Hammond, Indiana, United States is the location for LFA 185 where Kegan Gennrich will defend his LFA lightweight title. Kegan Gennrich was able to clinch the title last time out. This was when he found the arm triangle choke in the 5th round to defeat JaCobi Jones. This Friday, Kegan Gennrich will return to defend the title he was able to get his hands on when he takes on Richie Lewis in the main event. Combat Sports UK was able to chat with Kegan Gennrich before his upcoming title defence.
Kegan Gennrich Reflects on Becoming Champion
The goal for every fighter is to become the champion in the organisation they fight under. For Kegan Gennrich this will of been the exact same goal. Gennrich was able to achieve this last time he fought in LFA. I was able to ask Kegan Gennrich what it felt like to finally become the champion after defeating JaCobi Jones. Kegan Gennrich explained;
“It was an incredible fight night in January to finish JaCobi by choke, win the belt, and be awarded my black belt in the same night! Winning the LFA belt is a huge achievement in my career that can never be taken away.”
This shows that the night he was able to be crowned the champion this was not the only reason he was able to celebrate. This is due to Gennrich being able to get his black belt awarded to him as well. Just like every other fighter’s dream, Gennrich was able to feel the feelings of becoming a champion. Gennrich describes it being a huge achievement and one that he will never forget and help him push for bigger things in the future.
Kegan Gennrich on Improvements since Last Fight and How Training Camp Is Going
Even though Kegan Gennrich was able to get the choke in the 5th round to become the LFA Champion. There is still room for improvement that he can work on. If he is able to improve on these aspects he may even get the stoppage even quicker next time around. Speaking to Gennrich I was able to ask him what he thought he had to improve on since the last fight. Kegan Gennrich explained;
“I have continued to improve in all areas since my last fight… Skills, Athletism, Strength and conditioning are all things I work on daily.”
Kegan is focused on just improving one area of the game but instead is continuing to improve in all areas. While he may not be highlighting a specific area in which he can improve on. If he just focuses on one aspect that may leave another area open for his opponents. This has been sorted due to Kegan making sure he improves in every aspect of his training. I was then able to ask him how his training camp had gone for this upcoming fight.
“Training camp for this fight feels like my strongest camp yet. I’ve pushed myself to work a little more and a little harder every session. Training for this fight doesn’t specifically feel any different. I’m enjoying training my hardest and am excited to show off my hard work”
Gennrich has been able to push himself throughout this camp to be able to put on a show for the fans in attendance and at home. Kegan Gennrich feels he will be able to go out this weekend and put on the best performance he has been able to put on yet. If he is able to follow his gameplan he should be able to find the stoppage victory.
Has Kegan Gennrich Seen Any Weakness from Richie Lewis? Fight Prediction?
After speaking about his training and hearing about how hard he has been working in preparation for this upcoming title defence I also tried to find out about his gameplan. I tried to see if Kegan Grennrich has seen any weaknesses Richie Lewis may have in Gennrich would be able to take advantage of. Speaking about what he has seen Kegan Gennrich explained;
“I believe I will be more well-rounded than Richie [Lewis] in most aspects of MMA. I believe my experience and strength of schedule will also be a factor.”
Kegan believes that he will be more well-rounded than Richie Lewis. If there is an area of the fight where both fighters have success Gennrich will be able to move it either back to the feet or onto the ground. Gennrich doesn’t believe Richie Lewis is better than him in terms of ability but also in terms of the opposition faced. I was also able to ask Gennrich about a prediction for the fight and how he thinks it will finish. Kegan explained;
“I predict I will get stronger as the rounds progress and pick apart his weaknesses before finding the finish when it comes to me.”
Gennrich believes he will be able to go out there and get a stoppage victory come Friday evening. He believes his training will allow him to keep the same pace throughout the whole fight. Whereas, Richie will get tired going into the later rounds. Gennrich believes he will be able to put the pace on Richie Lewis and eventually be able to find the stoppage.
Handing the Pressure of Being Champion
Everyone dreams about becoming the champion and Kegan Gennrich was able to accomplish this last time out. With Kegan Gennrich now the champion everyone in the lightweight division is now looking to take the belt away from him. Every fighter is calling his name after a win and are trying to get a fight against him for his title. I was able to get an insight into how he is handling the pressure of being the champion of the division. Kegan Explained;
“I think the pressure is less on the belt and more keeping my winning streak going until I sign with the UFC”
This shows that even though everyone is looking for the fight against him for his title. It isn’t the title which means the most for Gennrich. It is actually his winning streak which currently sits 6 wins. His last defeat came against Evan Elder back in 2020. Kegan believes this winning streak will help him push himself into the UFC. This is so he can compete against the best and even be able to avenge that defeat to Evan Elder.
Future Plans
I was able to ask Kegan Gennrich about what he thinks will be next for him. This would be if he is able to secure the victory on Friday. This is with the Dana White’s Contenders Series coming up. Not only that but many prospects are being signed. It will be interesting to see what Kegan thought would be his next move. Kegan Gennrich explained;
“I believe I have been a win away for a couple fights now but I do feel a dominant victory over Richie Lewis would boost my strong resume even more and would hopefully lead to me breaking through to the UFC. I would love a rematch of my last loss in 2020 with Evan Elder!”
This shows that Kegan believes should already be signed to the UFC as he has been a win away for a while and has been able to increase his winning streak in the process. Kegan believes he will be signed to the UFC and not have to go through the Contender Series. Gennrich is looking for that rematch against Evan Elder which is a realistic fight for him. We will have to see what happens this weekend and how the fight goes however, a strong performance may make this happen.