Bellator 175's 'Scarface'-quoting Emmanuel Sanchez: 'I want the world and everything in it'

The natural assumption for fighters who compete in MMA is that they’re in it to reach the apex of their craft. Few, however, are as enthusiastic about achieving that goal as Bellator’s Emmanuel Sanchez.

“I’m like Tony Montana (from ‘Scarface’): ‘I want the world and everything in it,'” Sanchez told MMAjunkie. “I just want to fight and fight the best and be at the top, and I want to beat them all. Short or tall, big or small, they all will fall. When I retire and I’m done fighting, at the end of the day people are going to say, ‘Wow, this guy fought the best and beat the best and was willing to fight anyone, anywhere, any time.’

“That’s what I want. I want to be the best fighter in the world.”

Sanchez’s (14-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) next step in his trek toward etching a place in MMA prominence takes place at Bellator 175 in a featherweight bout with Marcos Galvao (18-7-1 MMA, 9-4 BMMA). The event goes down March 31 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., with the main card on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

The matchup is an interesting one. Galvao, a former Bellator bantamweight titleholder, moves up a weight class to 145 pounds. Sanchez was handed the assignment of welcoming the Brazilian to his new division and said there was never any hesitation about taking the fight.

Although fighting an established contender at featherweight would have made sense, as well, Sanchez said he’s aware of the significance behind fighting a former champion. He said he jumped on the opportunity the same as every other that’s come his way.

“When I get the phone call and the contract, it’s just like, ‘All right coach, I’m making a life for myself and making history and out to make history,'” Sanchez said. “I want to be a legend in the sport. I want to be a champion. I want to be the best, pound-for-pound. I’ve got to do all these things and fight all these guys to get myself up there and get that belt and just be amazing and be incredible and try to be remembered as one of the best.”

Sanchez talks a heavy game, but there arguably is still a missing piece inside the cage. The 26-year-old has suffered a pair of losses to Daniel Weichel and Pat Curran in recent years and has earned his past four victories on the scorecards by either split or majority decision.

“El Matador” said he’s mainly concerned with putting on exciting fights, regardless of how long they last, but there is still something to be desired in terms of seeing him produce a dominant, clear-cut victory.

That potential criticism doesn’t hang on Sanchez’s mind, though, he said. He would certainly like to finish a fight soon and will go for it against Galvao, but he won’t veer from his comfort zone, either.

“I put no pressure (on myself to finish fights),” Sanchez said. “I’m like Bruce Lee and I flow like water and just go wherever the fight goes and have fun. You can’t ever forget why you started this. You put too much pressure (on yourself) and you’re not going to perform. It doesn’t matter. Fight your fight and have fun and be free and do what you love, and the results will be golden.”

If Sanchez produces the golden result he’s looking for at Bellator 175, he believes it could lead to a golden opportunity. Bellator’s 145-pound belt will be up for grabs at Bellator 178 on April 21 when champ Daniel Straus takes on Patricio Freire for the fourth time.

There are some fighters in the featherweight division who have done good work of late and could potentially challenge the winner of that title fight. However, Sanchez believes he could jump to the front of the line with the right performance against Galvao. If not, though, he intends to keep working until the demand is so great Bellator has no choice but to give him a title shot.

“At the end of the day, records and all these things don’t matter. It’s about who puts butts in the seats and who gets eyes glued on the TV to give an exciting fight,” Sanchez said. “What’s the exciting fight? What’s the money fight? What do fans want to see? Those were three exciting fights (between Straus and Freire) – really exciting – and I expect the fourth to be the same, if not more. That’s why they made it happen, and it is what it is. I’ll be ready whenever my time comes.”

For more on Bellator 175, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.