Calm, composed Andrey Koreshkov honed in on Oropeza at Bellator 115

You wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at him, but Andrey Koreshkov is one motivated Russian.

Then again, he believes you might not know whether most of his fighting countrymen were motivated or excited or nervous or any other emotion.

“I think this is just the Russian way,” Koreshkov told MMAjunkie. “We don’t show many emotions, so it is not difficult for me to control myself before and after the fight. I can’t say that I would want to do something crazy if I won a big fight. I act as it is comfortable and convenient for me.”

Koreshkov (15-1 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) on Friday meets Sam Oropeza (11-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in the semifinals of Bellator’s Season 10 welterweight tournament at “Bellator 115: Minakov vs. Kongo.” The card takes place at Reno Events Center in Nevada with a main card on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on Spike.com at 7 p.m. ET.

He might not wear it on his face, but the motivation is there for Koreshkov, and it started after he lost a title fight to former welterweight champ Ben Askren this past July. Koreshkov won the Season 7 tournament to get a shot at Askren, but then was stopped by him with a fourth-round TKO.

“After I lost the first fight of my career, first of all, I had to find my motivation and determine exactly what motivates me the most,” he said. “And based on that, I started to create my psychological focus. After that loss, I fought twice, I won both times, and I felt way more relaxed and confident before and during the fight.”

A relaxed and confident Koreshkov proved to be a very dangerous Koreshkov. Less than three weeks ago, he took out UFC veteran Nah-Shon Burrell in quick order in the opening round, shutting him down in just 41 seconds.

Koreshkov landed a kick to the body and followed it up quickly with punches to get the TKO at Bellator 112. And while it may have seemed like just perfect timing and maybe a little bit of luck to land the kick that led to the win, the Russian said it was in the works backstage while he warmed up with his coach – who happens to be Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko.

“I was training the same kick I finished Nah-Shon Burrell with before the fight with Alexander Shlemenko,” Koreshkov said. “I didn’t know that I would be able to KO him with this kick, but my coach knew that this kick would be effective in this particular fight because Burrell always comes forward when he attacks. It made my work easier – I just had to throw the kick at the right time.”

The oddsmakers believe he might have easy work ahead of him again when he steps in against Oropeza. He’s more than a 4-to-1 favorite, even greater odds than he had in his favor against Burrell.

Koreshkov has seen the physical attributes Oropeza brings to the table after his first-round knockout of Cristiano Souza, which also took place at Bellator 112. But because he knows Oropeza is dangerous, it helps him hone in even stronger, mentally.

“Sam Oropeza is a tough guy,” he said. “He’s larger than me, his reach is also longer and he’s a good striker. He feels his distance well, and he punches hard. I think that he’s more dangerous standing. And the fact that he’s a good finisher only helps me to compose myself and be very focused in our fight.”

Douglas Lima and Rick Hawn later this month will fight for the vacant Bellator welterweight title – the one given up by Askren when he left to sign with ONE FC. It’s one of those two fighters that Koreshkov will face if he gets through another tournament.

But naturally, that’s not on his mind yet.

“I became stronger after my loss and I’m always improving and evolving as a fighter,” he said. “But now it is too early to try the belt around my waist. I have to win the tournament before I can even fight for the belt, so first things first. There’s a long road ahead, and I’m staying focused on my next step down this road.”

For more on Bellator 115, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.