Bellator 170's Cody Bollinger hopes Henry Corrales chokes with the pressure of staying employed

Bellator featherweight Cody Bollinger figures his upcoming opponent knows the score when it comes to his career.

Whether he’ll be able to benefit from that, he’ll see. But that’s the hope.

“Something may get to him where he mentally shuts down and goes into kill mode,” Bollinger (19-6 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) told MMAjunkie in advance of his MMAjunkie-streamed preliminary fight against Henry Corrales (12-3 MMA, 0-3 BMMA) at Saturday’s Bellator 170, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. “That would be an ideal situation for me.”

Corrales arrived to the promotion with eight straight wins under the King of the Cage banner. He hadn’t been beaten in 12 professional fights. His impressive resume earned him an immediate boost in the eyes of Bellator matchmakers.

But it appears it was too much, too soon for the up-and-comer. At Bellator 138, Corrales took on current champ Daniel Straus, who was then working his way back into contention after losing the belt to now-former champ Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. By the second round, Corrales was tapping to a rear-naked choke.

The road didn’t get any easier. Corrales then lost to Emmanuel Sanchez via split call, and then to Freire by second-round submission.

Heading into Bellator 170, it stands to reason that another loss will send Corrales back to the regional circuit.

Bollinger knows that trip well. After a dreadful turn on “The Ultimate Fighter 18,” he signed with Titan FC and then fought for a couple of regional promotions.

Bollinger’s return to Bellator – five years after a quick TKO loss to Shahbulat Shamhalaev – marks his first big-show appearance in a long time. While he’s eager to make a first impression, he thinks Corrales might be a little desperate to do the same. And desperation gives him an edge.

“He’s 0-3 in Bellator,” Bollinger said. “I mean, not that he’s been fighting bums. The guy’s fought top talent at Bellator – I’ll give him that. But he knows that if he loses this fight, he’s getting cut. He’s going to have to fight for King of the Cage for the next five years. I know he doesn’t want to do that again, so I know he’s going to be training hard and he’s going to be ready for this fight.

“If he comes out overanxious or feeling like he’s got all that pressure, it’s better for me. I hope he comes in swinging as hard as he can. I’m going to make him miss. If he’s going to be there flat-footed, just trying to get a knockout because of all the pressure that’s on him, even better for me. He’s got a good amount of fights, though. I think he’s a little smarter that that. But we’ll find out.”

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