Legacy Champ Derrick Krantz Out to Prove He’s One of the Best in the World

Following a couple years of inconsistency, welterweight veteran Derrick “D-Rock” Krantz has found his stride, winning his past three fights, including taking the Legacy FC welterweight title in his last bout.

During this streak, Krantz has wins over Kyle Bradley, Daniel Roberts, and Brock Larson, all three being UFC veterans, which has him feeling like now is his time.

“I was really impressed that I was able to perform and beat these caliber veterans and get the wins,” Krantz told MMAWeekly.com. “Things are looking up; my confidence is an all-time high; my skills as a mixed martial artist are starting to peak right now and it feels pretty good.”

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Krantz points out that his difficulties in the past were mainly physical issues that he’s since remedied.

“One thing I stopped doing was cutting to 155 pounds,” he said. “It was taking a major toll on my body. I also fought a few times on some pretty serious injuries, like a broken foot and a broken ankle. I had to tell myself that I needed to make better choices for my career.”

Krantz (17-8) will make the first defense of his 170-pound title a Legacy FC 49 on Friday in Shreveport, La., against a fighter he’s followed for a long time in Alex Morono (10-3) in the evening’s main event.

“I watched his pro debut,” said Krantz of Morono. “I was impressed by the kid. I felt he was going to be a handful in a couple years, and here he is now trying to take my title. I’m really excited on that end.

“What I need to do to beat Alex is pressure him, hit him hard, and just grab him. I’m an up-close-in-your-face fighter, and that’s who I have to be in this fight.”

While defending his title is important to Krantz, keeping his winning streak alive and impressing people at the next level is biggest thing in his career right now.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love winning titles, but more importantly I want to get the W,” he said. “As long as I can keep getting fights against tougher opponents who are at that next level, that’s what’s important.

“I’ve made some bad decisions, reflected on them, and am just trying to put together a good winning streak, beat the right people and show everybody that I’m one of the best fighters out there. To do that, I’ve got to put Alex away, and that’s what I’m going to do.”