Hawaiian slugger Ray Cooper III knows what it takes to cash $1 million check as a PFL champion, but the challenge became even more difficult this year, with COVID-19 protocol forcing a lengthy quarantine for the competitors.
But the 28-year-old knockout artist believes it’s important not to lose sight of what matters against what doesn’t.
“You’ve just got to go with the flow,” Cooper III said. “Things are just going to fly at you. It’s just obstacles that you’ve got to overcome, and there’s nothing that anybody can throw at me that’s going to deter me from doing the same thing I did last year. It’s going to just transpire to this year, and I’m gong to just dominate this year.”
Cooper III (20-7-1) starts his journey in the PFL’s new season at Thursday’s 2021 PFL 2 event, which airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+ from Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. French newcomer Jason Ponet (20-12-1) stands on the opposite side of the cage.
Cooper III said it doesn’t matter who he’s paired up with along the path back to the title – they all await the same fate.
“I don’t care about anybody but my team and myself, and anybody you put in front of me, I’m going to finish them, and I’m going to be in the finals again this year,” Cooper III said.
With that type of focus, Cooper III may prove hard to beat. Winning the PFL season is tall order any circumstances, but “Bradda Boy” believes he’s built for the added challenges of this year.
“I did this before,” Cooper III said. “You’ve just got to keep your mind off things you can’t control and focus on the task at hand.”
Check out more from Cooper III in the video above, courtesy of the PFL.
PFL champ Ray Cooper III: ‘I’m going to be in the finals again this year’