of the fight. I was able to ask Keanan how his training camp has gone and if he has been able to see any weaknesses from Kyle Daukaus. Keanan responded by saying;
“Training camp has been nothing short of bulletproof. As for Kyle, I see lots of gaps in his game but for the sake of game planning, I’m not gonna give anything away. In any regard, I plan on finishing the fight in highlight fashion.”
Keanan has admitted that his training camp could have not gone any better for this fight so preparation has been great. Keanan knows what he is needing to do to be able to take the title off of Kyle. Not only has training camp been a successful however, he has been able to see lots of holes he can look to take advantage of when it comes to fight night. Due to the fight being Friday he isn’t releasing what he has seen which is fair enough. However, due to Keanan being able to see many holes in Kyle’s game we can expect a good performance when the bell rings.
Keanan Patershuk on How the Fight Will Go
I was able to try and find out how Keanan Patershuk sees this fight playing out. We know Keanan has been able to see lots of different weaknesses from Kyle so I was interested to see how this fight going. Giving us an insight and a prediction Keanan responded by saying
“Im going to end the fight in the first or second round via knockout or TKO. The chances of it turning into a 4 or 5 round wrestling match that will be decided by points is slim to none.”
Keanan has faith in his ability to be able to get the stoppage victory this Friday. Everything seems to be going in the right direction. This includes a great training camp and good preparation for the fight. Keanan believes he will be able to get the stoppage in the 2nd due to knockout or TKO. However, he does realise there is a chance this will become a wrestling match due to that is Kyle Daukaus strength. However, he still believes he will secure the victory but believes this is will be very rare.
Did Clinching the Proving Grounds Light Heavyweight Title Ease Pressure for This Fight
While Keanan may have only had 6 professional fights he was able to clinch a title as an amateur. This was when Keanan Patershuk was able to defeat Christopher Gamby. Keanan was able to get the stoppage in the first round due to punches. Keanan has already dealt with fighting for a title so knows what is required from him going into fight week. I was able to ask Keanan if clinching this title has eased any pressure going into this fight due to him knowing what is expected.
“Title or not, I take the same mindset going into any fight. I don’t feel any pressure coming into this fight, I know if I’m loose and composed I’ll shut him down and be able to impose my will.”
Keanan knows that it doesn’t matter what is at stake. Keanan is able to go out and get the victory. He has faith in his ability to be able to get the job done and be able to get the victory. This doesn’t change due to the fact that a title is on the line.
Pressure from Fans
Keanan Patershuk has been able to give the fans a show in every fight he has been able to fight in. This has been helped by 9 out of 10 fights including amateur fights not going past the 2nd round. However, I was wondering if Keanan has ever felt the pressure from fans who may expect this type of performance going into every fight no matter who the opponent is. Explaining this Keanan responded by saying;
“No, no pressure. I’m an exciting fighter and I like to push the pace. I have no doubt that no matter how this fight plays out that I’ll give the fans a show.”
Keanan has faith in his ability and knows how he likes to fight. During his fights he will look to be able to push the pace and look to tire his opponent out quickly. Once his opponents are tired he will be able to use his strength to be able to secure the knockout finish and get the fans excited. Due to him believing in his ability he doesn’t feel any pressure from fans due to him confident about his ability.
Who Is Next?
With a win this weekend Keanan Patershuk will become the Cage Fury Middleweight Champion. The next question everyone is going to ask is what is next for the champion. Does he go and defend his title against the next Contender? A rematch against Kyle Daukaus? These are the questions everyone will be asking after the fight if he is able to go grab the title. I was able to ask Keanan if there was anyone on the list just now he is looking to fight next. Explaining his plans he responded by saying;
“I have no immediate names on my list, my only focus is Kyle at the moment. After this fight, If I have to defend the CFFC title I will but I’ll have my sites firmly set on the UFC.”
Keanan doesn’t mind what the plan is next and he will take it as he goes. If he is having to defend his title in a rematch or if he has to fight the next contender then so be it. However, while he is happy to defend the title his plan in the end is to be able to fight in the UFC.
A UFC Shot or a Contenders Series Shot Next with a Big Performance
Keanan will be able to become the champion in Cage Fury with a win this Friday. If he is able to get the stoppage victory he will be able to improve to 6-1 with all victories coming by way of stoppage. Keanan has definitely shown he has the ability to finish fights. I was able to ask Keanan if he thought a UFC shot or a Contenders Series shot would be next with a big performance. Keanan responded by saying;
“100% I believe I should be given a shot once I clinch this title. I’ve put in the work and I’m finishing guys decisively. I’d be thrilled to be given a contender series shot, but the middleweight division in the UFC is very slim right now. I would prefer to compete on a prelim and display my skills.”
Keanan believes in his ability and does believe a win over a former UFC fighter should get him a chance to showcase his ability. Keanan thinks the middleweight division lacks talent and thinks he should be able to bypass the contenders series and fight on the prelims. This would allow him to show the world his skill and ability to be able to push on for a title shot in the future.
Featured image credits to Embed from Cage Fury FC
