Canadian bantamweight Serhiy Sidey arrives on Dana White’s Contender Series this Tuesday night, and his fight on the show marks his first time in Vegas.
That makes the fight that much bigger for Sidey (9-1), he told Cageside Press ahead of what is clearly the most important night of his career.
“This is what I’ve been dreaming of. This is what I’ve been visualizing for a very very long time. I see all these high level fighters who I’ve looked up to in the past, they’ve all made their walks out in Vegas, the fight capital. And it’s my turn now,” Sidey told us. “I enjoy the big crowds, all the pressure. I enjoy all eyes on me. It just feels like it makes me perform even better. So this is the moment for me, for sure.”
Sidey, who was picking up tacos when he got the news that he had been selected for the Contender Series, is a fighter who treats every fight as his toughest test to date. He hasn’t had a ton of time to prepare, having last fought in June, but believes he can rise to the occasion against Ramon Taveras.
“I’m expecting a tough fight, because this is the highest level of the sport. I’m never going to get an easy fight, and I’m cool with that, because the harder the opponent, the harder the obstacle that’s in the way, the more I’m going to be able to rise to the occasion,” explained Sidey. “And that’s just kind of the way I’ve re-framed it in my brain now. So the harder the challenge, the more I’m going to be able to grow from the experience, and I’m excited to grow.”
When it comes to Taveras, Sidey has done his homework and scouted his opponent. “He’s definitely a great striker. He has a great left hand, great boxing. Confident, because of his wins and his finishes. But to be honest, I just don’t think he’s had the same level of competition as me, and I think that’s going to play a big factor in this fight,” suggested Sidey. “As well as how many different weapons I have. I can take the fight where ever I need to take the fight and have a ton of different weapons.”
That’s something Sidey plans to exploit, though he reiterated that “this is no easy task, but again, the bigger the obstacle, the more I will rise to the occasion. And this excites me.”
Watch our full interview with Dana White’s Contender Series bantamweight Serhiy Sidey above.
