MFC 33's Nathan Coy: ‘I’m Not Going to be the One to Break’

After back-to-back losses in Strikeforce, Nathan Coy has rebounded nicely this past year, winning two in a row, including an upset victory over highly touted prospect Dhiego Lima at MFC 32 in January.

Coy credits his resurgence to, “just learning more and adapting to this sport. Just settling down a bit and trusting in what I’ve learned has helped create more belief and confidence in my style and what I’m trying to do; just believing that if I put in my time. It’s going to happen for me.”

Coy’s victory over Lima was particularly energizing.

“At the time, it was a fight I needed to take against a good opponent, a good prospect,” said Coy. “The fight went how I thought it would go. The guy is still pretty young, and it takes a lot to be able to withstand a wrestler/grinder type, and I didn’t think he was quite ready for that.

“It definitely helped my confidence and put my name back up there where people recognize me and (helped get me a) shot at getting gold.”

Coy told MMAWeekly.com that the fight typifies the style that most defines him.

“I definitely like to impose my will and get on guys and make it a difficult fight for them,” he said. “You have to dictate the pace and get after it and see if guys can handle that kind of in-your-face grinding style.”

The victory helped earn Coy his upcoming bout with Ryan McGillivray on Friday at MFC 33 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for the promotion’s welterweight title.

“This kid’s pretty dangerous and looks to finish fights, and that definitely adds another element to this game,” said Coy of McGillivray. “In front of his hometown crowd, I’m expecting him to get after it and fight hard and a very exciting fight. It’s going to be a great fight for the fans.

“I think it’s going to be a war all the way through and it could be a matter of someone breaking as well (that determines the outcome of the fight). I’ve trained hard up to this point and I’m not going to be the one to break.”

Being a title fight, there’s a possibility to go five rounds, to which Coy said, “I have done 25 minutes beforehand. It’s definitely a test of what you’ve got inside, what you’re made of, because it’s not easy.

“It’s not something I’m looking forward to, but if it happens, it happens. I train for the toughest situations and to overcome them, but I prefer not to go five rounds.”

After disappointing results in Strikeforce, Coy looks at this fight and year as an opportunity to prove he is more than the sum of two fights.

“I’d like this fight to finally be the one that shows people I’m a threat to the world rankings,” he said. “I want people to know that I’ve been working hard, and this is an opportunity to show people that I am around and I’m ready to get after it and present a lot of problems for a lot of different fighters.

“I feel I’ve fought guys like that already and I don’t see anything different than continuing to see tough opponents coming in and fighting the best. That’s what I’d like.”

(Photo courtesy of Maximum Fighting Championships)

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