With six knockouts spread across their 10 combined amateur and professional victories, Cam Macdonald and Tom Theocharis are ready to deliver a fight of the night performance.
Macdonald from Athabasca (1-0) and Theocharis from London, Ont. (0-1) will step into the cage for a professional lightweight contest at Prestige FC 9 in Fort McMurray on March 2.
While Macdonald is anticipating a rough-and-tumble fight, he says he's ready for whatever direction it takes, and thinks his approach may pose challenges for Theocharis to adjust to.
"I doubt Tom has dealt with many fighters like me," Macdonald remarked during an interview.
"It's sure to be a war."
Even though Macdonald has competed in just one professional match, he enjoyed an extensive amateur career where he accumulated significant cage time and tested himself against different styles of opponents.
One competitor he'd always dreamed of sharing the octagon with, but never got the chance, was Theocharis. Until this Friday.
"I've been following Tom's fights for a couple years now," said Macdonald.
"We've kept him on our radar for some time, so we knew this matchup would happen sooner or later."
Macdonald has been honing every facet of his game at New Path MMA ahead of this fight, and feels assured in his power to end it.
Across eight combined professional and amateur bouts, Macdonald has never been knocked out. He doesn't plan for that streak to break on Friday night either.
"I picture me finishing him, or taking a grueling decision. I'm certain he won't finish me. I'm quite tough," Macdonald stated.
Theocharis Asserts His Edge
In true fashion, Theocharis disagrees.
Theocharis emphasizes studying video on opponents, and claims he has a solid read on what Macdonald will bring when the cage doors shut.
"Frankly, I'm better than this guy across every part of MMA," Theocharis told reporters.
"He's basically just got a puncher's shot."
Even while claiming superiority in every discipline, Theocharis hasn't treated preparation casually, having even flown to Las Vegas to train at the UFC Performance Institute alongside Xtreme Couture.
The journey came just after Christmas with a handful of fellow Canadians including TJ Laramie and Jeremy Kennedy, and he described it as pure business.
"I enjoy trips like these so I can connect with new people, pick up new techniques and abilities, and just absorb a completely fresh experience," Theocharis shared.
"I'm walking into this fight loaded with confidence because my training camp has been exceptional."
Even though every victory in his amateur run ended in a finish, Theocharis said it's not his goal to seek those outcomes, but rather let them unfold naturally.
His primary objective is securing the victory, regardless of how it arrives.
"I've visualized this fight countless times in my mind, and I've pictured myself victorious just as often. And that's the only thing that counts," Theocharis declared.
"I don't care how it happens, but my hand will be the one raised."
