Trevor Prangley is not a young man, so at this point in his fight career he's looking for challenges. It doesn't matter if it comes at light heavyweight or his more natural weight class, middleweight. That's why he didn't hesitate in taking a fight against former heavyweight Roger Gracie at 205. Prangley, 38, will meet Gracie on Saturday at Strikeforce in San Jose (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET/PT).
The South African downplayed a huge edge in MMA. He has 30 pro MMA fights to Gracie's three. Prangley told Strikeforce.com:
"I think it will play a little bit of a part. But the guy has been on the world stage in jiu-jitsu so many times that I don’t think it will be as big of an advantage as people might think. He’s competed at a high level in jiu-jitsu and submission wrestling all over the world, and it’s the same concept, really. But Roger’s never really been hit, and I’m going to put it on him."
Prangley isn't the most technical boxer, but he's a hard puncher. His striking wore down Keith Jardine at Shark Fights 13.
Prangley, a former Division I wrestler, knows he probably needs to keep the fight standing. His submission defense is solid, but Gracie, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is off the charts. Prangley:
"A guy like him is so good, that I can train basic stuff, but if he gets me in a bad position, its going to be a matter of fighting hard and never stopping my movement. There are no secrets that I’m going to pick up in the last few weeks before that fight that’s going to help me avoid getting submitted I just intend to not give him the opportunity to get a submission. That’s what I’m focusing on. Not the submission defense itself, but stopping him from getting into position to get an opportunity to submit me."
Prangley is banking on the fact that he's catching Gracie early in his career before he turns into a complete fighter. He also knows time is short and without a win here, future fights with the big promotions are going to be harder to come by.
"I’m going to win this fight, and I have to win it because it’s a 'do or die' situation for me. Roger’s really early in his career, so a loss for him won’t be that devastating, but for me it’s devastating. And so I’m not going to allow it to happen. So the fans can expect a win from me."
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