CATHAL PENDRED WON’T be taking a break from mixed martial arts in order to temporarily focus on competing in professional boxing.
Pendred (17-3) had been planning a short hiatus from MMA after his next bout in the octagon, with a view to improving his oft-criticised striking skills.
The Irish welterweight, who turned 28 yesterday, will face undefeated English fighter Tom Breese (8-0) at UFC Fight Night 76 at the 3Arena in Dublin on 24 October.
Pendred told The42 that he does intend to take some time out to concentrate on improving his game after the clash with Breese, but his UFC contract won’t permit him to take a professional boxing fight.
“I wanted to do that but the UFC have told me I’m not allowed,” Pendred said. “It’s a shame. I can kind of understand where they’re coming from, but at the same time it would better me as a fighter to go off and do that for a few months, and then come back.
“If I’m better as a fighter then it’s better for the UFC, but I do understand why they don’t want me to do that. It’s in the contract as well apparently and a contract is a contract. But I do still plan on taking a few months to work on things.”
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Next month’s meeting with Breese will be Pendred’s sixth UFC bout in the space of 15 months. The Dubliner was beaten by John Howard in his most recent outing but he started his time in the UFC with four consecutive wins.
However, Pendred admits that he has under-performed so far in his time with MMA’s leading promotion. After this next outing, the former Cage Warriors champion will focus on making some improvements in the gym before taking another fight.
Pendred said: “I’ve had a very hectic year; five fights in less than a year. Things are different when you’re training for a fight. When you’re gearing towards competition you don’t get to fine-tune things as much as you’d like. You don’t get to focus on certain aspects that you may like to spend more time on.
“That’s something I want to do, so after this fight you definitely won’t be seeing me fight again for a few months. I just want to get back into the gym and just focus on certain things that I’ve been wanting to focus on for a while.”
Tickets for UFC Fight Night 76 go on sale this Friday, 4 September, via Ticketmaster.
