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The Calm Before the Sirwan Kakai Storm
- Updated: September 15, 2016
It has been a difficult stretch for Sirwan Kakai. He was released from his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in 2015 and finds himself on his first two-fight losing streak as a professional. However, he does not sound like a man in desperation mode. Kakai faces former two-division Bellator MMA champion Joe Warren in the Bellator 161 co-main event on Friday at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas. The American Top Team-trained Swede has remained as calm as ever in the days leading up to what amounts to the most significant fight of his career.“I don’t feel like I have this pressure on me, even though I do because I have trained so hard for this fight,” Kakai told Sherdog.com. “I am more focused and motivated than ever, and I’m more confident. I’ve been changing some things up, and through all the hard work I’ve done, it makes me so much more confident. I think he might have more pressure than me.” Kakai took an odd route to Bellator. He was eliminated twice on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series before finally reaching the UFC. He accepted a bout with Danny Martinez on less than a week’s notice at UFC Fight Night “Machida vs. Romero” in June 2015 and earned a unanimous verdict. However, after Kakai lost a split decision to Frankie Saenz two months later, also on short notice, he was released by the Las Vegas-based promotion. He later signed with Bellator but remains miffed as to why the UFC opted to sever ties with him. “I don’t know why the UFC cut me,” Kakai said. …
