Family tragedy motivates Andy Uhrich ahead of Bellator 148 headliner with Paul Daley

Andy Uhrich

Fighting Paul Daley in Friday’s Bellator 148 headliner would seem like potentially the most daunting moment of Andy Uhrich’s life. Yet, it’s not even close.

In April 2009, on the day of a scheduled fight in Memphis, Tenn., Uhrich and his pregnant wife got the crushing news.

“Stunner” was booked to fight in the co-headliner of a Cage Assault event when earlier in the day he received some heartbreaking news from his pregnant wife, who suffered complications with the pregnancy and ultimately miscarried. Despite the news, Uhrich went forward with his bout and defeated Brian White by first-round knockout.

The decision to try to push the situation out of his mind and go through with the fight was difficult for Uhrich (11-5 MMA, 1-2 BMMA), he said. However the situation proved he could battle through even the worst of times and win his fights, he said. It’s one reason why a fearsome knockout specialist like Daley (37-13-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) doesn’t scare him.

The bout takes place at Save Mart Center on Fresno, Calif. and airs on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

“My confidence comes from the past and what I’ve been through; I’ve overcome a lot of things in my career and my life,” Uhrich told MMAjunkie. “Back in April 2009, that day I had my fourth pro fight. Me and my wife were pregnant with a child, and she went in to get an ultrasound, and it all checked out because she was having some troubles. She found out that we lost the baby that day, and that was on fight day.

“She didn’t want to tell me but ended up bringing me over to her parents’ house the day of the fight, and she told me that afternoon. I had already made weight and was getting ready to fight, and then she told me. I still went to the venue and got ready to fight, but I sat there in a black tunnel not really knowing what to do or what to think about. I just knew I signed my contract, so I was still going to fight. I fought through that, and it was really hard. I don’t even remember the fight. It was just tunnel vision, and I went out and destroyed the guy and moved on from it. That was a hard thing. We’ve been having trouble trying to have kids, and that’s another motivation for me to be successful and further our future of trying to start a family.”

Compared to his opponent, Uhrich is a relatively unknown name. He has fewer bouts and hasn’t faced even a fraction of the big names or tough competition that Daley has experienced during productive MMA and kickboxing careers.

Nevertheless, Uhrich said he fully expects to pull off the upset and defeat Daley. Why? His self-belief and desire are much stronger, he said.

“I’m a very confident person but not a cocky person,” Uhrich said. “I’m not going to talk (expletive) about him. He’s a great fighter, and I’ve watched him for years. I’ve thought we could eventually cross paths. What I see in his game are things I can take advantage of in a fight. As long as I push the pace and fight my game and impose my will, that’s what’s going to win the fight for me.

“In my eyes this is the best way to go in. I have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain off of this fight. I beat Daley, and I just take all his momentum that he had in GLORY and Bellator then I regain my momentum that I knew I had and I keep going forward in Bellator toward that title shot.”

From Uhrich’s perspective, he’s already been positioned as the loser of the fight. When Bellator 148 was first booked, Uhrich vs. Daley was the co-headliner beneath a main event bout featuring Daley’s longtime rival, Josh Koscheck.

Conventional wisdom indicated that Bellator’s plan was to put both men on the same card so they could win and line up a rematch of their infamous May 2010 bout at UFC 113, where Daley sucker-punched Koscheck after the bell. Uhrich said he’s not going to be anyone’s stepping stone, though, and while less promoted, he has his own reasons for needing the win.

“Nine years of hard work comes down to this fight, and I know no one is really giving me a chance against Paul Daley,” Uhrich said. “I know what they’re doing trying to bring me and setting up a rematch with Koscheck. But I’m going to come in and play spoiler. Daley, I hope he’s training hard and doesn’t overlook me because I’m training my ass off.

“People are thinking, ‘Oh, they set up Daley with this guy he’s going to knock him out really quick.’ I have to show people who I am and what I’m made of. I have absolutely nothing to lose, and I have a great life. I have a great wife and a great job working full-time (as a carpenter). If I lose I come back to what I’m doing now and just keep going forward. I won’t be down in the dirt and have nothing to look forward to. If they’re bringing me in to lose, they also have to see something that they can utilize for their marketing and their future when I come in and spoil their party. It goes both ways. They see something in me that some other people in other promotions haven’t seen. I’m thankful for that.”

FFor more on Bellator 148, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.