Adam Cella (9-8) is looking for the biggest victory of his MMA career when he fights James Bochnovic (8-3) at Shamrock FC 309 this Friday.
Looking for a Title Shot
Bochnovic, like Cella, is a UFC and Bellator veteran with some solid wins on his resume. Cella will look to earn his fourth win in a row, but he’s hoping something bigger could come from a victory: his first title fight.
“To be honest, I’ve been talking it over with the guys at Shamrock,” Cella told MMASucka. “I wanted this to be for a title fight. I’m 33. I don’t want to be doing this for that much longer. I’ve got a couple of more years left and the one thing I’ve not done is win a professional title.
“The original opponent I had was in the same boat as James. [Shamrock] said we can’t have a title fight with a guy coming off of a loss. There’s only two guys in Shamrock FC at 185 who are on winning streaks and super tough, and I train with both of them. Johnny Eblen and Ty Flores. I’m kind of at a stalemate.”
Cella said his bout with Bochnovic is the biggest Shamrock FC fight since Bobby Voelker and Zak Bucia went to war for the welterweight title at Shamrock FC 289. Cella hopes he’ll get his shot at Shamrock FC gold with a win. He noted he’s spent most of his career with Shamrock FC and would be content to finish it with them if the UFC or Bellator doesn’t come calling.
The Match-up
But Cella must beat Bochnovic if he hopes to earn a title shot in his next bout. He said Bochnovic is definitely one of the best opponents he’ll have faced on paper, and Cella knows that Bochnovic needs a win. Bochnovic is coming off a rough UFC stint where he lost a pair of match-ups that he took on short notice.
“He’s definitely going to be looking for a win so I’ve got to be prepared for everything, really,” Cella said. “I’ve watched a couple of his fights. Sometimes he comes out fast and sometimes he comes out real systematic. He’s a smart guy. I expect him to be in shape and firing on all cylinders and him to be going for that win right away.”
Cella seems to have re-found his own stride, entering the fight with three consecutive wins. Prior to that, he was mired in a six-fight losing streak.
“I’m not a guy to make excuses but I think almost every one of those losses were bullshit,” he said. “I don’t think I should’ve lost five out of six of those.”
Those losses included a split decision to Darrius Flowers and a disqualification for strikes to the back of the head against Coltin Cole. He’s since defeated Cole in a rematch.
“I don’t see it going to a decision.”
Cella credits cross-training with guys like James Krause and Zak Cummings as a key factor behind his latest wins. He added that he’s done a lot of strength and conditioning work this camp. He’s always had solid cardio, and is looking forward to seeing how that impacts his performance. Cella feels his pace is his path to victory against Bochnovic.
“I know how my cardio is,” he said. “I don’t think there’s another 185’er who will be able to keep up with me and my pace. And I think I’ll end up breaking [Bochnovic] at some point in this fight. I don’t see it going to a decision.”
Shamrock FC 309 goes down on Friday, September 7 from the River City Casino in St. Louis. FloCombat will be airing the event.
