Looking back on his first win of 2017, lightweight up and comer Nick Gehrts couldn’t be more pleased how he performed against Latral Perdue at Valor Fights 41.
Just 90 seconds into the bout, Gehrts was able to pick up a submission win, and run his current winning streak to three victories in a row.
“We had that fight back in March and everything went well and exactly as planned,” Gehrts told MMAWeekly.com. “I ended up making another highlight reel out of it.”
Even though he’s been having a lot of success of late, Gehrts has made changes in his game that he feels will impact the remainder of his career.
“I started up a new strength and conditioning program and it’s been a drastic change in my physical and mental abilities; just pushing hard and knowing that you can go further,” said Gehrts. “There’s been some changes this year that have definitely been for the better.
“Knowing you can go out there the entire 15 minutes and pull the trigger, it will play a huge role. If you’re not afraid going to keep going you won’t slow it down. From the beginning to the end of the fight it’s going to be my pace.”
Gehrts (7-2) will take on Ken Beverly (5-2) in a main card 155-pound bout as part of Bellator’s show on Saturday in Bristol, Tenn., during the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race.
“Ken is an incredibly tough opponent,” Gehrts said. “I think people are looking at him as the underdog, but I’m not. I’m looking at it like he’s going to be the toughest opponent I’ve ever fought, but I’m just better. Anywhere the fight goes I’m ready to handle it.”
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After starting out his career in the Mid-South region, Gehrts is intent on making his transition to the national stage in Bellator, starting with his bout on Saturday.
“It’s such a huge opportunity to fight for Bellator,” said Gehrts. “I got word of it and I got ecstatic. It is an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s an opportunity to go in there and make a huge statement and let everybody know this is where I belong.
“Mark my words, I’ll fight Saturday and no matter the outcome, they’ll look at me and say they’ll want to sign me.”
