Ireland’s own Ciaran Clarke improved his perfect record as a pro at Bellator 275, moving to 5-0 with a win over Abou Tounkara.
The SBG Ireland featherweight’s entire career has been spent under the Bellator banner, and his most recent win was a big one at home — with the only downside being an early ending. That, thanks to a doctor’s stoppage following the first round, which saw Tounkara sustain a shoulder injury.
“It’s a bittersweet ending to be honest,” Clarke said following the fight. “But if I could see it in my head, I was coming in the second and third. I really thought that was his best round, you know? I felt I was crowding him with the standup, he couldn’t get his shots going. That was the plan.”
In terms of getting back to action, given the early ending Friday, “I’d love to,” said Clarke, though he’d like a wee break first. “I’m going to have a chat with Jude, and hopefully get in there as soon as possible. I do need a week off after this though. I need a week off, I just need to decompress. I basically just kept training over Christmas because I got this fight announced, so I’m looking forward to getting fat now for a week.”
Asked whether he wanted a ranked opponent next, Clarke appeared content to take whatever the promotion offers up.
“I don’t want to rush anything or anything like that. Not that I don’t think I’m up there, I’m training with the likes of Pedro Carvalho and Richie Smullen and all the likes, UFC vets and Bellator vets. It’s not as if I don’t feel like it, I just don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. I’m a company fella I should say, I’m just here to fight who they put in front of me.”
Watch the full Bellator 275 post-fight press scrum with Ciaran Clarke above.
