Saad Awad
Will Brooks has been a dominant Bellator lightweight champion, but it’s still hard to ignore the lone blemish on his record – one Saad Awad is responsible for.
Brooks (16-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) opened his career 9-0 before he crossed paths with Awad (18-6 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in February 2013. “Assassin” needed just 43 seconds to knock Brooks out at Bellator 91 and put the first tick in his loss column.
Brooks rebounded from the loss with a seven-fight winning streak, which included a redemption performance against Awad at Bellator 105 in October 2013. Brooks took the rematch by unanimous decision and moved on to win the Bellator lightweight title.
Now, the script has been flipped on Awad; he’s the one in search of redemption. The 32-year-old has reeled off three straight wins since he lost to Brooks and is inching toward making a trilogy contest a reality.
Awad meets Patricky Freire (13-6 MMA, 6-5 BMMA) at Bellator 141 on Friday, and the winner could jump into the next No. 1 contender spot. The 155-pound bout airs on the Spike TV-televised main card following prelims on MMAjunkie at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif.
“Me and Will should have fought a long time ago, and it was in the back of my head that I wanted a rematch with him,” Awad told MMAjunkie. “He gets better every fight. He’s still new in this game and trying new things. He’s getting more comfortable on his feet and mixing in his wrestling. The third fight will be a really good fight.”
Awad admits he was somewhat obsessed with earning a third showdown with Brooks after he dropped the rematch. He said he’s moved on, though, and has simply resigned himself to the idea of the bout being inevitable.
When exactly it will take place remains a mystery to Awad, he said. However, even if defeats Freire at Bellator 141, he doesn’t plan to wait to be handed a title shot.
“I’ve stopped thinking about that now with it being my fourth fight since I fought him; I’m not going to sit and wait for it,” Awad said. “I’m going to ask for another fight because I’m not waiting around and not getting any younger. I’m going to stay busy, but if they offer me an opportunity and it comes soon, I’m going to be more than excited to take it.”
Brooks puts his title on the line against Marcin Held at Bellator 145 on Nov. 6. His next challenger after that could be the winner of Awad vs. Freire. Although Awad pushed hard to get the trilogy with Brooks before, he’s now thunks the more time that passes only plays to his advantage.
“It gives me time to sit back and look at the mistakes I’ve made and the way I was training,” Awad said. “I thought I was training hard, but I’m not training nearly as hard as I’ve been training recently. I’ve become a different fighter since the last time. He capitalized on me not being patient. The third fight around is going to be a completely different fight.”
If he wants to share the cage with Brooks again, he knows he must defeat Freire in decisive fashion.
Awad has earned just one knockout since he defeated Brooks with strikes more than two years ago. He said he’d like to earn a similar finish to remind the champion and the rest of the weight class that he’s a serious contender and legitimate threat to the belt.
“I definitely want to stop him; I want to go out there and put an exclamation on this fight,” Awad said. “My last two fights went the distance and before that I was known for finishing people. That’s why I want to get back in there and stay a lot busier. My cardio is better so I don’t have to be trigger shy with the amount of punches I throw. I plan on stopping him and proving a point.”
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