PFL 1 2022: Clay Collard Believes He’s “Definitely Up There” As Best Boxer in MMA

Arlington, TX — Believe it or not, Clay Collard was “having fun” in his three-round brawl against Jeremy Stephens atop PFL 1 on Wednesday.

“That’s why I do this. I do this because I enjoy it,” Collard (21-9, 1NC) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout, which saw him claim a unanimous decision victory over the former UFC star. “You’re going to see happy go lucky Clay throughout this entire tournament.  I’m going to have a smile on my face walking out to the weigh-ins, I’m going to have a smile on my face walking out to the fight, and I’m going to have a smile on my face leaving the fight, win lose or draw now.”

Many marvelled at the back-and-forth war that transpired atop Wednesday’s card in Arlington. Some went as far as calling it a Fight of the Year candidate. Stephens seemed to just refuse to go away, but that did not come as a surprise to Collard.

“I knew he was going to be a gamer and he’s a hard guy to put away. He swings for the fences, man, with every shot. It was just weathering the storm and picking my shots and battling. And that’s what the fight was, an entertaining fight for the fans.”

Collard did admitted to fatiguing just a little by the third round. “I was slowing down a little bit, but even when I’m dead dog tired, I’m going to keep throwing them out there.”

As far as his competition in the 2022 PFL lightweight field, Collard did keep an eye on them Wednesday. “I watched Natan Schulte for a little bit when I was warming up,” Collard noted, adding that he had to get the PFL staff to get the fights up for him. And his old rival, Raush Manfio, was another fighter he kept an eye on — calling his fight with Don Madge “a snooze-fest until that last punch.”

Often competing in boxing in recent times, Collard once again reminded fans that he’s in the conversation for best boxer in MMA at PFL 1.

“I’m definitely up there man,” opined Collard. “Me and Max Holloway went toe-to-toe back in the day, I did it on like seven days notice, and I thought I had him first two minutes, three minutes. And then I started getting tired because I was out at the lake, drinking beers and being stupid. I made a lot of mistakes in the past with the fight game, and I’ve learned from them. I’m here to stay and I’m here to win, so let’s go.”

Watch the full PFL 1 2022 post-fight scrum with Clay Collard above. More coverage from the event can be found below.