CHICAGO – Cris Lencioni doesn’t have a ton of pro fights, but his amateur background in Oregon is crucial, he thinks.
Lencioni turned pro in 2016 and won his first four fights before a current two-fight slide. But before that, Lencioni went a perfect 8-0 as an amateur in a state where he says amateur MMA is as tough and competitive as pro MMA in the rest of the regional scene.
The 24-year-old, whose nickname is “Sunshine” with a disposition to match, trains with the likes of Chael Sonnen, Ed Herman, Paige VanZant and Austin Vanderford at Gracie Barra in Portland.
On Saturday, Lencioni (4-2 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) returns to work looking to snap his two-fight Bellator skid when he takes on Adil Benjilany (5-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) on the Bellator 221 prelims at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., near Chicago. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
In the video above, Lencioni talks about his nickname, drug testing, Sonnen and more.
For more on Bellator 221, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
