With Bellator poised to do big things in the second half of 2018 and beyond, Ryan Couture is looking to score a key win at Bellator 201. Which should allow him to “ride that wave” with the promotion moving forward.
Bellator 201’s Ryan Couture is set for a co-main event lightweight scrap with Saad Awad this Friday — and despite Awad being a big fan of Ryan’s UFC Hall of Fame father Randy Couture, Couture knows he’s in for a tough fight.
Still, the younger Couture is thrilled to be back in action. “I’m pumped to finally be back in there,” he told the media on Wednesday in advance of the Bellator 201 card Friday in Temecula, California. “It’s been a long time, over a year actually as of just of a couple days ago. Just antsy, ready to get in there and get back to work — its been too long.”
Couture’s last outing was a victory over Haim Gozali at Bellator 180 in New York a year ago. That win snapped a two-fight skid that saw Couture suffer losses at the hands of Goiti Yamauchi and Patricky Freire.
The key to success this time around? Stick to the game plan, which includes setting the pace and place. “I’ve got to be sharp, can’t make any mistakes with him, he’s dangerous everywhere,” Couture said. “He’s always looking for a finish. Obviously he’s known for his punching power, but he’s good with his submission game as well. Just going to have to be sharp, fight him smart. Not fall into a brawl, stick to my game, do what I do well, and as long as I dictate the pace and dictate where the fight takes place, then that’s going to be my path to victory.”
A victory, for Couture, means staying involved with all the big things happening at Bellator MMA — who just signed a nine-figure deal with streaming provider DAZN.
“They’re putting together these mega-events and these amazing fights. And I want to be a part of that,’ Couture explained. “I want to ride that momentum and ride that wave with them. If I’m going to do that, I’ve got to win, and I’ve got to do it impressively. And I like that, I want to rise to the challenge.”
You can check out the Bellator 201 pre-fight press scrum with Ryan Couture above! The main card airs live starting at 9PM EST on the Paramount Network.
