Julius Anglickas on Bellator 268 title shot: “One of those Rocky movie moments”
Interview with Julius Anglickas above
This Saturday, October 16, Bellator 268 brings an absolutely dynamic card to the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Featuring the semi-finals for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, Bellator 268 also features the light heavyweight championship showdown between current champion, Vadim Nemkov taking on late replacement Julius Anglickas who is currently riding a 9-fight win streak.
Anglickas was initially slated to face Karl Albrektsson on fight night, however, in a change of events, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson was sidelined due to an undisclosed illness. Anglickas got the word from his manager following an intense practice several weeks before the bout. Although he wasn’t surprised with the last-minute fill-in, as talks circulated that a late replacement would more than likely be needed, Anglickas was overly ecstatic upon receiving the official word.
“It was definitely cool. It was one of those Rocky movie moments where Creed’s manager is telling Rocky “Do you believe America is the land of opportunities?” And giving the guy a shot at the belt. Continuing “I was like, I got the shot!”
You are brought in as an alternate and people kind of expect you to lose. So, there is no pressure like that,” Anglickas admits. “You’re fighting a tough guy so no matter what tough guy you’re going to fight it’s always going to be a little bit of a coin toss of who’s going to win,” he says about the nerves approaching this contest.
Julius Anglickas joined MyMMANews ahead of the opportunity of a lifetime, as he’ll step up to face current Bellator champion, Vadim Nemkov. A win in this bout secures Anglickas the Bellator light heavyweight title and a spot in the Grand Prix finals to compete against the winner of the Ryan Bader vs. Corey Anderson. Tune in above to hear from Julius Anglickas!