Charles Rosa knows he’s in for some stiff competition.
On Sept. 22, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold an event inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Rosa is set to take on Mizuto Hirota on the main card.
Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Rosa said he’s aware of the dangers Hirota presents:
“Mizuto Hirota is definitely (tough as) nails. I’ve watched his fights; he comes, he brings it every time. He was a DEEP champion in Japan at 155, so I know he’s going to be tough and strong. As far as his style, I think he’s pretty basic, which is good for me because it’s easier to train for. I have hundreds of teammates at ATT that can pretty much emulate that boxing/MMA style, pretty much just boxing, and takedowns, and bodylocks and stuff like that. That stuff, I train everyday.”
He then said training for this fight won’t be the same as for previous bouts.
“It’s going to be a little different, obviously, it’ll be a little bit easier than training for a guy like Yair Rodriguez, or even a guy like Shane [Burgos] with that really good standup, and slipping, keeping his hands down and stuff. So, this is one of those fights I really like. It’s one of those ones I can really focus on what I’m great at, and that’s digging deep. Get back to my training ways of doing sprints and running, and kind of like the Rocky style of training of just being in really good shape, because I know my skills are there.”
