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Some reading material leading up to the future champs fight this Friday night.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Da...g-for-Bellator-Bantamweight-Title-Shot-108293
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/s...ll-using-redlands-as-launchpad-to-world-title
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Da...g-for-Bellator-Bantamweight-Title-Shot-108293
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/7/1...l-interview-taimanglo-fight-contract-mma-news“He’s earned the right to fight me. He’s working his way up just like I am,” Caldwell told Sherdog.com. “Who wants to stay idle? Who wants to build ring rust? Not me. I’m young in this sport. I want to fight. Nobody wants to build up their ring rust. For me it’s about just staying active, whether it’s Joe Taimanglo or Eduardo Dantas, I just want to stay active. I don’t want to wait seven months; I want to fight every two or three months.”
Caldwell confirmed that he was given the option to wait for the winner of the Dantas-Marcos Galvao title bout at Bellator 156 in June. Considering that he hadn’t fought since March, it wasn’t an appealing choice.
“It [waiting] was an option, but I don’t want to stay idle,” he said. “I want to fight everybody at 135. I want to clear out the division so there’s no question who the best 135er in the world is.”
“If Eddie Alvarez can come in and win a belt within two years, then there’s gonna be talent [currently in Bellator] that can do the same. He just solidified what I’m thinking,” he said. “UFC has got a lot of depth. I can’t downplay the fact that the UFC is a great organization. They’ve got a lot of depth. But in terms of the best fighters, I highly doubt they’ve got the number one fighter in each weight class.”
Caldwell fights Joe Taimanglo in the main event of Bellator 159 this Friday, July 22nd at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas.
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/s...ll-using-redlands-as-launchpad-to-world-title
Caldwell was 5-0 and two fights into his Bellator run when he was inspired by watching UFC lightweight Bobby Green defeat Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox 12 in the summer of 2014. He did some research into where the Fontana native trained and learned he fought out of a small gym in Redlands.
After getting in touch with Pinnacle proprietor Jake Behney, Caldwell, living in Arizona at the time, loaded up his car with his belongings and drove straight to the gym before he had even secured a place to live. He would end up bunking in a spare room at Pinnacle until he got on his feet.
“Jake’s been amazing; he opened up his gym to me since the first day,” Caldwell said. “Not a lot of people who don’t know you would give you that opportunity.
“This guy has been here for me since I got out here and he’s been nothing but a great mentor and phenomenal coach.”
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