Undefeated prospect [autotag]Tedrick Macklin[/autotag] enjoys knowing there isn’t a whole lot of fight tape out there on him.
Four fights into his professional career, Macklin (4-0) has only racked up 6:46 of in-cage competition time. While he’s eager to prove to the world what he already knows in terms of how good he is in all facets of MMA, Macklin also recognizes an advantage to his mysteriousness.
“It’s kind of like fighting a fighter with no fights,” Macklin recently told MMA Junkie. “I always say one of the most dangerous fights you can take is the first fight because you’re going off really nothing. All you really are going off of is where someone trains but you don’t know what they have to offer. Then, you have someone like me. You have full fights of mine, but they’re from so long ago. They’re not showing you anything. I’m probably three to four times as good than I was in any full fights you’ll see of me.”
Macklin, 26, is a point-fighting-based combatant with three submissions and one TKO as a pro. Friday at Fury FC 76, Macklin takes a leap up in competition to fight 17-fight pro Nico Echevarry (12-5) on UFC Fight Pass.
His talent level remains the same regardless, but Macklin knows in order to reach his ultimate goal of the UFC he needs to face better competition than he’s received thus far. While it’s not for lack of agreeing to evener fights, Macklin hasn’t faced an opponent like this before.
“My record is really, really deceptive,” Macklin said. “That’s why I can go against someone like this. I’ve been in point-fighting matches and I’ve been in there with people who have been doing martial arts as long as I’ve been alive. It doesn’t really phase me to fight someone with this type of record while most people who have this kind of record, that might be something that’s in their heads.
“… I know the level I’m at and I know what I can showcase. I think we have the time to build ourselves up, even at the highest level. We’ll take the right fights and climb to the top. I feel like I’m pretty ready. On the regional scene, I can already compete at a very, very high level. I’m looking to show that like I’ve been showing it but even better this time.”