Cage Warriors champion, Alex Enlund has finally got the call he’s been waiting for. The No.1 ranked UK featherweight makes his UFC debut in Hamburg on September 3, as he takes on Martin Buschkamp. The Sprawl spoke to Enlund about his long awaited call up…

First things first, congratulations on signing for the UFC. How did it feel when you got the call?
It is really exciting. It is something I have been working towards for a long time. I’ve focused a lot on constantly progressing and testing myself, so I believed it was going to be inevitable and then when it happened it was like ‘ok, I’m ready to take the next step and start a new chapter’. It  has had an emotional affect on me, seeing the messages from people and seeing how much it means to other people, is really nice too. For me, I knew with my skillset and the management team I work with, that it was always going to happen.

A lot of people been saying for a few while now that you were on the cusp of the UFC, however were there any doubts that the call would never come?
I’m not going to the UFC to have one or two fights and call myself a UFC-veteran and come out and fight elsewhere, this is where I want to be and where I want to perform. I’m glad it has happened now as I still have at least five years left in me, but technically I have never been better, I’m still physically-able, whilst still being mature at the same time.

You will be debuting against fellow debutant Martin Buschkamp, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist, fairly similar to yourself. Have watched much footage of Martin and how do you feel you matchup?
I have seen his fights and yeah, he’s good. He’s got very aggressive jiu-jitsu, which I find quite interesting. It will be good for me to be the first person to put a loss on his record, but I think this might not end up being just a jiu-jitsu match. It could, I mean, it is highly likely, but he’s had a year off and I’m constantly getting better so who knows? I think he will be a really interesting test and one I’m looking forward to.

Does the prospect of fighting Martin is his backyard intimidate you at all?
It doesn’t bother me at all. It has been nice when I have had the opportunity to fight at home, but I don’t think it has ever bothered my opponents. The fight takes place between two men and the preparation is done with your team, maybe the crowd could spur you on, but we’re quite technical fighters and don’t fight with emotion, so I don’t think it makes a difference.

One subject that is always raised when a fighter signs for the UFC is the prospect of the initial ‘Octagon jitters’. How do you feel this will affect you and are you doing anything specific to prepare for this?
I always work with a sport psychologist for mental performance, but that is something I’ve always worked on. I’ve been under tremendous pressure before, but I’ve never gone into a fight not switched on, but no, I won’t be doing anything special to prepare for this, it’s just another fight and another chance to show how good I am.

I know you have been down to SBG Manchester and you have your own team Sixth Sense in South Shields, but who will you be preparing for this fight with?
I’m in Manchester now, this is my team. Obviously it is difficult, as I live 150 miles away from where I have to go for the best training. I try to get down here as much as I can, plus the coaching down here is on a different level to anything else I have had in my life. I had Karl in my corner for the first time in my last fight and I just felt that bit better having him there.

Congrats once again and thank you for your time Alex, is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Intensiti Fighter Management first of all, Graham (Boylan) and Ian (Dean) have done a tremendous job with my career, SBG Manchester, my team at home Sixth Sense Martial Arts and also North East Vale Tudo.


AUTHOR:

JACK SEAR

MANAGING EDITOR

This scrambley Verne Troyer look-alike spends his days down in South London working in the cloud. At night you can usually find this critter on the mats, doing his best to emulate Masakazu Imanari.

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