Heading into His BAMMA UK Fight, Colin Fletcher Says, “I’m Always the Underdog in My Head”

Adorned in tattoos and walking to the cage in clown regalia, former UFC lightweight Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher has proven himself to be one of the most individual fighters in MMA.

With that said, it’s almost ironic that the term that could best describe Fletcher’s recent history would be “rollercoaster.”

After eight wins in his first nine fights, Fletcher participated in The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes reality series and proceeded to suffer back-to-back losses to close out 2012 and start out this year, but rebounded in September with a win in the BAMMA UK promotion following his UFC release.

“Yeah, my life’s always a bit of a rollercoaster to be fair,” said Fletcher. “I like it that way. It’s my life to live, so I like to do as many unusual things as I can.

“I did something (in TUF) that got me a lot of attention, but made me question whether I wanted to be a MMA fighter if I had to leave my quirky style behind. Now I’m back in a position where I don’t have to and I’m as happy as a pig in (expletive) again.”

Looking back on his win in September against Tim Newman in his BAMMA UK return, Fletcher told MMAWeekly.com, “I think that fight went quite well for me.

“Tim was tough and very technical, but that’s what I’d prepared for. I enjoyed the fight; it was fun.”

Fletcher (9-3) looks to close out 2013 with a second straight win when he faces Mansour Barnaoui (10-2) in a BAMMA UK lightweight showdown on Saturday night in Birmingham, England.

“Mansour is a beast,” said Fletcher. “I can see him being my hardest fight to date… well, that’s what I’m hoping for anyway.

“He’s super well-rounded, young, and strong and fit, so I’m going to have to be just relentless. But that’s why I’m in the gym six to eight hours a day, seven days a week. My heart’s twice as big as a normal human, so I should be okay, and my head’s as hard as an old coal bucket.”

A win over Barnaoui would not only end Fletcher’s year on a high note, but would also help set him up for a potentially better year in 2014… just don’t tell him that.

“I’d love to get on a winning streak, but to be honest, I never feel confident,” he said. “(It’s) quite the opposite. I’m always the underdog in my head.

“I look at one fight at a time, and going into them I normally feel like I’m going to lose, but to be fair I’m a bit weird. I think it helps me kill myself at the gym to be the best fighter I can be and I love the challenge in my own mind and of pushing myself to succeed.”

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