NEIL SEERY IS accustomed to competing as the underdog but even he admits that his chances of defeating Kyoji Horiguchi look slim on paper.
Nevertheless, the veteran Dubliner is relishing this weekend’s opportunity to face a man who fought for the UFC flyweight title just a year ago.
Seery will take on Horiguchi in the feature bout on the Fight Pass prelims on Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 87 card in Rotterdam. Fans can expect the pair to be in the octagon at around 4.30pm Irish time.
“I was actually surprised when I got Horiguchi,” Seery told The42. “He’s ranked number five and I’m not in the rankings, so my first thought was that they must be struggling to get fights for him. People probably don’t want to fight him. He’s so elusive, quick and really dangerous.”
Seery, who represents Team Ryano in Finglas, goes into Sunday’s bout on the back of his second-round submission of Jon Delos Reyes in Dublin last October, which took his record in the UFC to 3-2 (16-11 overall).
Horiguchi (16-2, 5-1 UFC), on the other hand, will be searching for his second consecutive win since his April 2015 submission loss to dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, which came in the final second of the fifth round.
An entertaining fighter with a background in karate, odds of 1/5 make the 25-year-old from Japan the biggest favourite on Sunday’s 13-bout bill.
“It’s definitely a mismatch on paper,” Seery admitted. “He was one second away from going the distance with Demetrious Johnson, which is nothing to be sniffed at.
“But you can’t put out statements that you’re willing to fight anybody in the division and then turn fights down when they come your way. I took the fight and didn’t think any more of it. Yeah, a lot of things aren’t in my favour — age, record, he’s a lot quicker — but at the end of the day, it’s just a fight; one man against another.
“It’s probably one of the toughest fights I’ll ever be in but I still see it as just another fight. One punch or one submission attempt can change the entire game. But I’m looking forward to it. Let’s see how it goes.”
With Cathal Pendred and Paddy Holohan retiring, as well as Paul Redmond and Norman Parke being given their marching orders, the Irish presence in the UFC has decreased significantly over the past six months.
The UFC has become more ruthless in trimming fighters from its roster, as Parke — who was coming off just one loss — discovered last month. But if Neil Seery’s UFC future is in danger this weekend, he’s showing no signs of concern.
The 36-year-old, who’s a full-time warehouse manager, said: “I don’t give a fuck about stuff like that. I think people end up changing their game because of their circumstances on the roster. I don’t have that. I don’t look at this as a job or a way of income. This is just fun.
“I like getting in and competing against the top lads. The minute you stop having fun is when you should wrap it up and head off. I don’t think it’s a game that you can get into and plan to become a millionaire because it works out like that for very, very few people.
“One or two losses now and you’re probably out the door. As soon as you start worrying about being cut, you’ll change how you fight and that’s probably going to backfire.”
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
