Anthony Garrett Discusses BKFC Victory and Tactics Used

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00:00With the fight against Wilson, I know you guys had history before this one.

00:03You had foreign pro kickboxing before you actually matched up

00:05in the BKFC past weekend.

00:07What was that?

00:08How did that go for you?

00:10Do you think that helped you in this battle with them?

00:12Or do you think completely different disciplines, didn't matter,

00:14just same guy but different fight?

00:19Yeah, we fought three years ago on XFN in Oklahoma,

00:22and we had 10-ounce gloves on.

00:25So we didn't really throw a single kick in that fight.

00:28We literally just boxed and dirty boxed each other.

00:32What you guys saw Saturday night, we just did that for two rounds,

00:36and I split his forehead open, and the doctors called it a medical TKO stoppage.

00:42He was a little dizzy and wobbled and bleeding all down his face

00:46and just couldn't see and couldn't really defend himself, so they stopped it.

00:50But I had nothing but respect for him, and this isn't a knock on him.

00:54It's just a confident in myself.

00:56I knew his power, and I knew how hard he hit, and I knew I could take it.

01:00So I kind of just bit down on my mouthpiece and took the risk to get what I needed in this sport

01:06was a worthy battle-tested opponent, which was him,

01:10and I knew he could bring the fight to me, and I could get that battle test that I needed.

01:14And I think as you guys saw, he dropped me a little bit.

01:17I popped right up, and then I dropped him twice and finished him.

01:20So I'm game-ready now for sure.

01:24Yeah, you talk about that, you know, putting a test on yourself

01:26and fighting in a phone booth there, the dirty box,

01:28and there's a lot of that, obviously, as we saw in the highlights.

01:30You know, it seemed like Chris Light's outline was kind of perplexed.

01:33He said, you know, he's got the reach.

01:34Why is he getting inside?

01:35But, you know, was that – so that was the game plan for you?

01:37Like, was it just about testing yourself?

01:39Because you knew that he couldn't knock you out.

01:41Obviously, he knocked you down, but couldn't finish you.

01:43Was that, you know, really wanting to put yourself to the test,

01:46or is it just that's the way it happened as the fight went on, you know, pretty early?

01:51I had it in my head the whole time.

01:53I'd actually told my girlfriend that I wanted to do that just for me.

01:58But, obviously, her being – you know, she loves me to death.

02:00She didn't want me to do it.

02:01So I had both in my head to either stay long or fight in a phone booth.

02:07And when he dropped me, I just said, you know, F this.

02:11And I just bit down and said, I'm going to beat you at your own game

02:14and, you know, battle-tested it happened and 100% needed it.

02:18I watched it back just a little bit ago and heard what Chris Lytle said.

02:24Yes, of course, I can use my reach,

02:26but there's going to be incidences in all fights in the future

02:29where they're going to try to get on the inside and clinch and make it dirty,

02:32and I've got to get used to that.

02:34And unless I'm going to go spar someone with bare fists,

02:37the only way to get used to it is what you guys saw.

02:40So lucky that it worked in my favor and, you know, I loved every moment of it

02:45and I can't wait to do it again.

02:48You know, you're in that heavyweight division,

02:50so eventually you're not going to be the biggest guy, longest guy.

02:52There are some pretty big guys in there.

02:54You saw Rothwell there on Saturday, of course, the title holder,

02:57a guy like Arlovsky.

02:58There are some tall guys like you, Perdomo as well, got some reach.

03:01So definitely good practice there for you down the line,

03:04hopefully against some of these top-level opponents

03:06as you continue on your BKFC career.

03:08But you talked about getting that knockdown of you at the start of it.

03:13What was going through your head?

03:14Was there any frustration, any second-guess that they're doing that?

03:17Or it's like, all right, whatever, you know, it happened, my turn now.

03:21Yeah, yeah, he clipped me decently well.

03:24I mean, I felt it, I saw it.

03:26It was kind of a stumble, as you saw.

03:27I fell towards him to a knee and caught myself, and I even hit the mat.

03:32I was so mad at myself.

03:34But, yeah, in that moment I just said, it is what it is,

03:36and I'm going to give it hell.

03:38And I told myself, I remember saying in my head,

03:41it's not happening, not here, not now, and I'm going to knock him out.

03:44Like I said, you know, in my head, I'm like, it's game time, put up or shut up.

03:48And that's what I, you know, just what I was saying I did is this bit down

03:52and just swung.

03:52I didn't care about what was going to happen at that moment.

03:55But I did tell myself after the, when I knocked him down the first time,

03:59I said, I got to keep a little bit more range because if I clip him again,

04:02he's going to go out.

04:03I saw him hurt, and I knew he didn't want any more.

04:06So, as you see, I step back a little bit, and I start stepping back,

04:10counterpunching, and throwing all power, and I clipped him and put him out.

04:13So, let's say I broke off my game plan, but I went back to the game plan,

04:19if that makes sense.

04:19I can see that because, you know, that second knockdown,

04:23I can see you're kind of moving backwards, kind of more on your heels.

04:25You weren't coming up towards him.

04:27You were going back and still had the power to clip him and put him down

04:30and make him decide that that was it.

04:32You know, does that just obviously shows how much power you have that.

04:35You know, you don't have to be in the pocket, perfect, you know, position,

04:40perfect, you know, way of throwing the punch, body movement, all that.

04:44You just have to land, and it's going to put a guy out.

04:47Yes, sir.

04:47Yep.

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