Bantamweight Justin Wetzell joined the PFL World Tournament on short notice earlier this year, replacing Ciarán Clarke and securing a decision victory over Kasum Kasumov in the process.
The only problem for Wetzell, who returns at PFL Wichita this Friday, was that he missed weight for the bout, coughing up a percentage of his purse as a result. It’s a concern he had coming in, he told reporters during this week’s media day in advance of a semifinal bout with Mando Gutierrez.
“I was scared, man. I was terrified. I knew what the whole process was going to be, I knew it was going to be a hard battle at the scale and I knew it was going to be a very hard battle in the cage,” admitted Wetzell (11-2), a former LFA standout. “But this is something that legendary stories are made of. I’m going to be a world champion, and this is something I’m going to tell my family down the road too. What I went through to get here and what I had to do. This is what legends are made of. That’s going to be my story, man.”
Asked what he wants his story to be, Wetzell suggested that it should break down as “a guy that was overlooked, a guy that came out of nowhere. Rose to the occasion. Dominated. Just showed the world he’s one of the best.” That, he added, is “because I truly believe I am one of the best. I train with some of the best people in the world, I keep up with them, do better than them some days. And I know I can bring that here to the PFL.”
Should he get past Gutierrez on Friday, he may prove just that.
Watch the full PFL Wichita media day appearance by Justin Wetzell above.
