THACKERVILLE, Okla. – What a difference a few pounds makes – that’s what Linton Vassell seems to be thinking this week.
Vassell (19-7 MMA, 7-5 BMMA), who not long ago fought for Bellator’s light heavyweight title, is moving up to heavyweight this week to take on Valentin Moldavsky (7-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in the Bellator 218 co-main event.
The result, he said Thursday, has been a happier, healthier and rejuvenated version of himself that he hopes to put on display Friday night. Bellator 218 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
“It’s definitley permanent,” Vassell told MMA Junkie. “I was thinking about it for a while – probably two years. Every fight camp got a little bit harder. Win or lose with my last fight against Phil Davis, it was like, ‘It’s time to move up.’ Things didn’t go my way, so it was the right decision, I think. And now, I feel great at heavyweight. … I can’t think of anything worse than making 205 again.”
Vassell said his strength is “through the roof” and that he was losing a lot of strength cutting down to the light heavyweight limit.
The 35-year-old Brit is on a two-fight skid that started when he lost a title fight to Ryan Bader before Bader went on to add the heavyewigh title to his resume. Then he was knocked out by ex-champ Davis.
And while he’s not looking past Moldavsky, which he calls “the perfect fight for me to bring to heavyweight,” but thinks a solid finish of Moldavsky and one win after that would put him back into a title fight with Bader – but at heavyweight, where he wants to be.
Check out the video above for more from Vassell ahead of his fight with Moldavsky.
And for more on Bellator 218, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
