With so much focus on his opponent at Bellator 214, we decided to get to know Henry Corrales ahead of his co-main event scrap this weekend.
Los Angeles, CA — Aaron Pico has gotten a lot of attention heading into Bellator 214 this weekend. Yet his opponent, Henry Corrales, is no easy out. At 16-3, Corrales has contnued to impress, earning victories over the likes of Noad Lahat, ex-WSOF champ Georgi Karakhanyan, and Cody Bollinger. Before his more recent run, he fought names like Patricio Freire, Daniel Straus, and Emmanuel Sanchez.
Champions and challengers all. Pico could wind up on that list some day. But enough about Aaron Pico. Let’s get to know Henry ‘OK’ Corrales.
“I started training in my early 20s,” Corrales told Cageside Press on Thursday during Bellator 214’s media day. “I liked playing sports and stuff. I always liked to fight. I was always coming across a lot of confrontations, and I would never shy away from them. So it was a nice easy little transition for me.”
Going from fighting on the streets to going up against trained fighters was something else, though. Something that no doubt kept him from a more troubled path. “It’s definitely humbling you know. Martial arts definitely kind of saved my life. I love this sh*t.”
When he finally decided to make the leap to fighting full time, Corrales was working in a grocery store. “I wasn’t going nowhere there. So I went for it. I went all in. I’m glad it’s somewhat paying off for me.”
When you look at where he is today, it certainly seems to be going in the right direction. Which means no more day jobs. “I actually just stopped bar tending not too long ago, like months ago. I was bar tending, rolling up with black eyes, missing teeth and sh*t. Looking super rugged tending bar.”
So how should we celebrate a Corrales win this weekend? “Something straight. Man sh*t.”
Bellator 214 takes place Saturday, January 26 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. The main card airs on Paramount Network and DAZN.
