LOGAN STORLEY wants to challenge Neiman Gracie for the welterweight title this weekend. He will do so by winning the marquee fight.
He will be taking on the Brazilian jiujitsu phenom in his first fight of the year at Bellator 274.
Logan Storely will be in action on Saturday morning at Bellator 274,
A victory over Gracie, a great-grandson Brazilian jiu jitsu pioneer Carlos, would be the most significant in South Dakota's history.
Storely is acutely aware of the prestige that comes with a win over Gracie. He believes this will allow him to compete against Yaroslav Amov, who won the maiden title defense against Michael Venom Page.
SunSport spoke to Kill Cliff's ambassador, saying: "I think with dominating performances - I don’t know why I wouldn’t fight for this title next.
"Douglas Lima just fought these guys, and now he's facing Jason Jackson. It's important what happens to those guys.
"But, if Neiman beats me, I would love to fight for the title next."
Gracie will not be defeated easily, but Storely was able to call upon Jackson, his teammate, to help him.
According to the 29-year old, "I think Jason did an excellent job against him." Although it was an interesting fight, Jason won the position after he had opened his eye.
"Landing takedowns, and controlling him. While I was able to see some of the things in there, I also witnessed how tough Neiman was.
"I know that he is tough. I know that he is one of the greatest of the world. That's why we're going to meet in the middle of the cage on February 19, 2019. To see what happens."
Storely is not like most of Gracie’s opponents and will fight with feared BJJ blackbelt Gracie.
However, he does not see the fight as the battle of grapplers that most fans expect. He said: "Usually when it is a grappler against grappler, it ends in a stand-up bout.
"But when it's to those scrambles or positions, I don't fear to go there and he knows that he doesn't have any fear to go there."
"It's all about who can set the pace, who can win these dominant positions, who is able to win the scrambles, and who can execute the best game-plan within those 25 minutes.
Storely will be able to feel confident going into fight night by attending preparations with the murderers row of elite Welterweights at Sanford.
Storely stated that Gracie's hands looked great in his last fight. He knocked out Mark Lemminger during his last fight.
"But at the end of the day, I know that I compete against some of the most talented guys in the world every day.
"Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque are undefeated men. Kamaru Usman was once a training partner of Robbie Lawler and Michael Chandler. Jason Jackson is one of these guys.
"There are 10 to 15 guys who are ranked among the top 30 at welterweight in the world. Iron sharpens iron, as they say.
You'll become more confident when you compete with the best of the world every day. This is what happens. I am confident in my abilities.
"I have a teammate, Jason Jackson, who has fought Neiman. He helped me prepare for the fight, and I helped him.
"A fight is just a fight, and anything can happen. I know that if I focus on the task at hand, keep it moving for 25 minutes, and don't worry about losing or winning, I will be able to raise my hand.
Storely's victory over Dante Schiro in August was partly due to his refocusing on the strengths of his opponents, something he admitted to being guilty of during his defeat to Amosov in Nov 2020.
He stated, "That's something that I have stopped worrying about. Instead, I just focus on putting in 100% effort and taking smart risks. And letting it all go."
"And when that happens, everything usually turns out really well."
"I must get back to that; pushing my pace, throwing hard, and fighting my battle."
Logan Storely talked to SunSport about his ambassador role for Kill Cliff and Get Biofuel. This initiative is led by the Clean Energy Team, who are supporters of renewable, plant-based fuels.
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