While 2020 saw a lot of people’s lives go through alterations, it’s actually this year that is having the most impact on the career of flyweight Christian Natividad.
Though he was able to pick up back-to-back wins in his first two pro fights last year, Natividad made alterations to his training which has dominated much of his 2021 so far.
“For most people (2020) was the year of change for them just because of the pandemic and everything going on and all that stuff, but for me 2021 is the year of change for me,” Natividad told MMAWeekly.com.
“There’s just been so many changes in my personal life and my career as well. I’m happy with the changes that have happened. I’m not afraid of change, I more so embrace it.”
Having to alter the way he approaches training with a new team has been a bit of an adjustment for Natividad, but he feels like it will be for the betterment of his career.
“I had been at my last camp for six years, so everything we did at my old camp is pretty much engrained in me,” said Natividad. “Everything that I’m learning that’s new at my current gym you could say is foreign to me, so I have to sit back reprogram myself and try to make those adjustments.
“I feel like I’ve switched to this new camp I’ve become a lot more dangerous, a lot more tricky. I still have that dog in me, which I’m thankful for in my old camp, but putting in the dog with these tricks I feel like that’s going to be very dangerous and very exciting.”
This Friday in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Natividad (3-0) will look to pick up his fourth win in a row when he takes on Luis Aguirre (2-2) in a 125-pound main card bout at LFA 110.
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“The thing I like about Luis is that he’s not afraid to fight like a dog; he doesn’t respect a lot of people that he’s fought; and that’s what a lot of fans want to see – they want to see a dog fight,” Natividad said. “Me being me, I’m a dog as well, so it could get pretty aggressive, ugly, maybe even bloody, but that’s the beautify of it, anything can happen.
“As for how I take the win in this fight, it depends on how I feel that night, if I want to tap him out or knock him out, I’ll figure it out then.”
For Natividad it’s a deliberate pace which has gotten him to this point in his career and he sees no reason to change that now as he moves forward.
“It’s just fight by fight,” said Natividad. “I’m not in a rush in my career. I feel like I’ve said that many times. If it takes me three years to get to the UFC, then so be it. If it’s this next year then that’s great, but I’m in no rush at all. I probably will just go one fight at a time.”
Christian Natividad expecting dog fight with Luis Aguirre at LFA 110
