POLE POSITION IS WHAT I WANT
UFC veteran Norman Parke knows he has a lot to gain from beating Mateusz Gamrot in Warsaw tonight but more than 50,000 fans will be cheering for his demise when he takes on the unbeaten home hero. KSW champion Gamrot is widely considered one of the best lightweight fighters outside of the UFC. The event that will break the UFC’S European attendance record of 30,000 which was set in Stockholm in January 2015 but, according to Parke, Polish fans don’t think he stands a chance against the 26-year-old submission ace (inset) from Poznan. “I know I’m in a good spot here,” lightweight Parke said. “I appreciate the opportunity to fight on a big show. “I’m glad that KSW brought me across. They could have brought any fighter in for Gamrot to beat in front of the Polish crowd. “KSW know this is a tough fight for him. They know I have won a lot of decisions but they’ll all be shocked if I go out there and smash him. “This guy has been getting a lot of attention so a win would be a big statement.” Parke admitted there have been “hard times” since his UFC exit last year but he will forget all about that once the cage door closes. The 30-year-old from Bushmills, Co Antrim, added: “There have been some hard times after the UFC but I’ve sucked it up and I’ve kept fighting. “As soon as I’m in there I’m thinking about nothing else but what’s going on in the cage. I’m going to leave it all in there against this guy. “Honestly, when I think about it, I’ve been more optimistic than I ever have been going into a fight. “I can imagine myself having the best performance of my life against this guy. I can see my hand being raised and this opening up a lot of opportunities. “I can see that belt wrapped around my waist in Poland.”