Alex Gluzman didn't come up with gold in his most recent outing, but he's getting a quick rematch to make things right.
Gluzman (2-1) steps into the cage against Scott Rodrigues (4-1) at MFL 20 this Saturday. Their main event matchup is for the vacant MFL bantamweight championship and will take place in Montreal, Que.
The 24-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., is gearing up for yet another shot at MFL gold.
The split decision in his Olivier Poisson fight at MFL 19 sparked plenty of debate, with many fans and analysts believing Gluzman deserved to stay undefeated.
"Honestly, I like Poisson. He's a good dude. And respect to him. He made me a better fighter. But you're not going to tell me that I lost that fight. Now, for sure I could have done things better. I could have been more active. But you're not going to tell me I lost that fight," said Gluzman in an interview with MMA Empire.
"Even though he had me in a corner, I basically won pretty much every exchange. I put more damage every time. He took me down once or twice and I swept him. Honestly, at this point, it's whatever. He has a fight coming up and good luck to him. It is what it is, man. He made me better. Moving on."
In his last fight, Gluzman competed for Montreal Fight League gold in a different weight class.
Gluzman has been putting together his preparation for the 135-pound opportunity, which is where he feels more comfortable, after originally considering whether 145 pounds might work for him.
"Pretty much as soon as the promoter announced the card, immediately I asked if I can get on it," said Gluzman.
"I think it was like two or three weeks after that. I was supposed to fight another guy for the featherweight belt, but they didn't want it. I think it was an injury or something, so they offered me a title shot at 135. Here we are."
That earlier featherweight title run could probably be counted as a temporary stop at 145 pounds. The restrictions caused by COVID training played a significant role in that shift.
"I went to featherweight because there's no way I'm going to make 135 when everything is closed off during the pandemic," said Gluzman.
"The title was also a big motivator. But now that the gyms are opening and everything, I can make '35 easier. But I took the '45 fight because at the time there was no way for me to make 135."
As with every Canadian MMA competitor, the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, shutting down numerous gyms for extended stretches.
Gluzman noted it's encouraging to see the training scene improving, since his gym, Joslin's MMA, appears to be back to regular operations.
"The last camp was good too, actually. For more in-house training it was actually really good. But now Joslin's is open again, all the gyms are open. There's more people to train with. It's better now," said Gluzman.
After facing the previously unbeaten, 5-0 Poisson in his last outing, Gluzman now takes on another formidable challenge against Rodrigues this weekend.
Gluzman spoke highly of his upcoming opponent when talking about what Rodrigues brings to the table as a competitor.
"I think he's one of the more well-rounded fighters in amateur right now. He's going to be definitely a tough opponent," said Gluzman.
"I think the only real thing that I got to be worried about with him is just his potential takedowns. Other than that I don't really feel threatened anywhere, not to take anything away from him. He's tough and I'm getting ready. We're throwing down on Saturday."
Rodrigues currently sits at No. 8 in the Canadian amateur bantamweight rankings, while Gluzman is hoping a victory will push him into the top 15.
Despite Rodrigues' top-10 standing, Gluzman insists it carries no weight for him.
"The rankings never matter, right? Because the rankings are based on the records. At least in amateur anyway. Pro you have a better view. But in the amateur, what I'm seeing is it's based on records," said Gluzman.
"Even then I think Tapology has me ranked ahead of Scott and he has a better record than me though. At the end of the day, rankings don't really matter. A fight's a fight. I know, from what I've seen, I'm prepared for what he has and I know what I have. May the best man win."
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