Beebe is ready to snap the three-fight skid.
The talk surrounding Chase Beebe entering his fight with Mike Easton is that Beebe is on the decline, after dropping his last three fights.
That type of discussion is odd because Beebe is only 24-years-old and was a former WEC bantamweight champion.
But like the consummate professional, Beebe (12-4) understands why the talk sounds more suited for an aging fighter rather than one who has yet to hit the peak of his physical conditioning.
“People don’t know the details or situations,” Beebe said. “I’d say the same thing looking at the [last three] performances. … I didn’t perform at the big stage. I’m looking to change that and get back on track to get back on top.”
Beebe will get an opportunity get right the ship when he takes on Mike Easton today as part of the UWC 7 card for the UWC’s bantamweight title.
The fight was supposed to happen in Feburary, but an injury to Beebe really put a hamper on the plans. He wanted to fight at a catchweight because the injury hampered his weight cut, but Beebe said Easton’s camp didn’t want to fight and the UWC wanted to keep the title fight, so Beebe was replaced and Easton went on to win the title.
“It was a crappy situation all around,” Beebe said. “I feel like I let the fans down. I’m looking forward to make up for it. It’s a shadow overcasting ever since. I’m trying to show people that I’m not trying to screw people over.”
With the old drama behind them, Beebe is focusing on the task at hand. Easton is an aggressive fighter, who is capable of fighting on his feet as well as on the ground.
Despite that, Beebe said his skill set is probably more well-rounded than Easton’s.
“It’s going to be a clash of two titans,” Beebe said. “I know he’s ready to bring it. It’s a good challenge. He’s a quality opponent.”
In his most recent outing, Beebe suffered a TKO loss to debuting Joe Warren as part of the DREAM featherweight grand prix. Beebe controlled the bout until he was cut and the doctors deemed he could not continue.
Beebe suffered an injury which really hampered his stamina in the bout, but he is confident that if he fought Warren again, it would be a much different story.
“I withered after the five minute marker,” Beebe said of the fight with Warren. “I felt my skills and experience would carry me. Warren had endless amounts of heart and kept coming after me.
“But 10 times out of 10, I would smash him, and not taking anything away from Warren. He’s an incredible athlete and competitor and you can’t count him out.
In order to fight in the DREAM, Beebe left the WEC after a solid stint. Beebe said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fight in Japan and wanted to fight in different venues than the United States.
He would like to get back to the WEC, but he’s enjoying the time fighting for other promotions.
“I love the WEC. It’s my home and I love fight there. I plan on going back there,” Beebe said. “I wanted to experience traveling around.”
Beebe will return to the DREAM promotion for DREAM 12, and he said he didn’t have an idea on who he is fighting next, though many Web sites are reporting that he will take on Yoshiro Maeda — given he gets out of the fight with Easton unscathed.
But first, Beebe is preparing for Easton and he said that this fight will be the first time that he is going to be close to perfectly healthy. He didn’t have any nagging injuries during his training camp.
Beebe knows that a win over Easton would silence the critics who have commented on his recent losing skid.
“I’m training at 100 percent and fighting at 100 percent,” Beebe said. “I’m looking forward to show myself in this one and that I’m not in a decline by any means.”
