Jonathan Wyderko has nothing but respect for LFA 79 opponent Eric Grant

Following a win over Matt Johnson at LFA 57 in January, lightweight Jonathan Wyderko has spent the remainder of the year waiting to get back into the cage.

Following dropping out of proposed fight in May, Wyderko was caught up in the LFA’s downtime prior to its move to UFC Fight Pass, leaving him without a fight for 10 months.

“Having the whole (October LFA) card getting cancelled was kind of rough,” Wyderko told MMAWeekly.com. “I kind of passed up on an opportunity to fight in May because I had other stuff going on. It’s been a little frustrating but I’ve made the best out of it.

“The hardest part has just been trying to slow down. I’ve been kind of in and out of camps without a fight. But I’ve been training a lot, so I feel like I’ve made a lot of improvements in areas that needed improvement. I think the hardest thing is to keep my body right and not over-train and get injured.”

Having not had a chance to test out what he’s been working on in training in an actual fight, Wyderko is not sure exactly where his game stands at right now.

“I think (I’ll know) probably after the fight,” said Wyderko. “I think I kind of know the direction that everything’s been going, but like with anything you do in practice, it only comes true when you can actually put it to use under stress in a situation (like a fight).

“In training I’ll say I’ve made leaps in areas that I wouldn’t say were holding me back, but areas that I kind of get progressively better. I feel like i made changes there, but ultimately it’s not going to matter until I can see those changes in a fight.”

On November 22 in Broomfield, Colorado, Wyderko (4-1) will finally return to the cage to face Eric Grant (4-4) in a main card 155-pound bout at LFA 79.

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“I’m actually a fan of the guy and I like the way he fights,” Wyderko said of Grant. “I like everything he represents. He’s a great martial artist. It’ll be nice to go out there and test myself.

“I just have to fight my own fight. I can’t let him dictate anything. I’ve got to be able to push the pace and control the cage. With what I have for tools at my disposal, I think I have a great chance of coming out on top.”

With the kind of year he had in 2019, Wyderko is just looking to go one step at a time in 2020 and see how things play out.

“I think I’ve just got to take it fight by fight,” said Wyderko. “I think I can have an idea of where I hope my career will go. I think in 2020, as long as the stars align and all of that, I should have a pretty good year next year and progressing through my career.”