Bellator 109's Will Brooks eager to cap off tournament win in ‘ruthless’ fashion

The Bellator MMA tournament is one of the most challenging tasks in the sport, and lightweight Will Brooks is nearing a successful Season 9 campaign.

Not only is winning three fights in an eight-week span a monumental task, but making it through all those fights free of injury is equally important. He’ll face Alexander Sarnavskiy on Friday at Bellator 109, which takes place at Sands Casino Event Center in Bethlehem, Pa. The event airs on Spike TV with prelims on Spike.com.

Numerous fighters have advanced in the Bellator tournament only to pull out of a meaningful semifinal or final bout. More often than not, the opportunity doesn’t come back around. Brooks (12-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) recognized this in his latest tournament bid and fought the conservative route to the finals, defeating John Alessio and Saad Awad by decision.

Now that he’s a day away from facing Sarnavskiy (25-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) for the six-figure total tournament prize, Brooks said it is time to empty his gas tank and prove why he can be a Bellator champion.

“I’m definitely looking for a finish this time around,” Brooks told MMAjunkie. “My last two fights, the things we were looking to do required me to go for 15 minutes. We’re at the point now where we’re looking to be greedy, and I’ll be extremely ruthless in looking for that finish in every position.”

In a polar opposite to Brooks, Sarnavskiy needed just two minutes and 48 seconds of total cage time to advance to the tournament final. The dangerous Russian brings a violent skill set and incredible record into the contest, but despite his accolades, Brooks believes his natural abilities will be the difference maker come fight time.

“My advantages will be my speed, my explosiveness and my athleticism,” Brooks said. “I think I present a problem for everyone as far as that goes. I don’t think a lot of guys can match my athleticism and speed.”

Although Brooks is best known for his wrestling and his willingness to neutralize his opponent on the ground, he is also improving in the striking department. While one wouldn’t think of the tournament final as the ideal time for a fighter to showcase new wrinkles to their game, Brooks hopes to display improved talents on the feet.

“I really want to open up a lot of my striking this time around and get more creative with my striking,” Brooks said. “The next step in my own personal process that my coaches and I have put together is to open up with a little more striking.”

With that said, what Brooks hopes to do in the fight and what he actually needs to do are different things entirely.

If push comes to shove and Brooks needs to dig into his bag of tricks to secure a victory, he’ll gladly take the fight to the ground where he’s most comfortable and lock up a submission.

“At the end of the day, I’m really good at wrestling, so I’m never going away from that,” Brooks said. “If I get a finish, it will probably be on the ground.

“He’ll either give me his arm, give me his back, or I’ll be ground-and-pounding him from the top. Whatever it is, I’ll make sure I’m looking for every opportunity to put pressure on him and finish this fight.”

Not only will a victory on Friday earn Brooks a nice sum of prize money, but it will also punch his ticket to a lightweight championship fight under the Bellator banner.

The promotion’s 155-pound title is currently held up as a trilogy bout is expected between champion Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler for sometime next year. While fighting for the belt may be a bit of a ways off should he win, Brooks wants to solidify his status as the next challenger with a dominant and impressive performance.

“I’m focused on one fight at a time, but it’s hard not to focus on fighting for the belt,” Brooks said. “We all get into this sport to become a champion and get the belt. To get that opportunity would be amazing.

“My main focus is ‘Tiger’ Sarnavskiy – every second of the day, I’ve thought about this fight. In a weird way, I’ve been kind of obsessed with this fight. Chandler and Alvarez are probably going to rematch for the belt, but I want to make sure I’m next in line.”

For more on Bellator 109, visit the MMA Rumors section of the site.