Trevor Prangley Bounces Back from Career Low with Back-to-Back Victories

What a difference a month can make.

Heading into May, veteran middleweight Trevor Prangley was in the midst of what could have been a career-killing three-fight losing streak. Just three weeks later and Prangley has rebounded, winning back-to-back fights for the first time since 2009.

“I think it’s a mental thing,” said Prangley on the key to his resurgence. “I’m out there more relaxed in fights. I don’t feel the pressure I used to feel and I think it’s helped.

“They’re both tough, durable guys, but like I said before, I thought my experience would pull me through in a pinch. I was patient and picked my shots, and that was the way to do it.”

Prangley started off his month in India, where he beat Braga Agaev for the upstart Super Fight League in a match that he feels is indicative of his career up to this point.

“I’m not happy with my performance at all because I had a slow start,” said Prangley. “But that tends to be how I fight. I start off slow, but then come on strong.

“By halfway through the second round I started to feel good and picked it up and basically pressured him into breaking, forcing him into mistakes and I was able to land a big right hand and put him down in the third.”

Prangley then defeated George Stork at King of the Cage “Wild Card” in his adopted hometown of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in what ended up being a war of attrition in many ways.

“My fight in KOTC was a bit different for me because I got a stomach bug while in India,” Prangley told MMAWeekly.com. “I lost like eight pounds in 10 days between the fight, and even though I didn’t think it would affect me that much, by the end of the first round I was just done.

“That’s probably the most fatigued I’ve been in my entire career, but I dug deep and got through the fight and got the choke in the third round.”

Prangley’s wins couldn’t have come at a better time. As he points out, sometimes, prolonged lack of success can have more effect on someone than what is reflected in his win-loss record.

“It’s a confidence builder,” he said. “I know I can go into my next fight and perform. When you take a few losses in a row like I did, you start to doubt yourself a little bit and wonder if you still deserve to be in there. I think these wins help set me straight again.”

After taking some time to recover from his whirlwind month, Prangley is looking forward to the coming months with renewed vigor.

“I’ll go back to India at the end of summer, but until then I’ll keep training and do some more jiu-jitsu tournaments,” he said. “I did my first one a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I’ll just stay in shape, focus on my gym, and enjoy my summer.”

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