As free agency looms, Brian Moore thinks Noad Lahat win solidifies contender status

Brian Moore will face Noad Lahat in the final bout of current his three-fight deal at Bellator 210and the SBG fighter believes a win will put him in title contention.

Moore has come up short twice against high-level opposition with Bellator having taken fights with two-time title challenger Daniel Wiechel and top-rated prospect A.J. McKee on short notice.

“The Pikeman” claimed that having a full camp to prepare for Lahat has given him more confidence than ever ahead of the Oklahoma bout.

“It’s given me a lot of confidence,” Moore told Eurobash.

“I don’t particularly do a lot of sports psychology or anything like that, I rely on preparation to make me confident for me fight and this is the most prepared I’ve ever been. For the likes of A.J., I had a lot of problems in that camp. I went in there hoping that my will would win the fight for me. I went in there a broken man and I still gave him a good fight for two rounds, but this one feels different because I’m relying on my skill and preparation.”

Moore believes he carries all the momentum going into the clash.

“Noad is firmly rooted in the top 10 and a win over him puts me in the top 10 — that was a goal of mine since I set out [with Bellator]. I wanted to get into the top 10 or top five so I can fight for the championship belt. He’s a very well versed fighter, his strengths are obviously more towards the grappling , but he’s been there and done it in the UFC and in Bellator,” said Moore.

“I think we’re on different paths. I think he’s losing momentum in his career and I think I’m gaining momentum. I think I’m much hungrier than him. I think he put in a lackluster performance in his last outing and gave up, while I made a guy quit before knocking him out and then choking him out. We’re on very different paths and I think that will show in four days time.”

The Wexford native firmly believes a win puts him in the title conversation at featherweight.

“[Bellator] can’t ignore me after this one in terms of the title mix,” he said. “When they talk about the belt, when they talk about title contender, after I beat Noad they have to have Brian Moore in that [conversation] because who else has won anything in the division?

“There are a lot of guys that are good, but look at “Pitbull”, he’s running out of contenders right now. You have Aaron Pico that’s doing really well, you have A.J. who’s probably next in line, but after that who is there to step up? I think with a win over Noad and another win over a top five guy, I’ll be knocking on their door.”

Moore also discussed his looming free agency, which lies beyond Friday’s fight.

“That’s just a fact; it is the last fight on my current contract. I have a very good working relationship with Bellator. After this fight I’m sure we’ll sit down and have a good chat, but as it stands this is fight three of three on my existing contract,” he said.

“I’ll let my management look after that,” he replied when asked if he would be exploring options with other promotions beyond Friday’s fight. “Like I said, I’m really grateful for the opportunity and everything Bellator has done for me and I’m sure they’d say the same about the few times that I’ve helped them out. I’d like to continue working with them, but if there are other options out there I’m going to have to have a peak behind the curtain and have a look to see what’s going on.”