Manu Delerme of Golden Falcon Gym spoke ahead of his amateur showdown Saturday with Sage Philippe at AMMO 5: Battlegrounds. The Connecticut fighter finished the second camp of his fighting career with the Golden Falcon team.
Change in Camps for Manu Delerme
Delerme started his amateur career, 0-2. Determined to improve, he moved camps and continued to work hard. His first camp with Golden Falcon resulted in a submission victory for Delerme at Cage Titans 39. Now at the completion of his second camp, he looks for a similar result.
“[For this camp] I got to go with heavier guys, smaller guys, faster guys. Guys that have more weight, stronger guys. [Teammates] that have different skill sets, that are good on the good, standing. I got to see a lot of different looks which is why I am really confident going into this fight, I think I’m pretty good everywhere.”
Preparation
His opponent Sage Philippe, makes his MMA debut. For Delerme, this left him without any real sense of his opponent’s ability. As opposed to planning for a specific opponent, the Connecticut fighter focused on developing his own skills.
“I really have no idea of what he’s good at. I’ve never seen any video on him, I’ve never seen him fight. I believe this is his first fight. But like I said, I’ve had a lot of different looks in my training camp, a lot of different body types. I feel like I am pretty much ready for whatever he’s bringing. I don’t think he can stand with me on the feet, and honestly, I don’t think he can grapple with me on the ground. So anywhere this fight goes, I see myself finishing him probably in the second round.”
Debuting Opponent
This fight for AMMO is not being overlooked by Manu Delerme. Yet, it is a stepping stone. With a win Saturday, Delerme will be right in line with his plan to turn pro.
“I would like to put together a string of wins as an amateur and then eventually go pro. Then see where it goes. I’m just taking it one fight at a time though. I don’t want to look past my opponent for this fight. I never look past any fight, I don’t like to underestimate my opponents because they are probably good. If they’re good enough to get into the cage, then somebody has the confidence in them that they’re probably pretty good.”
AMMO Fight League 5: Battlegrounds
AMMO Fight League 5: Battlegrounds takes place at The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The card features a good portion of amateur New England talent. Cage Titans amateur flyweight champion, Mitch Raposo looks to capture a second title when he takes on David Durao. The two compete for the AMMO amateur flyweight title in their second meeting inside the cage. Aaron Hughes another Cage Titans talent fights on the card. He also battles for a title in his bout against Randy Francis.
Other fighters featured on the card include the return of experienced professionals Rodrigo and Saul Almeida. In the main event, Jon Manley takes on Isaac Steele in a battle of two well respected New England professionals
