Tom Watson Talks Title-fight At BAMMA 9, Possible Shot In Strikeforce

FL: How confident are you going into this bout considering you've been out of action for nearly a year?

Watson: Actually my confidence is pretty high. I'm a confident guy and I'm always looking to learn new things. I'm pretty resourceful as well and can find ways to win; I've managed to do that for the past three or four years against some very tough fighters. I know I will find a way to go home with a victory.

FL: Who will you have from Jackson's camp in your corner come fight day?

Watson: There are two other guys who train at Jackson's fighting on the card with me so there will be a few coaches coming over to help out. I'm not sure what the UFC's schedule is like and that will dictate whether or not Greg himself will be there. We have the wrestling and striking coaches coming over as well as someone from Tri-Star who's been in my corner the last five or six fights.

FL: Are you concerned with the state of the BAMMA organization after they canceled this event and lost Nate Marquardt before he had a chance to fight for them?

Watson: It's really hard to predict the future. The most difficult thing for me is if you look at the middleweight ranking the top 20-30 guys are all in the UFC. It's very difficult to find good opponents. My last fight against "Ninja" Rua was met with a lot of criticism because people believed he wasn't a tough enough opponent. It's difficult to find a guy who isn't contracted to the UFC.

FL: Have you entertained any offers from Bellator or Zuffa whether it's in Strikeforce or the UFC?

Watson: After the last fight I had quite a bit of contact with Sean Shelby of Strikeforce. Everything is about timing in this business and the best thing that I can do is go out and win this fight against Marshman on March 24. The more I win the more in demand I will be and from there I can negotiate and see what's next. Strikeforce has a couple quality middleweights to face Luke Rockhold in Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and if the opportunity presents itself I will have to take it into consideration and see what is in the best interests of my career.

FL: How did you enjoy your two fights under the MFC banner?

Watson: I signed a three-fight deal that was to take place in a one year time period. That year just ran out so as of right now I am not contracted to fight for them any longer. I really loved fighting in the MFC, a lot of people have had some public disputes with Mark Pavelich, but I found him to be a pretty honest guy. If he thought a fighter was doing something wrong he jumps all over them and it may not be the best way to go about business, but it didn't bother me at all. I'd be more than happy to fight for MFC again.

FL: What will your role be at The MMA Show Live this May in Birmingham?

Watson: I will be running a seminar for them. I'm looking forward to meeting the fans and the other fighters who will be attending. I've been to other expos and seminars before and enjoyed them so I can imagine it will be a good time. I know there a lot of guys from the states will be attending including Nate Marquardt and Brendan Schaub.

FL: How about giving us a prediction on how this fight with Marshman ends.

Watson: I'm not really a great fan of making predictions. I'm confident I will finish the fight within the five rounds. I think it's going to be a tough fight, match-up wise I believe it will be a war a battle of attrition. I'm ready to get back in there and picking up where I left off.

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