At 14-0, Adam Borics has good reason to believe he’s invincible, but Darrion Caldwell plans on showing that he’s a different beast when the pair meet at Bellator 238.
Los Angeles, CA — Things were a fair bit calmer for Darrion Caldwell ahead of Bellator 238. Once upon a time, with Caldwell in front of our camera, things nearly came to a head with Patricio Pitbull.
No such issues this time, as Caldwell (14-3) heads into a fight with Adam Borics. “Nah we good over here, everything good in the neighborhood.”
We caught up with Caldwell during Fight Week in Los Angeles. He’s one half of this weekend’s co-main event, on the first card of the year for Bellator MMA. In opponent Borics, he sees a little bit of himself, at least earlier in his career.
“Absolutely, I see a guy who’s never felt a defeat. I see a guy whose confidence is through the roof,” he told Cageside Press. “His coaches are in his ear telling him he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. His teammates, he’s got a solid group of guys around him, so he’s got every reason to almost feel invincible.”
Caldwell knows the feeling, as a former bantamweight champ who had a dazzling start to his own career. “I’ve been there, I think we’ve all been there after putting together nine or ten wins. He’s got fourteen. He’s double-digit wins in a row. Never lost, never felt defeat.”
But at the same time, said Caldwell, “I think he’s just a fresh young pup. He’s hungry, but he’s never felt a guy that’s going to put him in the fire. I’m the guy to do it.”
What he sees as different in Borics’ case is the competition. “Yeah he’s fought [former featherweight champ] Pat Curran, but that’s about it. I haven’t seen much out of Pat Curran in the past two years.”
‘The Wolf,’ however, plans on showing he’s a different animal. “Gold is on the line. I got gold coming in my future, and I want it just as much as he does if not more. Just because I felt those losses, I know what defeat is like, and I don’t want to feel that again. He has not. Once he gets in the cage with me, he’s going to feel a different beast.”
Caldwell is never one to look past an opponent, but in a grand prix tournament, it’s no doubt hard not to ponder your options. “It’s all perspective,” Caldwell explained. “Honestly my goal is the be the champion. Adam Borics right now is the best fighter in this division. He’s undefeated for a reason. I think same thing, moving forward. Once I get to the semifinals, it’ll be like ‘AJ’s the best fighter in the division.”
In the finals, it’ll be Pitbull, or whoever is still standing. Fight by fight in other words, said Caldwell. “I will be the champion in 2020,” he added. “It don’t really matter who it’s going to be, by the end of 2020, I will be the Bellator featherweight champion. That’s a fact.”
Darrion Caldwell meets Adam Borics in the co-main event of Bellator 238, this Saturday, January 25 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. The card airs live on DAZN.
