For his first fight of 2022, bantamweight Austin Bashi was seeking to remain undefeated in his career, having won all five of his previous bouts heading into his match-up with Erion Zekthi at Shamrock FC 337 in April.
Much like he had in his previous fight, Bashi was able to overwhelm his opponent with his aggression and pick up his second finish in a row with a second round TKO of Zekthi.
“My fight back in April was a pretty big fight,” Bashi told MMAWeekly.com. “I captured my first professional title against a tough opponent. It was a big win for me.”
Entering his second full year as a pro, Bashi continues to see marked improvement in his game in both his fights and in his training.
“Every fight I feel better,” said Bashi. “I feel I’m getting better mentally and physically. Not just the fights themselves but the training I feel is getting better.”
On June 25 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bashi (6-0) looks to add to his winning streak when he takes on Chris San Jose (6-1) in a main card 135-pound bout at Lights Out Championship 8.
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“Chris is another tough opponent that I have to get out of the way,” Bashi said. “The key to victory is going to be the same as the others: grind him out, wear him out, take him into those deeper rounds and just sink him and finish him.”
Having added his first title to his resume, Bashi is looking to continue to rack up championships and keep his winning ways going, but first he knows he has to get past San Jose.
“The end goal is to be world champion, but it was a good win and a good title (in April), but the main goal for me is the world title,” said Bashi.
“I’m just taking it one fight at a time. I’m not looking too far ahead of myself. Right now I’m just focused on June 25.”