As the onset of the novel coronavirus began forcing sporting events to close down earlier this year, few athletes experienced what fighters on the Bellator 241 scheduled for March 13 as just hours before the event was due to kick off it was cancelled, leaving fighters like Kevin “Baby Slice” Ferguson Jr. in a lurch.
With events unfolding throughout the lockdown and in the months after, many have struggled to come to terms with things, but not Ferguson, who instead chose to accept change and move forward.
“To be ready to fight and then hours before I walked in to the arena I get a call saying the fight was cancelled, so it was kind of weird for me,” Ferguson told MMAWeekly.com. “I think 2020 has been alright. For me to experience everything that’s going on, the world is changing, I don’t mind change.”
Having been over a year since his last fight, Ferguson feels like he’ll be vastly improved over the fighter he was in 2019.
“Oh definitely (you’ll see a different fighter),” said Ferguson. “I’ve been training for a year straight. I’d been catching up from my knee surgery, so (the time off) kind of worked out perfect.
“As a fighter I’m more composed, and more patient. I was always relaxed, that wasn’t an issue with me, but my thing is pushing myself to work harder. I feel I have that down now.”
On Thursday in Uncasville, Conn., Ferguson (3-2) faces off against Kaheem Murray (3-3) in a 155-pound bout rescheduled from March at Bellator 253.
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“I think he had a better chance of winning (in March) – even though it was slim – now I feel like I’m on my game 100-percent now,” Ferguson said of Murray. “I know what to look for now. I have more tools. I just think it’s going to be a problem now – I’m a big problem for anybody in the division, honestly.
“I do my thing. He makes some mistakes and that can be it. One mistake can cost you the fight because I’m so dangerous, especially on the fight. Now on the ground I’m becoming more dangerous there, especially with ground ‘n’ pound. I’m just going to do my thing and wait for my opportunity.”
With all that has transpired in 2020, Ferguson is just looking to go one thing at a time and not put too much stock into anything that’s not directly ahead of him.
“I definitely go one fight at a time,” said Ferguson. “You never know, we might have a lockdown again and there will be cancellations. You never know. I just try to roll with it.”
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Kevin “Baby Slice” Ferguson: ‘I’m a big problem’ for Bellator lightweights
