Sidney Outlaw is grateful.
Just two years ago, Outlaw was homeless, sleeping in parks, trying to avoid trouble. On Saturday night, he’ll take on former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler in the co-main event of Bellator 237.
“This is beautiful,” Outlaw told MMA Junkie. “I’m a huge, huge fan of this guy. And I’m a huge fan of both the guys fighting in the main event. At the end of the day, I’m going to try my best to just enjoy it. And then ‘Rampage’ is fighting Fedor.
“Like, come on. I’m the guy who was sleeping in the park, getting shot at and getting robbed. I’m that guy in 2017 and 2018. That was me. That was me two years ago.”
Outlaw (14-3 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) had always heard about overnight success stories, but now he’s living one. Reflecting on his journey, Outlaw is in awe. Originally from Pennsylvania, Outlaw is now living in Florida. He trains at American Top Team, one of the world’s top gyms. It’s been a whirlwind 24 months.
“I’ve heard of overnight success stories, but I’m like, ‘Now am I actually living one?'” Outlaw said. “Training with one of the best teams … I just remember me praying. Like, ‘I don’t get it. I’m good. I’m good. I’m good, then I’ll get this. I’ll see what happens.’ I’m so used to it raining, it’s unusual for the sun to be out for me.
“Now I’m living in Florida. Look how beautiful it is. They don’t have pine trees; they have palm trees. Life is different. I do wake up every day and want to make sure you guys know I’m excited.”
Outlaw’s mentality has been a gift and curse. He’s always valued substance over style. He believes it might have initially hurt his chances of scoring a major opportunity. He kept winning and eventually punched his ticket into Bellator.
“Look at my credentials,” Outlaw said. “I fought a lot of good guys … a lot of tough guys. And nobody cared. Think of the Instagram world today. You’ve got cool pictures and great photographers, and people start to care. It’s just how society is nowadays. I never had that luxury. I tried and thought, ‘Hey, that’d be cool.’ But it just wasn’t working for me. Nobody really cared.”
When Chandler (19-5 MMA, 16-5 BMMA) became an option to fight, Outlaw didn’t hesitate – despite the short notice. This opportunity is what he’s been waiting for. According to Outlaw, fans should expect to see a fighter compete in his truest form due to the lack of time to gameplan.
“If anybody said they’d hesitate, they’re less than a man,” Outlaw said. “You’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity you have. Everybody is so focused on winning records and corny stuff like that. Not me. I couldn’t care less.
“… You’re going to see a fighter. He’s a guy who we’ve all watched his fights. I can’t tell you we’ve had a ton of time to prepare for this fight. You’re going to see a raw fighter. That’s the bottom line.”
Bellator 237, the promotion’s debut in Japan, takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
