Having finished four out of his six Bellator victims, lightweight contender Brandon Girtz is looking to make his presence felt atop the Bellator lightweight division, by getting past the undefeated Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 165 on November 19, 2016. Bloody Elbow’s Eddie Mercado caught up with the 14-4 Brandon Girtz to discuss his upcoming opponent Piccolotti, training in Denver at altitude, and his aspirations for a Bellator belt.

Interview: Lightweight Contender Brandon Girtz Bellator 165 **AUDIO ONLY**

Southpaw by Choice:

“It’s my wrestling stance, actually. When i started out, they tried to tell me I needed to stand the other way and I was like, ‘there’s no reason to do that. I ain’t going to take away my best asset, you know, just to stand ‘regularly’ how they say to do it. SO actually, my lead hand is my strong hand.”

Wakeup Call in Derek Campos I:

“Before that fight, I didn’t really feel like myself. I went out there and I was kind of a shell. That kind of woke me up because I kind of just went out there and I moved around and I didn’t really fight. After that, I decided that when I step in that cage, I’m just going to go out there and give everything I’ve got. That loss right there really hurt because I knew I didn’t really give it my all. It really hit home hard.”

No-Gi:

“Armbars are definitely like my specialty or what not. I always feel in control when someone’s trying to grab my arm. It’s easy for me to turn it into me grabbing their arm. It’s almost the same position, I just reverse it on them. No, I’m not a [BJJ] belt; I’ve never put the Gi on, so, it’s completely different.”

Split Decision over Melvin Guillard:

“I was absolutely surprised it was a split decision. I mean, that means they would have had to give him [round] 1 or 2, and pretty much 1 and 2, I was on top the whole time.  [Round] two was the first time he even punched me one time at the end of the round. So, absolutely that shouldn’t have been a split decision; that was crazy.”

Redo vs. Derek Campos:

“It felt great, like I said, because that first fight was one of those fights that really hit home with me. It hurt just because I didn’t go out there and give it my all. So, getting that win back and proving to myself that that first fight wasn’t me. It felt great.”

Training Camp:

“It’s going great. My main training partner is Justin Gaethje. me and him train quite a bit. I would say our team does it a little bit differently then some. Some teams train 5 days a week. They have class at 11 o’clock and they all come in and they all work Kimora’s or whatever they do. It’s a little different. We specialize in training on our terms, kind of like having our special stuff. We come in we train together and we work with our coaches on what we need to do. Like I said, he’s my main training partner. A few other people; I train with Pat [Barry] and Rose[Namajunas]  and we’re pretty much a tight knit group.”

Training at Altitude:

“I say it’s a free 10%. Like, my lungs are 10% better than yours and I don’t have to do anything but live here. I absolutely feel that, especially for the first time I came here. That first week, you’re gasping for air. It’s just like, how many people I bring here and they walk up my stairs to my apartment, by the time they get to the top of my stairs, they’re huffing and puffing and saying, ‘holy crap.’ I’m like, ‘yeah, it’s a real thing’.”

Will Adam Piccolotti be forced to stand with you?

“I believe so. I don’t think he has any chance… 18 pro fights I’ve had and I’ve never been taken down. I can’t say a lot of people have tried, but I’m not open for shots. I honestly feel like I have some of the best MMA wrestling there is in the game. There’s a difference between MMA wrestling and just wrestling. There’s a big difference. Like I said, I’ve never been taken down. I don’t get taken down often  in sparring or anything, and that’s just because of my hips and how low I go. So, if his gameplan is to try and take me down and get the submission, it’s going to be a rough night.”

Prediction:

“I definitely see a knockout in the first round. I don’t think he’s going to be able to throw hands with me and I don’t feel like he can take me down. I’m going to keep it standing. I’m going for my third knockout in my last 4 fights. That’s what I’m aiming for. Like I said, he’s good at Jiu-Jitsu, why even test the waters on there because I know he’s not as good on the feet as I am.”

Next?

“I’m looking at that title shot if I beat Adam. I feel like he’s another top 10 guy in Bellator. I beat him, I don’t feel like there’s really anybody else that I should fight other than for the belt, unless it’s Josh Thompson. If they want to give me Josh Thompson for the #1 contender, I’m cool with that. Other than that, I don’t feel like I should be fighting anyone else. This will be my fourth win in a row. No other top guys. I don’t see it being anything but the belt… Obviously the people I want to fight are Michael Chandler, Ben Henderson, and Josh Thomson.”

Watch Bellator lightweight contender Brandon Girtz go to war with the undefeated Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 165 on November 19, 2016. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of you Bellator event coverage including interviews, previews, highlights, and more!