While for many 2020 was quite possibly one of the worst years of their careers, for some fighters the year presented opportunities and ended up being highly beneficial to them. Among those for whom 2020 was more advantageous is bantamweight Christian Natividad.
In 2020 Natividad made his pro MMA debut in in July with a first round TKO of Michael Aquila at LFA 85, then followed that up with a 30-second stoppage of Jose Holguin at LFA 92 in October.
“It was honestly the best year of my life,” Natividad told MMAWeekly.com. “There were so many things that happened in my life.
“I became a professional athlete. I made my debut with the LFA and had two match-ups for them, and was nominated for Knockout of the Year and Fighter of the Year. I also got promoted three times in the company I work for.”
Another reason Natividad looks so highly on 2020 is the growth he made as a fighter, specifically in the maturation he developed as a pro.
“Being on a bigger stage (like the LFA), even though there was no audience (in attendance) there is definitely a lot of pressure because I knew there were a lot of eyes on me,” said Natividad.
“(I grew a lot in) just being able to relax in there and trust in my craft and trust in what I’m doing. Usually with my fights I put a lot of pressure on myself, but now I try to focus on the positive.”
This Friday in Park City, Kansas, Natividad (2-0) will look to start off his 2021 where he left off from last year when he faces Evan Woolsey (1-1) in a 135-pound main card bout at LFA 100.
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“He’s a lot more experienced than I am,” Natividad said of Woolsey. “He’s been fighting longer than I have.
“To be honest, and I don’t want to sound cocky or anything, but I think I have the better stand-up, the better ground, and am better all around. I just have to play my game.”
While Natividad has an overall goal he’s working towards, he’s more than willing to take things one step at a time to achieve it. As long as he’s making progress that’s all that matters to him.
“That definitely is one of my goals, becoming a UFC champion, but my first goal is to get into the UFC,” said Natividad. “With that being said, I’m not going to rush it at all.
“If it happens this year, great; if it happens next year or the year after that, I’m just kind of taking my time because I know one day the opportunity will show itself.”
‘Not cocky’ Christian Natividad says he’s just better than LFA 100 opponent Evan Woolsey
