Since stepping into the professional ranks in late 2017, Lethbridge's Lucas Neufeld hasn't had to search far for inspiration.
On Feb. 10, Neufeld (1-0) steps into the cage for his second professional outing, hosting George Matechuck (1-1) at Fight Night 6 in a featherweight clash at his home gym in Lethbridge, Alta.
Neufeld described the thrill of receiving his first paycheck as a professional MMA fighter, and the prospect of many more payments down the line has him eager to compete.
"I'm so motivated by the fact that I could potentially turn this into a career," Neufeld told reporters.
"I'm genuinely excited. This could become my profession one day, so I need to approach it like one right now."
That job awaits on Saturday night when the cage doors close on Neufeld and Matechuck.
While Neufeld holds no grudges toward Matechuck, he reckons visitors to Lethbridge may underestimate the strength of local fan support for hometown competitors—a factor he views as significant.
"I'm pumped. This is in my hometown. My whole family's going to be there. All my friends, and all the people I love are going to be there cheering me on," said Neufeld.
"That's something he's not even going to be able to prepare for."
Beyond friends and family, Neufeld noted he'll have backing from every sponsor—including Student Works Painting, East Meets West Health Centre, Southern Chiropractic, and Lafarge Lethbridge—which he deeply values.
One hurdle during training camp was not knowing much about Matechuck's style. With that gap, Neufeld said he focused on developing a versatile skill set at Progressive Fighting Academy to handle any scenario.
"It's been all about being well-rounded and having good, strong wrestling," he explained.
"Good wrestling is undeniable in MMA. You're a fool if you think you're going to out-strike a wrestler."
Rage Fighting Series present the Fight Force MMA fight of the year between Lucas "Wild Thing" Neufeld of PFA and… https://t.co/wFq2sSxRaH
— PFA #TeamPFA (@PFAdaily) April 9, 2016
Matechuck Ready For War
Traveling from Saskatoon, SK and training out of Alliance Training Centre, Matechuck expects Neufeld to impose a blistering tempo inside the cage, so he's worked on footwork to neutralize that advantage.
"He's a straight shooter. He likes to push the pace," Matechuck said during an interview.
"That's why my game plan has been about movement, to get around his blitz."
Matechuck's last fight was originally booked for June 9, 2017 against Gurjeet Bilkhu, but a injury sidelined him. He called the rehab process lengthy but confirmed he's fully recovered and ready to compete.
His most recent appearance inside the cage came on March 4, 2016, when he fell to a first-round submission against Clay Dixon.
Heading into that Dixon matchup resembled this current bout with Neufeld in that he'd been away from competition for some time. Matechuck acknowledged feeling a touch of ring rust against Dixon but insisted that won't repeat here.
"I didn't have the animosity I did in my previous fights," Matechuck said.
"I really needed to bring that back, so that's why I've been focussing on being more aggressive, and having more movement this time around."
