Norbert Novenyi Jr. eager to return from long layoff and remind the world why he’s a rising top prospect at Bellator 291
Being out with injury can be a frustrating and draining experience for any fighter and that can be especially true for a fighter who has been labeled a top prospect with tons of potential. That’s the story for Norbert Novenyi Jr. who was listed in ESPN’s Top 25 under 25 in December of last year, but has been out of action since 2020 as he recovers from a torn ACL injury.The wait will be over for Norbert Novenyi Jr this weekend when he returns at Bellator 291 in Dublin, Ireland against veteran Andy Manzolo.
It’s a much anticipated return for Novenyi Jr. who has been out of action since October of 2020 when he defeated Laid Zerhouni at Bellator 247 by first-round submission.
Since making his promotional debut with Bellator MMA in 2018, all but one of Novenyi Jr’s professional fights have happened with the promotion. In an interview with MyMMANews.com, the undefeated prospect out of Hungary discussed his eagerness to return from injury and remind the entire world why he’s considered one of the best young fighters in the world.
With everything now in place for his return, Norbert Novenyi Jr. opened up about how he has changed mentally during his time off due to injury and how it’s helped prepare him for his comeback.
“Mentally, I’ve changed a lot, I’ve realized that, pain is just a thing and you can push through it. I’ve realized a lot of things about myself in the past two-and-a-half years. I’ve also realized how bad I want this. I’ve got a brain so I can do other stuff, but this is what I want, and I feel like if this is not what I’m doing, my life is over, it’s not the same. My mentality is I know that I’m outworking everyone. I know that I’ mastering my craft every single day.”
Coming with the change in his mentality is the intensity in which he carries with himself every single day and having a focus that there is someone better than him in the world, like champion Johnny Eblen.
CLIP: I asked Norbert Novenyi Jr. (@magicnorbi) how his two-year layoff has changed him, especially mentally.
His answer can easily fire up anyone. “The fact that there’s someone out there better than me is infuriating”
Full convo @OnTheMic_Pod: https://t.co/6fEX6GGkqy pic.twitter.com/42QOT2vtrl
— Mike Pendleton (@MP2310) February 17, 2023
“Every single day, I wake up in the middle of night knowing there might be someone better than me and it’s just infuriating me. Someone like Johnny Eblen, Johnny Eblen is legit. I mean, his striking isn’t the best part, his cardio is impressive.
I’m not saying he has shit striking, but everything about him is legit. The fact that he has a shot of beating me is infuriating, so I wake up every day watching his fights and I’m not scheduled to fight him. The fact that there’s someone out there better than me, infuriates me.”
Looking to make up for lost time, Norbert Novenyi Jr. wants to stay busy in 2023 and is aiming for a quick finish at Bellator 291, then will push for a quick turnaround to have three fights in total this year.
“Ideally, I knock this guy in the first then maybe early June, end of May, depending on how I’m doing with weight and life in general. Early summer and then God willing, I’ll do another one at the end of the year. That would be perfect.”
Not only does Novenyi Jr. have a plan to stay active this year, but he also doesn’t plan to wait around and wants to challenge top competition in the division sooner rather than later.
“It depends. My last fight was supposed to be against Charlie Ward who at the time was Top 5, and I had a dream of becoming world champion at 23, and I feel like it could have been there. I mean at 21 I was supposed to fight number 5, then become number 5 at 21, then move on all that kind of stuff. I want to have this fight, I need this fight, I want to crunch this guy, first round, I’m hoping.
Then maybe another fight that’s out of the top 10, then maybe after. Two fights potentially, then maybe after that start chasing the title. I’m going to be realistic with it, I don’t want to rush it, I don’t want to rush anything. I’ve been out for some time. I want to make sure when I go there, it’s a clean sweep.”
With his return just days away, Norbert Novenyi Jr. wants the fans in attendance at Bellator 291 and those watching around the world to know that he’s bringing skills, finesse, swagger, good looks, and also plans to bring something great to the cage on that night.
