Former UFC featherweight and current PFL lightweight Shane Burgos knows what is on the line at the 2023 PFL 6 card in Atlanta, GA this Friday.
Burgos (15-4) dropped his season and promotional debut earlier this year, suffering a decision loss against 2022 champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier back in April. Now, it’s all or nothing for a playoff spot, and Burgos knows not just a win, but a finish, is required to move on in the season.
Opponent Yamato Nishikawa is a tough fighter, Burgos noted during Wednesday’s media day, and “The main thing I think about is that I basically need that quick six, or a second round finish. So his toughness is definitely in my head.”
“I’ve got to take this guy out, and him being tough to take out is definitely going to play a factor in it. But at the end of the day, I think I’m better than him anywhere, so my primary mission, primary goal is to get that quick six.”
Clearly unhappy with his performance earlier this year, Burgos later pointed out that the season format has him competing at a pace reminiscent of his amateur days. Of course, there’s a lot more incentive now — he’s getting paid, after all — but as an added bonus, he gets to move past the loss quicker.
“I have a bad taste in my mouth about my last fight, so to get that taste out, let it go, focus fully on this one was huge,” said Burgos.
Aside from that, training in the PFL requires a “completely different training camp,” especially for the second fight. “That first fight was basically balls to the wall, full steam. This one kind of had to be a little bit of a taper down process, then taper back up, then taper back down because you’re kind of recovering from that fight camp. But the way the season structured is, it’s basically one big fight camp, so I think the smart thing to do is start it off hard, and then try to maintain staying in shape for the rest of the season.”
Watch the full 2023 PFL 6 media day appearance by Shane Burgos above.
