Serhiy Sidey: “Do It More Violently” in Ali Wasuk Rematch
Serhiy Sidey defends his bantamweight title against Ali Wasuk on June 9th at BFL 77.
Sidey appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts once again to discuss fighting in front of UFC brass here, the differences between both fighters heading into this rematch, and a whole lot more. Excerpts from our chat are below.
Serhiy Sidey
What were your initial thoughts when this bout offer for the Wasuk sequel came your way?
“Yeah, he definitely since we fought, he’s gone 2-0. He’s won two fights against two top guys there in BFL. So, he’s earned his shot again. For me, you know, I wasn’t even happy with the performance I had with him the last fight. So, this is just an opportunity to go back in there, do it again, do it better this time. Do it more violently this time and do it in front of the UFC. Hopefully the UFC Vancouver card all the eyes in that city that week, it’s just a big opportunity for me. So, I couldn’t pass it down and he was the guy. He’s the guy in line. So that’s the fight we took.”
BFL 77
What are the biggest differences between yourself and your opponent after the first fight in December 2021?
“You know, I think number one yeah he’s gotten better for sure, man. Like he’s a true martial artist. He puts in the work, he’s got his wins. But I’ve just got so much better since that last fight, man. Even watching that fight with my coach, after we sat back we watched it, I wasn’t impressed with my performance. I wasn’t happy with how I performed. We went back to the drawing board. I treated that fight like a loss. Even though I won, my mindset was like ok, what do I have to do to get better? Let’s act like I lost this fight, what do I do to get better?”
“I think the biggest difference between me and Ali is just like the level of guys that I’m training with here in Ontario, man. I’m not the top dog. Make sure I’m training with guys that are consistently giving me hard looks, hard rounds. I’m always looking for that next level. I’m never comfortable. I put myself into as much uncomfortable situations as I possibly can. I push myself so hard. Want to break myself so many times in that gym that when it’s time to fight, I can’t be broken. I really feel this camp, I left no stones unturned. Nothing unturned.”
Battlefield Fight League
Sidey continued, “I did every possible thing including my diet, my recovery, my training, my mindset. I didn’t mess around at all. Made sure that every stone was turned and that I’m gonna be ready for this opportunity. Like again, he says that, you know, it’s gonna be a different version of himself. I hope it is because I need that challenge. I need somebody that pushes me to a level that I haven’t been in yet. That’s where I’m gonna really shine and that’s where I’m gonna be able to perform. If he shows up the same way he showed up last time, this fight’s going to be a breeze.”
