Photo: BELLATOR/Jack Dombro
Daniel James Looks to Boost MMA in Chicago at Bellator 297
Daniel James and Gokhan Saricam open up the main card of Bellator 297 this Friday. The heavily stacked card takes place at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena which is the hometown of James who is currently ranked number four on Bellator MMA’s heavyweight rankings. He is currently riding a two-fight win streak in Bellator and a five-fight win streak in his overall career. He plans to keep moving forward and vows to become a champion.
That is what James told the media today at the Bellator 297 press conference. “Chicago is all basketball and football, baseball whatever it is. Chicago wasn’t really watching MMA,” James said when asked what it meant to be fighting in his hometown.
This is not the first time James fought under Bellator in Chicago, the last time was his debut at Bellator 288 when he faced Tyrell Fortune. A fight many thought he would lose and he proved them wrong when he won via TKO in the second round. He defeated Marcelo Golm after that and with the fight ahead of him on Friday at Bellator 297, he looks to continue the trend and looks to boost MMA in Chicago.
James said, “ I’ve just been trying to put Chicago on the map with MMA because a lot of guys train go pro [from] here but they move. I do everything in-house you know I don’t care who you train with.”
He added, “I’ve trained around the world I trained at the American Top Teams, I’ve trained with the Dos Santos and around Rothwell’s, the biggest guys. I did that I’ve been to these places but I had to come home because I want to be my own top team you know what I’m saying? MTC is my top team and when I’m here, I don’t have to sit up here and go and name-dropping who I train with. At the end of the day, I hit hard than those guys, I train harder than those guys and I work harder than those guys.”
James not only believes he will win at Bellator 297, but he vows to be a champion, and with his track record so far, who could doubt him?
