Reigning LFA Champion Harvey Park is hoping an impressive performance in front of the Dana White will help gain him employment with the UFC.
Dana White’s Contender Series was established to find true blue-chip prospects who have seasoned their skills on the regional scene and are looking for a chance to make the leap into the world’s premier MMA organization, the UFC. While several different MMA promotions have supplied the UFC with fighters for the show, the LFA leads the pack with selections. So far eight different LFA champions have fought and impressed the UFC brass enough to receive a contract. On Tuesday, the reigning LFA lightweight champion, Harvey Park will look to become number nine.
“I feel like I have the resume to go right into the UFC, but I don’t feel like I’m entitled to it,” Park told Cageside Press. “I don’t feel entitled to anything. I don’t mind fighting for anything. In my career, I don’t take any shortcuts. If this is the way it goes, it’s the way it goes. I will take what I can get.”
Park headlines this week’s competition when he battles undefeated Venezuelan fighter, Omar Morales. Park, who serves his community of Curry County as a New Mexico Sheriff Deputy, has been working his way to reach the UFC since he began training in mixed martial arts. Now that he is on the cusp of reaching his goal, he knows he must focus on the task at hand.
“I have been thinking about it for 10 years,” Harvey said. “However, I’m not focusing on the contract, I’m focusing on my fight. Nothing changes. Same nervous as always. Same plans as always.”
Park enters the competition as one of the most intriguing prospects in all of MMA. The 33-year-old has compiled a 12-2 professional record and has won 10 of his last 11 matchups. The former member of the United States Navy has won 11 of his fight by way of stoppage, making him feel like he is the exact type of fighter UFC President Dana White is looking for.
“People are blessed with certain things,” Harvey said. “I have been blessed with really good power in my hands. I’m going to just fight my fight. My style is exciting. I’m not going to have to change my style. It is a very fan-friendly style. That’s what everyone is looking for.”
Despite fighting in front of Dana White and UFC matchmakers, Sean Shelby, and Mick Maynard, “The Fightbot” is not letting the pressure get to him.
“It feels different while also feeling like I have been here before,” Park stated. “It’s a little more at stake. That’s the only thing that is different is there is a contract if you fight well. In the past, I always hoped that if I win I would get a call. For the past four or five fights, I was hoping to get called up. That is what is different. If I do well, it is likely I will get a contract. “
Park stated that he and his team attempted to find film on Morales but very few of his fights could be located on the internet. Despite not knowing much about his opponent, he remains confident in the matchup.
“If you think about it, I’m headlining a fight card for the UFC,” Park said. “If you want to say it that way, I’m in the main event. It’s on a Tuesday night, I got nobody to compete with. All the eyes will be on me. There is a lot to be positive about… I predict a first-round knockout.”
