Fury FC are returning on July 12th as they host Fury FC 93. Fury FC 93 will see Lorram Esteves who will be looking to compete in the main event against Alfred Walker. Lorram Esteves is coming into this fight on a 3 fight-winning streak. His last fight was a unanimous decision victory against Gabriel Macario. On the other side of the main event, Alfred Walker is making his debut within the Fury FC banner. Alfred Walker is coming off a featherweight title fight defeat to Elijah Johns. Combat Sports UK has been able to have the honour of interviewing fighters before their fights to get an insight into how they feel going into their fight. Combat Sports UK was able to speak to Zack Borrego ahead of his co-main event fight against Logan Woods.
Zack Borrego is coming into this fight off the back of a unanimous decision defeat to Jack Wright. Borrego will be looking to turn the tide and I was able to ask him a couple of questions ahead of his fight against Logan Woods.
Zack Borrego on Last Fight
In Zack Borrego’s last fight, he was against Jordan Wright at Fury FC 88 on 24th March 2024. Unfortunately, Jordan Wright would be the one who would get the victory as he would defeat Zack Borrego due to a unanimous decision. Ahead of his fight on September 12th I was able to ask Zack Borrego how he thought this fight went and what improvements he has made since that defeat. Explaining this Zack explained;
“Obviously the fight didn’t go the way I had envisioned it. Looking back at it, I think it was an excellent game plan. I was more confused then I had ever really been in a fight at that point. I just didn’t think he was going to wrestle so hard. We watched a ton of film on him and he showed absolutely zero wrestling. All his UFC fight he was a striker. It sucked forsure but it was a valuable learning lesson.”
Zack believes the game plan heading into the fight was enough to be able to go and get the victory however, Jordan Wright surprised him on what he would bring. Zack has now gone on to prepare for the unexpected and even if a fighter has shown a specific aspect in the sport to still make sure they have a plan if the fighter brings the fight there. However, make him feel like his striking is at the top level due to strikers choosing to wrestle him instead of standing and trade shots.
What Was Zack Borrego Successful With?
Even though Zack Borrego wasn’t able to get the victory last time out that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything he did that was successful. I was able to ask Zack Borrego what he thought went well in that defeat. Zack replied by saying;
“I guess the takeaways I got from it was that not a lot of people are going to be willing to strike with me.. even ufc level “strikers”. In the end the win matters the most and it’s important to do what it takes to win. That was the biggest lesson I learned.”
Jordan Wright was a UFC-caliber fighter who went 2-5 during his time in the promotion. Throughout his career, he has been known to stay on the feet with his opponents. However, Zack was able to take that his striking is on the level of the UFC due to Jordan Wright wanting to take this fight on the ground. This shows Zack that he is able to get anyone out on the feet and his opponents are going to try and do what they can to avoid fighting him on the feet.
Training Camp
During training camp, this is where fighters go and try and create a game plan to be able to go and get the victory. During training camp fighters will go and work on how to get the victory. This is due to practising what the opponent is weak at as well as filling in holes in his current game. Explaining how training has gone Zack said;
“Camp has been good! It’s definitely been a sacrifice forsure as I’ve been splitting time in Houston, which is about a 3 hour drive from me. But it’s been great, it’s almost been an instant connect with the guys at WAR and I feel it’s exactly what I need. Everyday is a test and I can tell it’s elevated my game forsure.”
Zack believes this training camp has exactly what he needed and even though it is a 3-hour drive for him he is trying everything he can to improve. He is training with fighters who are testing him and since he has been able to go there it has been an instant connection. This will allow him to improve even further if you have that connection then you will be able to improve quickly. This is due to your fighters knowing exactly what you need to improve.
Logan Woods Weaknesses
While Zack is at training camp he will be watching tape to see what holes are in the Logan Woods game. He will be doing this to try and exploit them when he enters the cage. Explaining what holes he has seen Zack explained;
“I think Logan is well rounded. He has good striking and has shown a decent anti-wrestling game. It will be a good technical matchup for sure.”
Zack believes Logan is a good well-rounded fighter who does have a good anti-wrestling game. Zack believes this fight will be a very good technical match-up in which he will be able to use his striking to his advantage. However, just like what happened in the last fight this is not the only area in which he will be focusing as he will be making sure he has a plan for everything.
