Middleweight Eryk Anders makes his much anticipated professional MMA debut this Saturday at Strikehard 40 against late replacement Jake Raspberry in a 195-pound catchweight bout. Anders (0-0) was featured on MMAOddsBreaker’s “Prospect Spotlight” series back in June where he discussed the importance of earning an impressive win in his amateur bout against Jordan Fowler at V3 Fights. Anders needed just a minute and a half to dispatch his opponent, earning an exceptional first round knockout victory. For the 28-year old, the evening couldn’t have gone any better. “Anytime you can get out of there unscathed in the first round is a pretty good night as far as I’m concerned.” Anders told MMAOddsBreaker. “Finish is always the goal, ideally I’d like to finish all my fights. That was just my last one and onto the next one now.” During his collegiate football career, Anders was no where near the 185-pound limit he competes at today. He carries a disciplined approach to his dieting and exercise, so it’s only natural after the win over Fowler, Anders indulged in a cheat meal. “First thing I did after I won, went took a shower, got changed, all that good stuff and had some good old Memphis BBQ. I’ve been cutting weight and dieting strictly, so making 185 would be a little bit easier, [so I] definitely had to join some ribs and BBQ after the fight.” Following the victory Anders didn’t waste any time and went right back to training. “I’m went right back in the gym on Monday. My last fight only lasted a minute and a half. I didn’t take any damage, so there is really no reason not to be in the gym. A lot of people – take time off from the gym after their fights because they have a lot of mental alleviation after a fight, they’re really stressed out. I don’t – at this stage of my career – really get too stressed out about fights. As long as my body is ok or don’t have any injuries I’ll be right back in the gym on Monday.” Amassing a 18-3-1 amateur record, the goal always was to make the just to the professional circuit. He finally received that phone call a few months ago, that he’d be making his pro-debut in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL for the local Strikehard promotion. “[Getting the call] it was just a great feeling I feel like I was ready to make that step a few fights ago. Due to injuries, we wanted to make sure everything with my ankle was good to go and I think I proved that. That was the only concern as far as turning pro. Now these fights mean something and I’m just excited to turn the chapter to the next page and see how far I can go in the world of MMA. I fully everybody from the gym [to come out to the fight]. It’s alsi in Tuscolluca too which is the home of Alabama Crimson Tide. The venue will definitely be filled up. For some fighters making the leap from amateur to professional can be nerve racking. But as Anders explains, everything will be business as usual and if anything there will be some advantages. “I’m treating it as another day in the office. There are only a few slight rule changes such as the rounds are five minutes instead of three. Now I can throw knees and elbows and that’s part of my game. I wasn’t able to do that as amateur and now that I am as a pro I’ll have even more success.” Anders was slated to fight Patrick Abram (0-3) but he was forced off this card due to injury. Stepping in on short notice is Jake Raspberry, who will also be making his professional MMA debut. Despite switching opponents, Anders hasn’t need to change anything in his training. “I don’t tailor my camp for my opponent. Since I’m so relatively new to the sport, there’s always improvements to make. I’m not at that point in my career where I’ve learned everything I’m going to learn and it’s more about game plan. I’m still trying to develop my skillset, I’m getting better everyday. It’s more about me then my opponent at this stage in my career.” Anders trains at Spartan MMA and Fitness in Birmingham, Alabama with a number of exceptional fighters including UFC bantamweight Marcus Brimage. One advantage heading into this fight is that friend and teammate Omar Johnson is also competing on the Strikehard event, which has only motivated him for his pro debut. “I feel great, everything’s going well, putting combinations together. My grappling’s really coming along. I’m just really excited to demonstrate my skills and my new techniques in this fight. I’m very blessed as far as training partners go, I’ve got Omar Johnson he’s a beast, he’s 2-0 as a professional. Matt Elkins he’s a Division II wrestler, who’s really making strides in the sport as well. There’s just a room full of killers that I train with on a day to day basis so I have no choice but to get better. We’re both on the same page, we get in there and make each other better. He’s very dedicated and a hard-working and he definitely pushes me to the next level.” Anders wasn’t shy about how he see’s this fight ending on August 22nd and expecting a repeat performance from his last fight. “It will be a first round victory for me. Submission or knockout, I don’t know. For sure it will be a first round victory for me.” You can follow Eryk on Twitter/Instagram @erykanders and he’s like to thank his sponsors inVision Ophalmology, Advanced Caption Technology and Tap Inc. He’d also think to thank his coach Chris Connelly and team at Spartan MMA and Fitness. You can listen to the full audio version of this interview (20 seconds in) on an “Extra” edition of The Parting Shot Podcast.
