It was at BFL 49 where Chris Anderson successfully defended his BFL welterweight title, for the second time, against challenger Dejan Kajic.

On Saturday night in the main event of BFL 56, Anderson (6-1) and Kajic (8-7-2, 1 NC) will meet again to determine the rightful new owner of the vacant BFL middleweight strap.

Anderson, 27, said he’s expecting this bout to be contested primarily on the feet, and showcase the elite boxing and stand-up skills they both possess.

“The last fight was me just throwing the kitchen sink at him, and it was kind of ugly-looking. I think this fight will be a lot more competitive, and we’ll see some high-level boxing,” said Anderson in an interview.

“It’s going to be an exciting stand-up fight.”

In the first meeting, Anderson defended his belt with a third round knockout of Kajic, after almost three full rounds of pushing forward and pressure.

While he said he can see a similar result in the rematch, Anderson said he’s expecting a lot more offence and pressure from his opponent this time around, after discovering Kajic was indeed fighting through an injury in the first meeting.

“For this fight, I’m expecting a lot more offence from him. Obviously he’s going to want to prove he can do better,” said Anderson.

“I think he’s going to be a lot more prepared, and this time he’ll have a proper game plan.”

At the beginning of 2018, Anderson was already the BFL middleweight champion, but lost a tight split decision to Matt Dwyer at BFL 53 to lose the belt in his first defence attempt.

Anderson said this matchup with Kajic was originally supposed to be a contender match to determine who would have the next shot at Dwyer.

But with the belt now vacated, Saturday’s bout was recently announced as a title fight, much to the delight of Anderson.

“Of course, it’s always better to have a title fight,” said Anderson.

“For me, I just like the five rounds. I feel a little rushed with the three rounds.”

Kajic Looking to Progress

While Anderson is familiar with being a title-holder, Kajic is seeking to leave the cage with a belt around his waist for the first time as a professional.

For Kajic, he said it’s not all about the glory of leaving with the belt, but also it’s a guarantee that he stays busy inside the cage going forward.

“Getting a belt guarantees to keep me busy, guarantees me big fights, and guarantees my momentum moving forward in the right direction,” said Kajic in an interview.

“I’ve got maybe five, seven, or 10 more fights in me, so I need to continue pumping out the fights.”

At 33 years old, Kajic said he still has his sights set on “making it to the big leagues,” which he said won’t happen if he’s accepting fights against mid-ranked fighters.

Kajic said he pushed hard for this fight because he knows Anderson is a high-end opponent, and a victory over him will look strong on his resume, and show he’s evolving as a fighter.

“Anderson is a legit fighter,” said Kajic.

“If I can’t beat the top local fighters with a winning record, I sure as hell can’t beat fighters with a winning record in the UFC, One FC, or Bellator.”

Of Kajic’s eight victories, three are by knockout or TKO, and three are by submission, which he said shows his ability to finish fights.

In the first meeting, Kajic was on the wrong end of a third-round stoppage. But on Saturday night, Kajic said it’ll be he with his hands raised after the referee steps in.

“I honestly see me stopping him in the third round,” said Kajic.

“In the first round he’s going to come out hard, like he always does, and it’s my job to use my footwork and angles to be elusive and hard to hit. By the second round, he won’t be moving forward as much, and that’s when my time comes to begin picking him apart. Then the third round I’ll look to finish it.”