Bellator 233: Unbeaten Jordan Young looking to show his worth before free agency

THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Jordan Young is putting a little pressure on himself heading into Bellator 233 on Friday night.

Young (11-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) not only puts his perfect record overall, and in Bellator, on the line against Julius Anglickas (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a light heavyweight fight, but he’ll be fighting out his contract with the promotion and will be looking to negotiate a new deal afterward.

Young meets Anglickas on the Bellator 233 preliminary card Friday at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

“I feel like I’ve put that work in,” Young told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I think I’m at that level. I fight who I’m told to fight. This time, it’s Julius Anglickas, coming off a win in Dana White’s Contender Series. It’s just another mission for me, and I’m going to accomplish that mission, and hopefully we can continue to do good business from there. I’ve enjoyed my time in Bellator. Something that hasn’t really been highlighted is I’m betting on myself and entering free agency here. So you’re looking at a 24-year-old 12-0 free agent come Friday night.”

Young has been a finishing machine for Bellator the past two and a half years. After a decision win in his promotional debut in early 2017, he has five straight submission wins. On his 11-win resume overall, nine have been by tapout.

Those are the kinds of things he hopes the members of the Bellator brass are paying attention to, because if he gets another finish against Anglickas, he’ll be hoping that translates to dollar signs in a new deal.

“Friday night is another opportunity for me to get on the map and prove to Bellator why we should sit down and figure this out,” Young said.

Check out the full interview with Young in the video above.