Top UK bantamweight prospect Nathan Fletcher is targeting Michele Martignoni, Rhys McEwan, or Caolan Loughran for his next fight.
Speaking to Combat Sport UK’s Ben Thomas, Fletcher said he is aiming for an active 2023, and would welcome a fight against any or all of the top bantamweight prospects in Cage Warriors:
“I don’t really care what order that it is in, I’d like to fight all three of those guys this year.”
He already has a Cage Warriors win over current bantamweight champion Martignoni, and a win over Loughran as an amateur. A win over either man would go a long way to proving he is the crème de la crème of 135 pounds, and place him firmly in the driving seat for a call up to the UFC. As would a win over McEwan who is riding his own three fight win streak.
Fletcher also has a fight with UFC veteran Cameron Else in mind, after a scheduled fight in 2022 fell through. Whoever the next opponent is, Fletcher is targeting CW152 in Manchester for his next fight and plans to bring plenty of home support with him:
“It’s close to home, and I haven’t fought close to home since before COVID. The last time I fought in Manchester was the start of 2020 and even then I (sold) over 100 tickets, I had a lot of people come down and support me. I’ve progressed a lot in my career since then so the turnout I get the next time would be unbelievable.”
Rhys McEwan is already scheduled to fight Daan Duijs at CW152, so if things fall right, so if they both handle their business on fight night, it could be the next fight to make.
Nathan Fletcher Talks Time Away From MMA
Fletcher returned to the cage at CW148, following a 15-month hiatus and it marked his first win since June 2021. A series of injuries and opponents pulling out left him on the sidelines for longer than he would have liked.
Whilst his enforced time away from competition was frustrating, Fletcher’s mentality and approach has changed for the better:
“I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel after this fight and getting back to the win column. After having so long out, my approach to MMA and my approach to the game has changed a little bit. I think that fighting for me now is a little bit different than what it was for me a couple of years ago when I was on my first run towards the title… I’m lot more mature now, a lot more level headed… I used to come away from wins thinking I was the man and could take on anybody in the world… maybe bought into my own hype a little bit. When I come away from this win, no much changed. I was ready to get back to the gym and ready to get back to working on the areas I feel that I need to improve in.”
When asked if his loss to Dominique Wooding and the subsequent trials and tribulations that kept him out for 15 months were a blessing in disguise, Fletcher had to agree.
“I’ve always preached mental toughness, but on my run up to the title I didn’t really have to overcome any adversity… and then all the adversity comes at once from the first loss to then getting injured to then having pullouts after pullout after pullout…looking back now I am very happy that’s all been a part of my journey and the amount of growth that has happened in that time… I now welcome all adversity.”
Having experienced proper adversity for the first time in his career, Nathan Fletcher is now confident he is well equipped to handle whatever comes his way in the future.
On His First Performance Back
His return fight on New Year’s Eve against Alessandro Giordano resulted in a unanimous decision win. However, Fletcher was critical of his own performance against the promotional newcomer:
“I don’t think I performed that well to be honest. I think I am capable of putting him away and I think I should have finished him… Not taking anything away from his skillset but I just think I am a much better fighter than him.“
The fight was relatively smooth sailing for Fletcher, finishing with barely a mark on him. There was however a moment of adversity in the third round when Giordano caught him in a guillotine. By his own admission Fletcher was being lazy and gave up his neck too easily. He quickly realised that he allowed Giordano a window to finish the choke as it began to tighten up:
“That was tight, i’ll be honest. That was extremely tight”.
Part of Fletcher’s pre-fight ritual is to watch other MMA fights, especially of those fighters who inspire him. Atop of that list is current UFC pound for pound number one – Alexander Volkanovski. Inspired by Volkanovski’s incredible guillotine escape against Brian Ortega, Fletcher was adamant he was not going to tap.
For Giordano, it was a moment of what could have been. For Nathan Fletcher – well he was happy to escape but also showcase some heart, toughness, and resilience that he had built up over the last year and a half.
Nathan Fletcher on Training at NextGen MMA
NextGen MMA in Liverpool is one of the fastest rising gyms in the UK. In large part due to the star power of Paddy the Baddy and Molly McCann. Fletcher was asked what it meant to be affiliated with the gym, and he was quick to praise it as one of the best in Europe. The gym has fighters seeing success across multiple organisations including Cage Warriors, Bellator, and the UFC. Nathan Fletcher sees similar levels of success in his future:
“It’s very motivating to see [the success of McCann and Pimblett] because I know that I am doing the exact same things as them. Every single day I am in the gym, same training partners, same drills, same sparring rounds. I see that in my future as well. It’s nice for me to see, because I can see a clear path and can see the the journey that they are on and I know that is where I am heading so I take a lot of motivation from that.“
Tune in to the full interview with Nathan Fletcher on YouTube:
Featured image credits to Cage Warriors
