Though he’s only three fights into his pro career, welterweight prospect Anthony Ivy feels like he’s been making the right moves towards becoming a complete mixed martial artist.
In particular, Ivy notes his transition from the amateur to pro ranks was a big step that forced him to look at the sport more intently and work hard to succeed at it.
“I was the (amateur) lightweight champion for PCG and literally two or three months later, I fought my first pro fight, and it looped pretty quick,” Ivy told MMAWeekly.com. “It wasn’t too much of a difference; it’s just more you have to be aware of yourself. You’re in a more serious situation, but the transition was pretty smooth, really.
“I think for myself, I just had to get used to the fan base, selling more tickets, be more serious with training, because it actually counts toward your record and there’s no going back on it.”
Ivy also has the added incentive of keeping up with his twin brother, Dimitre, fighting at the same time, though the two do not train together and participate in separate weight classes.
“We do train at two different gyms,” Ivy said. “It’s not strange or anything like that, because we’re still brothers and still love each other and hang out and do everything together, but when it comes to our fighting stuff, we try to keep it separate.
“He has his coach, and I have my coach. We keep it as simple as that. There’s no difference in our fighting – we try to go out there and get those wins – so that’s how that is.”
Ivy (2-1) steps up to the biggest stage of his career so far when he makes his Legacy Fighting Alliance debut against Arthur Ashton (2-1) in a main card 170-pound bout on Friday in San Antonio, Texas.
“I’m really, really excited for it,” said Ivy. “I always treat my opponents as high-level guys. I will never treat them any different. That’s how I prepare myself.
“How I’ll actually get the win, is I’m always hunting for the potential knockout – get in and get out – and if not, I’ll take (Ashton) down and look to finish it on the ground.”
Looking ahead in 2017, the main goal for Ivy is to capture his first pro title and see where things go from there.
“In 2017 I’m hunting for a belt,” Ivy said. “I’m not in any rush to get it, but I really want a belt. We’ll see how this one goes and we’ll start from there. With every fight I’m always hunting for a top position.”
