MMAOddsBreaker’s Frank Trigg speaks with Legacy FC 46 middleweight Rafael Lovato Jr. as he prepares for his upcoming main card bout this Friday night (October 2, 2015) against Charles Byrd at the Allen Events Center in Allen, Texas.
The extremely talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist has a completely different vibe now that he’s training for a mixed martial arts fight instead of a grappling match and it has him on pins and needles:
“[Charles Byrd] is definitely a tough opponent and I don’t think it’s gonna be a walk in the park by any means. I do have a length advantage but the fact that he’s short is gonna pose it’s own set of threats. He’s got big legs. He does come from a wrestling background so his base is gonna be good. I’m gonna have to watch out for his overhand right coming in. He has good power in his hands. I’ve trained to be prepared for the worst. I’m ready to go three hard-battled rounds if I need to. There is no taking people lightly for me right now because I’m totally out of my comfort zone. I’m going to bed every night dreaming about how I have a fight and I’m not used to that. It’s pushing me to train harder than I’ve trained for jiu-jitsu in a while. It’s put me in a different vibe and I’m just ready to put on a show.”