Known as ‘The Experiment’ and having come into mixed martial arts purely “for the athletic challenge”, Staffordshire lightweight fighter Tim Wilde heads the Bellator Birmingham bill at the Resorts World Arena this weekend, in a toe-to-toe meeting with the former Bellator 155lb champion Brent Primus.
Victory over the American, fighting outside the US for the first time, could propel the 31-year-old into high profile and lucrative contests in both the UK and the USA.
Wilde, unlike others before him, will not have to fight for recognition or limelight.
In a tailored grey suit and pressed shirt, red-hair gelled and pressed into his skull, Wilde looked more like an insurance salesman or solicitor this week. But stripped to his smalls at this morning’s weigh-in, the local fellow, lean and tattooed, looked every inch the athlete and fighter.
Indeed, both men have looked in fantastic shape here at the venue this week. “It’s a special occasion for me, headlining and it being in my home area,” Wilde told Telegraph Sport. “I’m extremely proud as it’s my debut for me on the Bellator roster and the opportunity to showcase my skills.”
That said, Wilde is actually aware of the challenge he faces in Primus, who is in search of the Bellator matchmaking authors to write the script for a trilogy bout against lightweight champion Michael Chandler. The two men are one apiece in their rivalry and Chandler defends the belt against Patricio Pitbull next weekend in Chicago in a mouth-watering champion vs champion contest. Pitbull is the current Bellator featherweight king.
Wilde, 12-3 in his career, knows Primus, powerful and explosive, is his greatest challenge to date. “You don’t become champion without beating nobody – and Primus a serious, legitimate opponent and dangerous in all areas. I do step up and rise up to the occasion and the bigger the challenge the more I rise up to it so I’m excited about this as it will bring the best out of me.”
“I think I have the better of him in the standup, I’m more elusive with more in my arsenal, and I believe I have the skills to keep it standing,” explained Wilde, a gentleman fighter.
“I think he might overlook me perhaps a little because he’s so intent on the world title and the trilogy fight with Michael Chandler – which is great. I hope he does. A bit like when Pitbull overlooked Ryan Scope in Newcastle earlier in the year. Look – he’s a big lightweight, heavy-handed, and intelligent. But I’m prepared for all of that.|
“I’ve done a lot of work on my ground game, and I have ground skills that no one has really ever seen me show in the cage during fights. What is also great about this is being at the forefront of the growth of mixed martial arts in this country at the moment.”
Not bad thus far for a kid whose father got him into karate for self-defence. “I’ve come a long way since then – but that’s how it all started, and here I am headlining a card in a major organisation in my own town. It just shows you what dreams are made of,” explained Wilde. Dreams, indeed. Saturday night could elevate him even more with a win.
This Article First Appeared On The Telegraph