At UFC Boston, there will be no real beef between Manny Bermudez and Charles Rosa — but to Bermudez, a lot of beefs are played out for the camera anyway.
Boston, MA — It’s a hometown fight, and a new weight class for Boston’s Manny Bermudez Friday night. At UFC Boston (UFC on ESPN 6), Bermudez (14-1) will look to bounce back from the first loss of his career, back at UFC 241 against Casey Kenney.
The opponent this time out is Charles Rosa, returning to the octagon for the first time in a couple of years. Yet while it’s a fresh start, the story is the same — Bermudez missed weight at the scales for the third straight fight on Thursday.
Earlier in the week, however, Bermudez was more focused on the fight with Rosa than the scales. Speaking to reporters including Cageside Press at the UFC Boston media day, Bermudez said that despite he and Rosa sharing training partners, no one had given him any inside tips.
“Honestly not really. Everybody respects Charles, and I think I get a good amount of respect here locally too,” he explained. “And I think people have been very good about not stepping on toes or anything like that.”
“I haven’t really talked to Charles too much,” Bermudez added, “but he seems like a nice guy.”
While he wouldn’t mind a grudge match, it needs to be natrual. “I feel like every opponent I get matched up with, I want to make it a fight fight, but sometimes you see them, and like ‘alright, we’re friends, whatever.'” It’s not just local fighters showing respect, either. Bermudez alluded to a certain amount of showmanship within the fight game.
“I think it’s the UFC too. A lot of times, you see a lot these guys, like ‘oh these guys have beef, these guys have that’ but sometimes it’s like played out for the camera too,” he said.
One legit point of contention between Bermudez and Rosa, however, is the latter’s contention that Manny is a one-trick pony focused on the ground game. “I don’t think I’m a one-trick pony,” Bermudez said. “If he thinks that, there’s one way to find out, and I think we’re going to figure it out Friday.”
Watch the full UFC Boston media day press scrum with Manny Bermudez above! UFC Boston (UFC on ESPN 6) takes place Friday, October 18 at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
