Andre Winner is ready for the big stage set in England at UFC 105. (courtesy of David Kirkland)
Andre Winner (10-3-1) takes on Rolando Delgado (8-4-1) in a lightweight bout at UFC 105 this Saturday.
Winner was a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter Season Nine: United States versus United Kingdom. Winner lost a unanimous decision to fellow countryman Ross Pearson in the finale of that season.
Fighting out of Nottingham, England, Winner will have the home field advantage this Saturday but that doesn’t really matter to him.
MMAMadness.com: You have a lot of experience fighting in England. Do you expect the home crowd to be an advantage?
Andre Winner: Obviously the crowd will get behind me, but none of that really matters as it’s just he and I in the cage, to be honest, I think I prefer it when I have a crowd that wants the other guy to win because it just makes me more determined to go and smash him up.
MM: You experienced the UFC spotlight in your last fight. Were nerves a factor then and will you be more at ease the second time around?
AW: I don’t really get very nervous when I fight and it wasn’t a problem for me last time. I don’t seeing it will being a problem this time, but you never know until your there. It’s a much larger crowd this time round.
MM: Is there added pressure fighting at home?
AW: I try to not let the pressure of fighting at home get to me; I have fought in front of my family and friends before so I know the feelings I’m going to go through.
MM: There’s a stigma that British fighters are not as talented as their American counterparts. Do you think that guys like you, Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy are helping to change that?
AW: MMA is a lot more developed in the U.S. compared to over here so we still have catching up to do but there are some really good fighters coming out of the UK now that are not far off the top U.S guys.
MM: What do you expect out of Rolando Delgado?
AW: I expect Roli to tough and game, I don’t think he will want to keep it standing though.
MM: How do you win this fight?
AW: I win this fight via KO or TKO.
This event will be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England and will air in the U.S. for free on Spike TV and will air on ESPN in the U.K. and Ireland.
