Bellator Newcastle: Chris Bungard Interview
On the verge of stardom
Popular local fighter Chris Bungard has been grinding on the local scene for years, almost always on the cusp on breaking through to the big stage. This Saturday, he gets that chance. Bungard takes on former 2-time Bamma champion, Terry Brazier in the co-main event of Bellator Newcastle.
Bungard is the first Scottish fighter signed to Bellator, on his accomplishment he said that “it’s been a long journey, like 9 years”
Going from local shows to Bellator “to come from that scene all the way here, it’s been some journey, up’s and downs but it’s all worth it, I wouldn’t change anything”
On taking advantage of a co-main event slot against a 2 weight champion “Bellator like him, he is a 2 weight world champion, the reason I’m up there is
On Brazier looking passed Bungard “He is saying I’m going to get finished so the pressures on him, he needs to do that. He is in for a fight”
Hostile Terriotry
Bungard likes to stay active but has not fought since June so things are a little different this time, everything about his focus on training has changed
“I’ve been in the gym getting better, I’m more focused now, through mental preparation, real dieting and real focus. That’s when my game has really gone up, I’m excited to see a more professional version of myself.
Bungard hasn’t made it easy with his debut, his opponent Terry Brazier is a 2 weight champion. Bungard said “I just said to Bellator, give me the best guy you have got. If you don’t really do that, how are you going to push yourself to the limits of being the best”
“If I beat this current 2 weight champion, where does that put me with Bellator”
On the actual mental preparation for the fight and how he thinks it’s going to go “I visualises the fight a million different ways, I see it going 2 ways. He has got holes in his games or what I really think is going to happen is, it’s going to be a three round war”
On the build-up to this fight, there has been some beef between Bungard and Bellator’s UK poster boy ‘Aaron Chalmers’ Bungard explains how it started and it’s a pretty simple explanation from Bungard.
“I don’t like him, I don’t like his show and when he jumped into this sport he was flashing money about which just annoyed me”
“I can’t wait to see him face to face, he has said my name so knows who I am and down the line maybe we will get a fight going but I don’t see it happening anytime soon”
On his plans for 2019 “I would love to get three fights in, a European gig, Sweden, Barcelona, Dublin” with Bungard training in Dublin often, Dublin would be high on his list and of course Scotland is up there as well.
Tickets for Bellator Newcastle: Pitbull vs. Scope are on sale now and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.co.uk and Bellator.com, as well as the Utilita Arena box office.