How Is This Fight Going to Go?
I was able to go and ask Zack about how he thinks this fight will play out and if he has a prediction for this fight. Fighters are going into each fight with some sort of idea on how the fight will go. Even if they are planning for everything they do have some sort of idea of how this fight goes. Just like how Zack thought Jordan Wright was just going to stand with him.
“I’m going to let the fight come to me. Not rush anything, not force anything. We have a game plan but the main thing is to be remain calm and find my openings.”
Zack is not going to rush anything once he is in the octagon ready to face Logan Woods. He will wait and see what happens and follow the gameplan in which he creates with his team. Zack is going to make sure everything comes to him and remain calm. The opportunity will happen at some point and he will have to take it when it comes.
Fighting in Home State
Zack Borrego will be fighting against Logan Woods in his home state of Texas. Speaking to fights like Darragh Kelly of Bellator he explained how fighting at home can be a massive advantage to a fighter. This is due to the fans being able to pick you up and give you that little bit of extra energy when they are on your side. Explaining the pressure of fighting in front of home fans Zack explained by saying;
“I love fighting in front of my hometown. It adds a decent amount of pressure forsure but I think it’s a good pressure. I have learned that a lot of people look up to me and it’s crazy to get recognized outside the fights and that motivates me forsure.”
Zack believes that while this will add more pressure it is the good kind of pressure you are wanting. He enjoys it when people on the street recognise him and motivates him even further to keep pushing. This will be the case fort his fight as he will be fighting in front of his home fans who will be pushing him to get the victory against Logan Woods.
Zack Borrego on Handling Fan Pressure
Another type of pressure fighters have to handle is the pressure from fight week and fight fans. As fight fans, we are hoping for highlight reel finishes as these are eye-catching. However, this can’t be the case every time a fight steps into the octagon and sometimes a bit of game planning has to happen. explaining how he deals with the pressure Zack said;
“I’m honestly still dealing with learning how to handle it. I try to treat it just like another day.. obviously it’s super hard while Cutting weight, media stuff, thinking about the fight.. but I’ve learned to try and enjoy everything and just be happy I get to experience this. I have a pregnant girlfriend right now so with camp going the way it has, I really want to enjoy family time and chill out come fight week. Keep the vibes good and go kick some ass on the 12th”
Zack is still trying to deal with the pressure himself and hasn’t found the perfect way of dealing with it yet. However, what he has learned since starting is to try and enjoy it. Zack is going to try and prepare for this fight in his camp and when it comes to fight week enjoy it by spending time with his family. Zack is expecting a baby on the way and he will have a lot to look forward to as well as a lot to prepare for so being able to try and enjoy it is the key.
Future
I then tried to see what the plans were in the future and see if there was anyone on Zack’s mind as to who he wanted to fight next. Talking about call outs and if he should be next in line for the title Zack said;
“I definitely feel I win this fight I’m next in line. Obviously I have to show that I’m ready for that but I’ve fought the best of the best. Ex ufc guys, top prospects, You name it. And I’m still young in my pro career. Only been a pro 2 years and some change. It feels like I’m hitting my stride and I know how much a belt with fury means so it’s definitely next for me.!
Zack believes a victory against Logan Woods will definitely be next in line for that belt opportunity. Zack believes his record speaks for itself with the competition he has faced and a win will only solidly and warrant the chance for that title. Logan Woods will just be another big name on the record and while he was unsuccessful last time around his overall record does speak for itself.
Dana White’s Contenders Series or UFC Shot
I also asked Zack if he believed he could be getting a call-up for the UFC soon or a shot on the contender’s series. Like Zack was explaining he has faced ex-ufc fighters and top prospects and has been able to get a lot of impressive victories. Explaining where he thinks he is Zack said;
“I do think a win here maybe puts me on a short notice list for contender series.. this would make me 3-1 for 2024 with 2 big wins over 2 big names. I don’t see why it doesn’t but I’m not going to rush for anything. Everything that’s meant to happen will happen”
Just like how a win should get him a title opportunity he believes it should also get him on the list for a short-notice contenders series fight as well. He believes he has done enough this year and is looking to improve that with a victory over Logan Woods would only enhance this record and push for that shot even further.
Featured image credits to Embed from Zack Borrego Instagram
