Making his promotional debut at Bellator 254, former CES lightweight champ and PFL veteran Nate Andrews knows he has a big opportunity ahead of him. That comes in a scrap with Bellator stalwart Goiti Yamauchi.
“It’s a chance to show the world who I am, and show the things that I’ve worked on,” Andrews (16-3) said during the Bellator 254 media day. In Yamauchi, Andrews sees a fighter who is “not just a wrestler that’s going to hold me down and run out the clock. He’s going to be looking for his submissions, he’s going to be looking for his strikes. It’s going to be a good fight.”
That might have been a dig at Chris Wade, who Andrews faced twice under the PFL banner. Wade won both encounters, via unanimous and majority decision.
Skill-wise, Andrews believes that Goiti Yamauchi is “probably going to be one of the top guys that I’ve had to fight.” Great strikes on the feet and great jiu-jitsu means “anywhere in the fight is going to be a tough spot. But I’m excited to show my skill level on the feet, and my skill level on the ground. If you look at how many submissions he has, if you look at my record, you see just as many finishes by submission as well.”
Having fought professionally for the past decade, the 36-year old Andrews has gold in his sights as he joins Bellator MMA. “My main goal in Bellator is to get my name out there and known, and eventually fight for a title,” said Andrews. “So the goal right now is just, as the names come, take ’em on, take ’em down.”
That all starts with Goiti Yamauchi. “I feel like a big win tonight, and then whatever next is on the table that they offer, everything is leading to something like that,” Andrews said regarding a path to the belt.
Watch the full Bellator 254 virtual media day press scrum with Nate Andrews above. Bellator 254 goes down this Thursday, December 10 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The main card airs live on CBS Sports Network following prelims that can be found on Cageside Press.
