VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Jim Crute may be perceived as a small light heavyweight, but just wait until you get a hold of him.
Crute on Thursday said the notion he’s too small for the division is quickly changed once opponents try to grapple with him.
He thinks theres no need for fighters to drain themselves for a potential size advantage because size doesn’t always matter.
“I don’t understand why people cut so much weight,” Crute said. “You see all these middleweights come up to light heavyweight and having success. You see all the welterweights going up to middleweight and having success. When I say weight cuts (at light heavyweight) are easy, I mean they’re easy compared to most people. I still have to cut a bit of weight. I am a big guy. A lot of people think I’m small for light heavyweight until they get a hold of me and try to grapple with me and they go, ‘Oh, hang on a second – you’re actually a decent sized light heavyweight.'”
“The Brute” doesn’t have any plans to move down to 185 pounds unless he starts to feel the difference in the cage.
“I don’t ever plan to move down to middleweight,” he said. “If I ever lose a few fights in a row and it’s because the guys are bigger than me, I might think about it.”
Saturday, Crute (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) takes on Misha Cirkunov (14-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 16 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and hopes with a win, he’ll draw a ranked opponent next.
“After this fight, after I beat Misha Cirkunov, anyone with a number next to their name is fair game,” Crute said.
With both guys notching numerous early finishes throughout their careers, Crute thinks Saturday could be another short night for his opponent.
And while he’s prepared to go the distance, he says the determining factor will be his power.
“I believe that I can get him out of there early,” Crute said. “But at the same time, I’m very well aware that that doesn’t always happen and I know that I can go three hard rounds. I don’t think he’s got the power to put me away. I know that I have the power to put him away. So I’ve just got to keep my defense as good and move around him a bit and put the lights out on him.”
