‘Soldierboy’ gets ready for war
SOUTH AFRICAN TO TEST HIS METTLE IN VANCOUVER McLellan fights on preliminary card against Italian.
On his official website, there’s a timer counting down the days, hours and minutes until Garreth McLellan steps into the octagon for his fourth fight as part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s roster.
The 33-year-old has had to make the arduous journey to Vancouver, Canada for his middleweight clash against Allesio di Chirico, an Italian fighter who, much like his opponent, is trying to make an impression.
A mixed-martial artist with a record of 13-4, McLellan made a name for himself while fighting under the Extreme Fighting Championship banner but eventually vacated the middleweight strap he held to pursue his dream of capturing the attention of the tough-to-crack UFC market.
While things haven’t quite gone to plan for the South African, dropping a decision on his debut under the promotion in April last year. But he bounced back to claim a stoppage win over Bubba Bush towards the end of last year.
The mixed fortunes continued as “Soldierboy” was outgunned by Magnus Cedenblad in Rotterdam back in May.
McLellan’s bout has been bumped up to the preliminary card, serving as an appetiser for the main card attractions that include big names Paige van Zant and Carlos Condit.
On paper it would appear that the South African has been very evenly matched, his opponent holds a record of 9-1 and some of his statistics seem to suggest that he will be the busier of the two fighters.
But where Di Chirico throws his strikes in flurries, McLellan, an all-rounder, who is as confident to stand and trade as he is to rely on his grappling and jiu-jitsu skills, seems to opt for the patient approach and is the more accurate of the two.