Former Titan FC heavyweight champion Chase Gormley makes his Bellator debut on September 25th as he takes on Dan Charles at Bellator 143. Gormley (12-4) spoke to MMAOddsBreaker on Episode 122 of The Parting Shot Podcast and discussed a variety of topics. Leaving Titan FC and signing with Bellator “Titan didn’t have a show for three or four months after [Titan FC 33 in March] I just wanted to keep fighting and we ended up talking to Bellator. That ball starting rolling, we didn’t have a contract with Titan. So I figured it was time to move on to bigger and better things. Titan is a great organization but Bellator is more of a place where I can test my skills and actually get their belt and be successful there.” Influence Scott Coker had in him signing there “[Coker] seems like good guy, he did well with Strikeforce. He seems like he knows what he’s doing. I haven’t fought for him yet, so I’ll know more after the fight. As of right now I’m happy with him, happy with the contract we signed and the opponent they gave me, he’s really tough, he’s going to challenge me.” Contract with Bellator “As far as I know it’s a four-fight deal, a far as what they did everything sounds great. So I’m really looking forward to fighting for them.” Talks with the UFC before signing with Bellator “We talked to them but they weren’t happy that I didn’t finish Jon Madsen. No one has finished him other than that controversial stoppage [against Mike Russow at UFC Fight Night 24]. He’s a tough guy I think finishing him that’s a tall order. I still have a lot of things to work on. My hands looked horrible in that fight and that’s something I worked on in this training camp. I made sure my kicks and punches are up to par because I paid the price [in my last fight] I had to go back in the room and make some adjustments. I believe I did and hopefully this fight it shows.” Matchup with Dan Charles “I think I’ll do well. I don’t think he does too well against wrestler’s, but he trains at a good wrestling camp up in Arizona. I think he’s got Ryan Bader, CB Dollaway and a few other good guys there. Every training is camp different, who knows how it goes this time. He could be on his game. I’ve really got to be prepared and go in there and fight tough. Because I’m sure he’s not going just go in there and fall down for me. I’ve got to go in there and win that fight. He’s definitely going to make it difficult for me. I forward to the challenge, I enjoy fighting. Hopefully it’s a good fight and hopefully I win, that’s the main thing.” Watching tape on his opponents “I dabble a bit. I look at where my strengths would fit in. It’s hard because his fights are either three years old, which I don’t really like to go that far back or him unfortunately getting his butt kicked – I have those too so I can’t really talk too much smack about that – so it’s hard to really gauge. Even in the Bobby Lashley fight he had good little snap kicks, he had good little uppercuts with that shot. I just think he didn’t circle enough in that fight. But I think if he could have got something going it could have been a different story. He just got stuck on the bottom and couldn’t get up. I think he’s a better fighter then that fight showed. I think maybe the last minute notice could have had a lot to do that too.” Potential matchup with Bobby Lashley “That’s [the matchup] I’ve been thinking [about]. I think he’s getting a lot better than people think he is. I think he’s a very tough fight. If I had to fight him it would have to be a good training camp, a really smart training camp. If you get stuck under Bobby Lashley, you’re going to have a bad night. You have to keep it on the feet, you got to keep circling. If you get tired, he’s just going to get you. Because his cardio got better in that last fight, I was really surprised. I mean Lashley is a great fight because it’s a fight people want to see, I think so. It would be good for me to see where I’m at. I’m 32-years old and only got probably five years left. So I just want to have fun and win as much as possible in that time span.” How this fight ends on September 25th “I think I’m going to take him down, I think I’m going to finish him on the ground, hopefully in the second round, even better in the first. I’d like to get him down, get him smashed him against the wall and finish him with strikes in the first. That’s the way I see it, that’s what I’ve been I’m training for. If I can’t take him down, it stays on the feet I’ve got my kicks, I’ve got my punches, I’ve got something for him no matter where it is. So I’m excited for the fight.” You can follow Chase on Twitter @chasegormley and you can also listen to the full audio version of this interview on Episode 122 of The Parting Shot Podcast (66 mins in)
