Henry Corrales takes on what is a unique challenge at Bellator 214. The challenge that is Aaron Pico, the young rising star of mixed martial arts competition. A young man groomed into the life of fighting, one that rose from the ashes of rumor and hype. Rose into the eyes of many mixed martial arts fans with incredible and quick knockouts. Corrales has the unique challenge of facing the young and talented phenomenon.
Unique is this challenge in multiple facets. For one, Corrales isn’t simply fish food. He himself is one of the top featherweights in Bellator. Before joining the organization, Corrales held an undefeated record of 11-0. Having fought for King of the Cage, the California fighter had competed against some of the best in his region. Unfortunately for him, upon joining the Bellator roster, he was thrown to the wolves.
Rough Beginning
Corrales lost his first three fights in Bellator. In those three bouts, he faced Daniel Straus, Emmanuel Sanchez, and Patricky Pitbull. Three of the top fighters in his division. Since then, he hasn’t lost, defeating Cody Bollinger, Noad Lahat, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Andy Main respectively. Most recently, in his win over Andy Main, Corrales showed knockout power of his own as he stopped Main two minute into the third round. He looks to show this form at Bellator 214.
This opportunity is an important moment in the career of Corrales. When he makes the walk at Bellator 214, he has the opportunity to steal a significant portion of attention and fan-fare from one of the sports hottest rising stars. Additionally, the winner of this matchup almost forces themselves into title contention.
Shooting his Shot
On the side of Henry Corrales, it would be nearly impossible to deny his recent resume. A victory at Bellator 214 would turn his streak to 5 consecutive victories, with at least 2 stoppages. His five victories would also hold weight as he faced talented and top contenders in the featherweight division.
Henry Corrales spoke with MMASucka ahead of his high profile bout at Bellator 214. Here is the transcript of the conversation had with the Californian fighter.
Henry Corrales Q&A
Q: How are you feeling nearly a week out from the fight?
HC: I feel great. All the neccessary work has been put in and were almost there. Ready to get in there.
Q: What do you think about all the attention around your opponent Aaron Pico?
HC: I think its justified because he’s smashing guys. He’s going out there and he’s bringing the noise and dropping dudes. Its a big fight, big stage, big card co-main event and my thoughts on that are just nothing but excitement. Ready to get in there.
Q: What do you think about fighting a guy with a similarly aggressive style as you?
HC: Yeah for sure.
Q: Do you think a victory at Bellator 214 will elevate you to a number one contender position?
HC: That’s what I am hoping for and that’s what a lot of people are saying so that’d be nice.
Q: What are your thoughts on fighting in the co-main event of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix finale?
HC: Yeah that’s pretty cool. It’s my second time fighting on a card with Fedor in a couple months. I never thought that would happen. Yeah, I’m looking forward to the event.
Q: How do you rank Fedor as an all-time great?
HC: I look at him more as a pioneer for the beginning stages of the game or the middle part of the game. It’s a trip that he’s still in there scrapping with dudes. That guy is a savage.
Q: What role has CBD played in your training and recovery?
HC: Yeah the Terphouse CBD has helped me tremendously. It helps with my recovery, muscle soreness and there are so many benefits to that stuff. It’s kind of pricey so I never really tried it. Once I got sponsored I’ve been mega-dosing it. It’s THC-free. If you use ‘Henry Corrales 20’ you get 20% off products.
Q: What is it like having this event so close to you?
HC: My mom’s place in Whitter (California) is like 10 miles from The Forum. But I actually live in Pheonix, Arizona because I train at the MMA Lab. Its a quick little 5-hour drive, easy work.
Q: When and Why did you move out of California?
HC: It just wasn’t the best for me, the lifestyle. The MMA Lab, I came and visited out here because my head coach got brought on out here. It was a like one-stop shop, everything was under one roof. You got full-time coaches, every part of the game: strength and conditioning, boxing, kickboxing, and Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve never seen anything like that because in L.A. you got to drive to Jiu-Jitsu here, you got to do your striking over there, get your strength over there. It was just a bit of a headache and once I seen this set up, I was like, ‘Oh fuck.’ There is a reason why this is one of the best gyms in the world. My career has just taken off and so much forward progression here. Not just me but all the guys, everybody’s getting good. That’s four straight since I joined the MMA Lab. (I’m) looking forward to the future man.
