Chris Lozano Bellator Announcement Interview

Rising MMA star Chris Lozano discusses signing with Bellator and his MMA future

Chris “The Assassin” Lozano is a welterweight fighter that has been on a tear in the NAAFS. Apparently, more than the Cleveland-area was taking note of Lozano’s skills inside the cage: Chris signed with the upstart Bellator Fighting Championships on August 30 th to compete in Bellator’s Season Three Tournament. ProFighting-fans.com writer Curt Heinrichs caught up with Chris to discuss the Bellator signing and what’s next for Lozano.

CH - First of all, Chris, congratulations on getting the call to join Bellator. Was this in the works for a while, or did you get the call out of the blue?

CL - It was something we had in the works for a while. They (Bellator) had contacted me about a month or a month and a half ago to show interest in me. We started discussing details of the contract and we finalized it this week.

Chris Lozano (right) will face Yoshiyuki Yoshida @ Bellator 31 on Sept. 30. Photo by Chris Range.

CH - The welterweight division for Bellator is a stacked roster. Will you be fighting in a tournament or in non-tournament bouts and where do you think you fit in the division?

CL - Actually, I am going to be doing something a little bit different. I am fighting in an entrance fight to get into the welterweight tournament. I will be fighting Yoshiyuki Yoshida at Bellator 31 on September 30th. That fight is in New Orleans, Lousiana and is going to be live on TV (Fox Sports Net). I have to beat Yoshida to get into the upcoming tournament.

As far as the division, I know the champion (Lyman Good). There are some other good fighters like Dan Hornbuckle and Ben Askren. It all comes down to who is the best fighter on that night. Each one of those guys have pros and cons as a fighter. I know that I can compete with any of them. I feel like I have the upper hand in any fight based on my fighting style.

CH - What have you seen from Yoshida and what are you expecting in your fight with him?

CL - I know he was an Olympian in judo and he had some wins and losses in the UFC. I know he will try to use his judo to throw me and then set up a submission. I feel like I am a more talented fighter. He won’t be able to take me down if he can’t get his hands on me. He is going to try the judo, but I am going to use my skills to prevent that.

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CH - Fighting for the NAAFS, you were obligated to use an entrance theme song from the NAAFS’ Fight Music series. Now that you aren’t restricted as much, do you have an idea what you will choose for your entrance music to walk to the cage?

CL - I have some buddies that make music, so for my fights, I will probably help them out by coming out to one of their songs. I was supposed to fight at (NAAFS) Rock n Rumble and my friend Aaron Lafayette made a really good song for me that I would have used if I fought that night. In the future, I want to support my friends and help them out by walking out to their songs.

CH - Thank you for taking some time to talk with ProFighting-fans.com, Chris. Do you have anybody you’d like to thank?

CL - First of all, I want to thank the NAAFS. They gave me my start. They are a quality organization and that helped me get noticed by Bellator.

I also want to thank my sponsors: John P. Lennon, CAP Therapies and Consulting, Forest Lawncare, D. Daniel Productions, and True Assassin Fight Gear.

By Curt Heinrichs
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer