UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It may not have been the best performance of his career, but [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag] was still more than a little surprised when he realised one judge had scored his fight at Bellator 243 to his opponent.
Borics (15-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) faced short-notice replacement Mike Hamel in the featured preliminary card bout at Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night, and while he came away with the victory, the scorecards left him somewhat shocked.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he admitted to reporters, including MMA Junkie, after the fight. “I lost the first round, then after I thought I won the second and third round, so I thought, ‘Split decision? Why?’ But it’s OK.”
Borics faced Hamel (7-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) at a 150-pound catchweight after his opposite number was unable to make the 146-pound featherweight limit on Thursday’s weigh-in, and the Hungarian said he could feel the weight discrepancy in the cage on fight night,
“He was heavy, man,” he said. “He missed the weight, and then he took me down. Usually, I feel really strong at 145, but this was a catchweight at 150. He missed the weight and I asked him, ‘Hey, how much is your weight now?’ and he’s like, ‘Ah, 175,’ and I’m 165, so it’s 10 pounds different.
“But I am really thankful for him. He took the fight on short notice. I am a little bit disappointed with my performance, because I know I’m much better than this.”
[lawrence-related id=543221,542604,542617]
Borics’ win helped get him back on track after he suffered his first career defeat to former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell in the featherweight grand prix. It was a defeat Borics described as “the worst memory of my life,” as he admitted that he lost his focus ahead of the bout.
But now he’s back in the win column, Borics is looking to re-establish himself as a dangerous force in Bellator’s 145-pound division, and hopes the promotion’s matchmakers revisit his original booking for Friday night and rebook him against [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] later this year.
“I would like to fight against him,” he admitted. “I think he’s a real fighter, you know, so I would like to fight against him.”
Check out Borics’ full post-fight press conference via the video above.
[vertical-gallery id=542577]