Eryk Anders, Darren Stewart seek conclusive end in UFC 263 rematch

PHOENIX – Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart will kick off a night of rematches on Saturday at UFC 263. There are three slated on the card, and the pair will be first to settle the score.

Unlike the two title fights atop the card, though, the rematch between Anders (13-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) and Stewart (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) came together because a no contest prematurely ended their initial meeting at UFC Fight Night 187 in March. An illegal knee strike by Anders left Stewart unfit to continue, and the bout was waved off.

Anders is still pretty bothered by how everything unfolded. Not because he thought Stewart embellished the strike or the wrong call was made, but because he was on the verge of getting a clean stoppage before he slipped up and hit his grounded opponent with a knee.

“Of course I wanted to continue, but they have these protocols in place for a reason,” Anders told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 263 media day on Wednesday. “I was getting at him pretty good. Of course, he’s not going to be coherent enough to answer questions and stuff like that (to convince the doctor to continue). I was kind of kicking myself in the butt about it because I kind of gave him a way out.”

Stewart said he wasn’t happy about how things ended, either. He ideally would’ve liked the fight to continue, even if it meant he was compromised and went on to lose.

“Keep fighting until you kill me,” Stewart said. “That’s it, man. If I ask you a question and I walk to you (like I did the doctor), what more do you want?”

Stewart will get a chance to redeem himself, though, and he said the circumstances going into the rematch tip the advantage in his favor. The first fight was at middleweight, but the second encounter is scheduled for the light heavyweight division.

According to Stewart, the weight cuts down to 185 pounds were getting very rough, and he thinks it took a toll on his durability inside the octagon. Now he has an extra 20 pounds on his frame to work with, and Stewart expects that to make a big difference to win “fair and square.”

“My game plan hasn’t changed (but) my weight’s changed and I’ve made a few tweaks,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be lightning. I’m not in this (weight) category for good, but there’s not a light heavyweight that moves like me.”

Anders said he’s not overly concerned about what adjustments Stewart has made in the past three months. He said the extra weight is beneficial for him, too, and as long as he can stay discipline, expects to get the win he was trending toward last time.

“I pretty much went straight back into camp,” Anders said. “I’ve done nothing but continue to grow and develop my skillset. I’m not sure what his training is like. But I’ll be an even better fighter this time around than I was last time. And we’re fighting up a weight class. I tend to hit harder at 205. It’s good for me.”