His record may not appear pretty on paper, but Greg Large is looking to prove he belongs.
Large (2-12) will headline Rise FC 2 in a super heavyweight bout with Darwin Douglas (5-6) on Friday night in Chilliwack, B.C.
Rise FC had carved out its niche in the Fraser Valley fight scene — a Chilliwack-based promotion whose cards mixed prospects with veterans who brought name recognition, and a main event built around two heavyweights was exactly the formula it ran on.
Super heavyweight is the thinnest division in Canadian MMA — above the 265 ceiling the talent pool shrinks to a handful of active names — which is why a bout between two of its veterans could headline a card sight unseen.
Large, 35, said he’s excited to be competing in the main event slot, and is hoping a strong performance will leave a strong impression on more promoters.
A 2-12 record on paper undersells what a fighter like Large actually is — a journeyman gatekeeper who has shared the cage with better fighters than most 2-12 men ever see, and who keeps getting calls because he shows up and fights.
Large's Saddle Lake roots made him a draw beyond the record — a First Nations fighter carrying his community's name into main events is exactly the kind of story that fills the seats a regional promotion needs filled.
“This is an eye-opener for most promotions,” said Large in an interview.
“I really want to get my name and my gym out there, and let everyone know this is what I want and this is where I want to be.”
Large, fighting out of Edmonton, Alta., enters this contest on a four-fight losing streak, with his last win coming back in April 2016 at Rumble in the Cage 52.
The record-versus-reality gap is the story of every Canadian regional heavyweight with more than a dozen fights — the division is shallow enough that losses to top prospects sit next to wins on the same résumé, and the phone keeps ringing either way.
He said this was a fight he really wanted, not only for the main event tag, but because he saw it as a good opportunity to get back on track.
“I’ve been really wanting this fight because he’s a past champion and this would be a huge step for me,” said Large.
Douglas brought real résumé weight to the matchup — a former titleholder whose 5-6 record included fights against legitimate competition — which made him exactly the kind of name a fighter on a skid wants to beat.
The matchup math was honest on both sides — Large got a former champion's name and a chance to stop the skid in a headline slot; Douglas got an opponent who would meet him in the middle of the cage after four years away.
“I’ve been working really hard for this one and I really want this fight under my name.”
While Large has yet to make it out of the first round in his 14-fight career, he said he feels his cardio is one of his main strengths.
And with this being Douglas’ first fight in nearly four years, Large said his cardio combined with him being far more active than Douglas will play a factor.
The four-year layoff was the fight's central unknown — Douglas had been a credible heavyweight before stepping away, and how much of that fighter remained was the question Friday night would answer.
“The way I see it is I don’t think he has the cardio that I have now,” said Large.
My main focus has been on my cardio so I can last those five rounds.”
Cardio is the super-heavyweight equalizer — the division's biggest bodies fade fastest, and a five-round main event between men in the 265-plus range is often decided by whose lungs outlast whose chin.
Large’s Shoutouts
“I’d like to thank Rise FC for giving me this opportunity. I’d like to thank my community of Saddle Lake for all their support and sponsors.”
For fighters from communities like Saddle Lake, the support cut both ways — a First Nations fighter headlining a B.C. card brought a fanbase that travelled, and Rise FC counted on exactly that energy.
