Toby Imada - Photo courtesy of Bellator
Two-time Bellator tournament finalist Toby Imada is looking to finish Ferrid Kheder at Bellator 36.
The Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournamet kicks off Saturday at the The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Streveport, Louisiana.
“I don’t see this fight with Ferrid going the distance,” said Imada during the pre-fight press conference. “I’m definitely hoping that it doesn’t go the distance. My goal is to make sure that it doesn’t especially after the way the decision went in my fight with Pat Curran. I never want to leave my fate in the judge’s hands again.”
Kheder and Imada both have judo backgrounds, but Imada isn’t approaching the bout as a judo match.
“I think judo could possibly end up playing a role in this fight with Ferrid, but I can’t go in there thinking it’s a judo match, because it’s not,” said the judo black bet. “I think that the second I go in there trying to play judo with him could be where I mess up, so I’m just going to go into the cage looking at it like it is—a fight.”
Kheder has said he believes he’s better than Imada in every aspect of fighting. Imada thinks Kheder is mistaken.
“I’m going out there in this fight with Ferrid to make it count and to make it look good. If he doesn’t see me as a threat, then that’s his mistake – works out better for me,” said Imada.
Bellator 36 will be broadcast live on MTV2.
