Adam Piccolotti ready to fire on all cylinders at Bellator 244

For lightweight Adam Piccolotti the onset of the novel coronavirus derailed the first half of a year he was hoping to use to build off a successful close to his 2019.

As someone who is constantly in the gym, being forced into lockdown presented Piccolotti with uncharted territory. Still, he did the best he could with what was available and pushed through things towards a second half of 2020 return.

“I’d just come off that big win over Jake Smith (last September at Bellator 226),” Piccolotti told MMAWeekly.com. “I had all this momentum riding. My confidence was through the roof. So for that to happen and me not be able to go to my gym, not be able to train, it was a big screeching (halt).

“A couple of those times it was the longest I had never trained. I tried to stay mentally strong, make sure everything was cool, and doing a lot of zoom classes, and try to do what everyone else was doing and just figure it out as it goes. “

While Piccolotti was able to work on his development a little, a majority of his work during lockdown was remaining fight-ready for when the call to return to action came.

“I was constantly in connection with my coaches, constantly talking with them and going over stuff,” said Piccolotti. “A lot of it was definitely physical preparation.

“Especially at this point in my career a lot of my growth does come from the skill work, with contact, so it was a mixture of both but definitely more of the conditioning than anything.”

This Friday in Uncasville, Conn., Piccolotti (12-3) returns to fighting for the first time in nearly a year to face Sidney Outlaw (14-4) in a preliminary 145-pound bout at LFA 244.

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“I think that I had the perfect length camp, I was in plenty good shape, and I think I’ll fire off on all cylinders. I’ve just got to go out there and perform and be Adam,” Piccolotti said.

“I feel really confident in the match-up. I know (Outlaw) is coming in strong, he’s going to be a good athlete and a great competitor, but I think my skillset is really going to show.”

When it comes to what could be next for him in 2020, Piccolotti remains cautiously optimistic of a potential foreign excursion, but will take things day by day until such things become clearer.

“At this point it’s one fight at a time, especially with the travel stuff,” said Piccolotti. “I don’t know what Bellator has planned beyond this fight.

“I have seen the possibility of a fight in Italy, and I know that might be setting my (hopes) a little high for what’s going on in the world, but I would love to fight in Italy. I’ve been saying that since day one, and that hasn’t changed. If I can go out there and perform well and do my thing, a fight in Italy in October would be ideal.”