Ipswich MMA talent Corrin Eaton knows he faces the biggest fight of his career this weekend - but it could change his life.
Eaton will trade leather with Dean Trueman in a featherweight scrap on the main card of Cage Warriors 92 ‘Super Saturday’ at the O2 Arena, live on BT Sport.
The 145-pound title belt is now vacant after holder Nad Narimani was signed by the world-famous UFC, so a win would put the 28-year-old (9-2-1NC) in line for a title fight and catapult him into the upper echelons of the sport.
“This is the biggest fight of my life,” said the former Chantry High School pupil. “With the belt being vacant a win will put me straight in the mix for the title. As soon as I heard Nad had been signed I thought ‘this is big’.
“I keep saying it’s my time – everything has fallen in line. I’ve been training three times a day and really putting the effort in. “It’s like my destiny.”
It will be Eaton’s first dance under the bright lights of Cage Warriors – Europe’s top MMA promotion – while Derby’s Trueman (7-4) has fought under the banner three times.
And Eaton is under no illusion as to the extent of the challenge in front of him.
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“I’m expecting a really tough fight,” he explained. “He’s like a taller, thicker, bigger version of me. He’s not super technical in any area but he’s a grinder and really tough.
“I personally think that I will have an advantage in the striking, but not much, and in the clinch and wrestling he’s going to be strong. I just hope he’s not too strong!
“I’m expecting a three-round war, and that’s what I want. I want us both to be on the floor after the final bell goes, having given our all and put on an unbelievable fight.”
This fight will be Eaton’s first in the cage for more than a year, but he’s not worried about cage-rust – in fact he sees the time out as a bonus.
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“I always felt before that I didn’t really get any better between fights, I was just getting fight-fit,” he said. “But being out this long has given me time to prepare and get better.
“This was always my goal – this and reaching the UFC – and now it’s here it doesn’t seem real, but I’ve fought for long enough and proved myself.
“I’m buzzing but at the same time I’m emotional as it’s been one of those camps where things don’t go smoothly. For me that’s normally a good omen – it adds fuel to the fire.”
Eaton also thanked his coaches and training partners at Team Titan, as well as his sponsors – Whip Street Motors, CJ Services, Muscle Worx, Lucky 13, Buckingham Osteopaths, Simply Climate Control and Gumz.
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