For his win this past October over Luiz Firmino, veteran Brian Foster made a conscious effort to return to an older approach which he had changed in more recent fights. The results were extremely effective, as Foster picked up a first round submission, and his first win in a year.
“We just kind of resorted back to how I used to do things,” Foster told MMAWeekly.com. “I didn’t set any kind of game plan. We knew we were good standing, we knew we were good on the floor. We really didn’t care what (Firmino) chose to do.
“I just believed in my capability and finishing and I went out there and that’s what happened. I just kind of found something, and that’s how I perform best, when I’m just flowing and doing me.”
Foster feels things went a bit array in his 2015 fight with Joao Zeferino, and it’s only been lately that he’s been able to get back to what had worked best for him prior to that bout.
“It can be kind of frustrating to have a plan and not be on par with it, especially when you’re conscious of where you’re at and what you’re trying to apply,” said Foster.
“I started off with that loss with Joao, I veered off into setting stuff up, setting a trap or setting a game plan out there, and it didn’t work in my favor. So we went back and fixed a few things; don’t anticipate things, just let things happen, believe in my finishing abilities and finish people.”
At Professional Fighters League 1 in Daytona, Florida, on June 30, Foster (27-9) will look to pick up his second straight win when he takes on Jon Fitch (29-7-1) in a 170-pound main event.
“I match up with Fitch’s style perfectly,” Foster said. “If you look at my resume, you can see when I fought guys who were wrestlers, and I finished them all. I was knocking them out or catching something.
“I’ve fought his style before, it’s nothing new. He may set a little bit of a different pace, but he may do a lot of the same stuff. He’s one of the best in the world at it, so I’m looking forward to getting in there and seeing if I still can do what I’m good at it.”
Having spent recent bouts at lightweight, Foster is happy to be making the move back up to welterweight and get an opportunity to take on of the weight class’ best fighters.
“At 170 there’s all kinds of benefits,” said Foster. “I can eat a little bit more and maintain a bit more energy during camp. At 155lbs it’s not necessarily that way. I always have to be a little hungry and maintain my water intake and be more strict with it as far as dropping weight.
“I love to fight. PFL needed somebody to fight Fitch, and I’m pretty much the extent of what’s left for him to get past, so they offered me the fight and I gladly jumped up to fight. I would have a long time ago, to be honest.”
