Unfazed by added eyeballs, Bellator 197's Logan Storley wants to be world champ by 27

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – From the face-kneeing and liver-kicking, to stage size and attention, there is obviously a lot that goes into from a transition from wrestling to MMA.

But at the end of the day, both are competition. And as someone who spent a lifetime excelling at one of them, Logan Storley isn’t fazed by the pressure around his beginnings in the other.

Storley (7-0 MM, 2-0 BMMA) returns to the cage on Friday at Bellator 197, where he meets Joaquin Buckley (8-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in a welterweight bout. He is joined by fellow prospects A.J.McKee and Kevin Ferguson Jr. on the Paramount-televised main card at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., near St. Louis., making the night a triple-whammy when it comes to Bellator’s roster of promising youngsters.

This is only Storley’s eighth pro bout, but it’s not hard to see why he’s getting prime placement. Not only has the 25-year-old beaten all his previous competition, all but one via knockout, he was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler before his MMA debut in 2015.

A highly victorious past is bound to carry along the added weight of expectations, but it’s nothing Storley said he can’t handle.

“A lot of people say pressure is a privilege,” Storley told MMAjunkie. “I guess if you don’t want the pressure, you can always go do something else. I’ve competed in a high level in the sport of wrestling, and I was ranked No. 1 in the country multiple times during my career.

“If you don’t want the pressure, then MMA or just one-on-one sport is not for you. It’s really been nothing different. It’s a bigger stage and more eyes, but nothing changes in the way you compete and the way you train and things like that.”

It seems Storley isn’t fazed by much that comes from the outside. Being on his first Bellator main card, for instance. Sure, there are more eyeballs, but it doesn’t change how he prepares or performs. Neither does venturing into enemy territory, against Missouri’s own Buckley.

There’s ultimately one thing Storley is worried about: winning. And, unlike fellow MMA prospects such as Mackenzie Dern, who took it upon herself to show improved striking beyond the grappling game she’s long been known for, the wrestling ace said that’s no concern for him.

“I’m not really worried about what other people think about how my hands are or how good that aspect is,” Storley said. “The biggest thing for me is just to prove what I’m good at. This is what got me here – wrestling. That’s why I’m here. I’m not worried about it. I’m not worried what other people think or what they say.

“For me, it’s just going out there and doing what I’ve done my whole life. That’s just competing at a high level and getting the win. The most important thing is to continue to rack up wins. At that point, if you keep winning, there’s not much to say. Whether it’s all wrestling, all knockouts, or all whatever, it doesn’t matter. You’re winning.”

Interestingly enough, Storley had been knocking out people up until his last bout – a Bellator 186 encounter in which he took the unanimous nod over Matt Secor. But the prospect wasn’t at all upset about needing the scorecards for the first time, which allowed him to show a different set of skill and get some more cage time in.

“It was just more experience, so only good things came from that,” Storley said.

In fact, Storley doesn’t have too many complaints about his career, in general. He said Bellator’s “game plan” is the same as his, and he’s perfectly content with the matchups an the pacing of his fights – which, in Bellator, have been four and five months apart this far.

“If you’re going to do it right – a lot of guys are fighting until they’re 33, 34, if you look at it,” Storley said. “And a lot can happen in two years. It’s not so much of a rush, being in a rush all the time.

“It’s about doing things the right way. And listening to your coaches, listening to your managers, listening to everybody who wants what’s good for you.”

Storley believes there’s still a lot to improve when it comes to his developing MMA game. But he also carries the type of confidence that one can very reasonably acquire when their day to day at the gyms involves sparring sessions with the likes of Robbie Lawler, Luke Rockhold, Michael Chandler, Michael Johnson and Kamaru Usman.

Much like he did with wrestling, Storley has come into MMA to be the best in the world. That, he knows, will involve listening, being patient and doing things the right way. But while he’s focused on the next step he has to take in order to make it there, he already has a target date for when he’d like see it happen.

“I want to be world champ by the time I’m 27,” Storley said. “So that gives me about a year and a half to get where I want to be.”

To hear from Storley, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 197, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.