Drew Brokenshire Knows He Needs to be at His Best to Defend CageSport Belt

Though it may not have been as publicized as much as the others, one of the bigger upsets of 2012 was when Drew “Eternal Fire” Brokenshire defeated Julian Erosa for the CageSport featherweight championship in December.

Brokenshire was coming off a loss in his previous fight, whereas Erosa had been undefeated in his first nine fights. Few gave Brokenshire a chance, but he managed to step up and stymie Erosa to take the unanimous decision win.

“It was definitely a tough, competitive fight all the way through,” said Brokenshire. “Julian didn’t want to go anywhere; he wasn’t folding at all and was constantly bringing the fight.

“I felt my pressure against him was great, my striking was good and I think that threw him off because he was expected to be the better striker in the fight. I was able to land shots and avoid his. My top game was a little soft in that fight. It wasn’t very effective in that fight, so that was probably the worst part of that fight.”

The win over Erosa capped off a year that Brokenshire told MMAWeekly.com he feels was one of his most productive in terms of growth.

“I did a lot of growing and I’m really happy where I’m at right now,” he said. “I’ve definitely improved in my cardio. At the beginning of the year I had some three-round fights and I would get tired halfway through, and at the year I had a five-round title fight and I felt great in that fight all the way through.

“I’ve also been working on my wrestling real hard – especially since the loss to (Lee) Morrison – my takedown defense and getting up off my back and things like that.”

Brokenshire’s improved stamina and wrestling should come in handy when he makes his first defense of his CageSport title on Saturday night in Tacoma, Wash., against the always-rugged Enoch “Animal” Wilson.

“He’s a very tough guy and he’s very aggressive wherever the fight goes, so I need to be just as aggressive,” said Brokenshire of Wilson. “I need to put the pace on him, and I believe the cardio I showed in my last fight is going to be an asset to me in this fight as well.

“I have to make sure I come in great shape and push the pace on him for five rounds and be ready to take him out.”

While Brokenshire is looking to use his fight against Wilson as a springboard for a big year in 2013, he’s also cautious to know one misstep could derail those very same plans.

“I think it’s a great start,” said Brokenshire. “Enoch’s been around a while and has had a buzz about him and a lot of people know him, so he’s a great name on my resume.

“From there it’s just seeing what happens after that. But for right now I need to make sure I put everything together and make sure put I put on a great performance, because if I don’t, I could be taken out of the picture myself.”

(Photo courtesy of Halquist Productions)