In this one on one interview with MMASucka.com, “The African Samurai” Manny Flores (1-1) talks about his fight against Ryan Hardy Evans (0-1) at Ring of Combat 69. The Serra BJJ/Longo-Weidman MMA fighter talked about preparing for the fight, his opponent, training alongside fighters like Chris Weidman, his layoff after breaking his arm, if he gets nervous before a fight, if he has aspirations to fight in UFC or Bellator, and what he does when he is not training.
About Manny Flores:
From Queens, NYC the 34-year-old Flores went 5-0 as an amateur. He won his pro debut with a second-round head kick. This will be his first fight at welterweight. His two other pro matches were at middleweight. His dream to become MMA fighter all started one day when watching a UFC show.
“That dream actually came about when I was 24-years-old,” Flores recalls. “I was literally sitting on my couch one day, I was watching UFC and I decided ‘You know what, I can do that.’ Here we are almost 10 years later, third pro fight. I’m extremely happy and proud of myself.”
His Ring of Combat 69 Opponent:
Flores admits that due to the fact that his opponent has had only one pro fight and a few amateur bouts, it’s hard to study him thoroughly.
“I have studied his game somewhat. It’s kind of hard to gauge amateur to pro. Things change with us athletes jumping into the pro circuit,” he said.
Nerves Before a Fight:
Before he walks out to the cage, Flores admits he gets nervous. He said he goes through all the emotions before he heads out to the cage.
“If anybody tells you that they’re not nervous or scared or whatever the case is, I believe they’re liars,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’re locking yourself in with another trained, skilled fighter who is trying to hurt you.”
Manny Flores takes on Ryan Hardy-Evans Friday, September 13 for Ring of Combat 69 at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tickets are available here. You can also stream the fight on UFC Fight Pass.
