Video: Josh Burkman renews motivation ahead of WSOF 9 fight vs. Stinson

Things were rolling along pretty well for Josh Burkman. Then he ran into Steve Carl.

Burkman won eight of nine fights after being let to from the UFC in 2008 on a 1-4 slide. Included in a five-fight winning streak were WSOF wins over Gerald Harris, Aaron Simpson and Jon Fitch.

The Fitch win, in particular, put Burkman back on the map – he choked the former UFC title challenger unconscious in 41 seconds. But against Carl, fighting for the inaugural WSOF welterweight title, he was off his game and was choked out, himself, with a fourth-round triangle this past October.

Now Burkman (26-10) says he has his motivation back, and tonight he takes on Tyler Stinson (26-9) at WSOF 9, which takes place at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The main card airs on NBC Sports Network.

“My loss against Steve Carl, it was definitely motivating,” Burkman said. “After you get over losing the belt and losing the title bonus, then you’re just stuck with your loss. But instead of dwelling on a loss or thinking you’re a loser because you lose, you have to figure out what went wrong in the fight and you fix it and get better from it.

“I fixed the problems and now I get a chance to go out and prove that everybody has an off night.”

In the video above, hear what else Burkman had to say about his fight against Carl, and how he plans to make amends for it against Stinson tonight.

And for more on WSOF 9, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.