THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Ask and you shall receive.
Friday night, Brandon Girtz will fight Myles Jury in the co-main event of Bellator 239. According to Girtz (16-8 MMA, 8-6 BMMA), Jury (18-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) is an opponent he specifically requested.
“It was a name I asked for,” Girtz told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I thought it was a great matchup. He’s got a big name. I feel like it’s one of those fights. When I go out there and demonstrate what I can do, it can really skyrocket me up there and show who Brandon Girtz is.
“Like I said, he’s a good name. He’s been around. He’s been in the top 10 before. He’s been around the block. A win like that and what I’m looking for, a devastating win, puts my name up there, really quick.”
Friday will be the first time Girtz steps into the cage since March 29, 2019 – almost 11 months ago. The featherweight competitor was booked to fight in September, but pulled out due to a minor injury. This, just two days before his flight to Ireland.
“It’s been too long – too frickin’ long,” Girtz said. “Everything is great now. It was a small injury. It was more the timing of the injury. It was two frickin’ days before I was flying out to my fight in Ireland. It was nothing that big, but it was just something I couldn’t perform with two days after.”
Consistency will be key for Girtz going forward. Fighting once a year just isn’t cutting it. Now that he values rest and recovery, Girtz expects fight fans will be seeing a lot more of him in 2020.
“That’s the biggest goal of this year: to fight multiple times,” Girtz said. “I’m not trying to fight once a year or do it every once in a while. This is my life. A couple setbacks and a couple injuries haven’t allowed me to get on a roll. I’ve been stepping in once a year for the last couple of years now. I haven’t (just) focused on training and stepping in there all the time. I’m focused on recovery and things like that.
“This year is going to be a big one. It’s going to be a healthy one.”
Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full Bellator 239 pre-fight interview with Brandon Girtz in the video above.
Bellator 239: Brandon Girtz says he specifically asked for 'great matchup' Myles Jury
