Shai Lindsey Plans to Bounce from Disappointing Debut with a Big Win at RFA 42

In making his RFA debut last October, featherweight prospect Shai Lindsey encountered a series of changes that ended up possibly costing him the fight.

Originally scheduled to face Joseph Peukert at 125 pounds, Lindsey ended up taking on Zac Riley at 135 pounds, and ultimately lost via first-round submission.

“I walked out of the gym (the day I found out about my opponent change) at 135 pounds, and I felt ready, I had a good camp and let’s just fight,” Lindsey told MMAWeekly.com. “It was at home, I’d sold a lot of tickets, and I just said let’s do it.

“That’s just kind of how it is, you roll the dice, and we went in there and got caught. I’ve moved on and am ready for the next fight.”

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Though he lost, Lindsey impressed the RFA enough to earn a return bout for the promotion, to which he is nothing but thankful for.

“For (the RFA ) to support me – at the end of the day I want to make sure I sold my tickets, did my part, and when I sign on that dotted line that I show up that day – for them to put my name out there is a very grateful thing,” he said.

For his RFA 42 return, Lindsey (4-1) takes on Steve Gruber (5-3) in a main card 125-pound bout on Friday in Visalia, Calif.

“I feel (Gruber’s) striking is going to allow me to do what I want to do in order to be able to get a win out of this and show what I’m capable of doing,” Lindsey said. “Last October, that was taken away from me, so I’m itching to get a good win for the RFA.”

Having waited nearly a year to get back into the cage, Lindsey is looking to be as active as he can be to close out 2016 and will take any fights that come his way.

“Really, if it rolls into another fight, we’ll take the fight,” said Lindsey. “From last October, I had five fights lined up in camp and a couple of them fell out. I like to stay active, so if another fight lines up, I’m good to good.

“I’ll be back in the gym on Monday (after the Gruber fight) and we’ll be getting ready for the next opponent.”

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