Mason Fowler spoke to Grappling Insider about potential future opponents, together with Nick Rodriguez and Nicholas Meregali.
With an ideal 5-0 file on the UFC Struggle Cross Invitational (UFC FPI), elite black belt competitor Mason Fowler has established himself as one in every of no-gi grappling’s prime 4 lively heavyweight opponents.
Recent off an exhilarating submission victory over Who’s Quantity One (WNO) gentle heavyweight champion Pedro Marinho on the UFC FPI 6, Fowler sat down with Grappling Insider to debate his present run of success and future potential opponents, amongst different subjects.
Try the complete interview under.
Fowler was slated to face multiple-time ADCC champion Gordon Ryan late final yr in what would have been one of many largest matches of Fowler’s profession up up to now.
Nevertheless, when Ryan announced a hiatus from competition and withdrew from that match attributable to well being considerations, Fowler made the choice to maneuver on and hunt down essentially the most tough opponents accessible. To that finish, he accepted the match towards the supremely harmful however lesser-known Marinho.
“As soon as he posted that, then I used to be like, ‘Man, I’m by no means gonna get the match,’ so f*** it, let’s simply take all these matches with all these robust guys that nobody is aware of as a result of, on the finish of the day, I simply need to check myself towards one of the best guys on the earth.”
When it comes to who he desires subsequent, Fowler believes {that a} showdown with two-time ADCC silver medalist Nick Rodriguez makes essentially the most sense.
Like Fowler, Rodriguez is undefeated on the UFC FPI. And whereas he’s most eager about a conflict with the B-Crew product, Fowler admits that he’s open to going through whomever the UFC FPI desires to slate him towards.
One chance, he admits, could be Ryan’s New Wave teammate and ADCC absolute silver medalist Nicholas Meregali. For his half, Meregali has been campaigning for a matchup towards Fowler.
In line with Fowler, he had beforehand requested to face Meregali again in 2022, however that match by no means got here to fruition:
“The one different chance could be Meregali, which I’ve additionally referred to as for Meregali up to now. You already know, when Meregali first got here to no-gi, I used to be the man that was messaging Who’s Quantity One, I need the match with Meregali, and no response. And now Meregali is asking for me.
“My factor is, I don’t actually give a f*** about his plans or what he desires. I’m right here for myself and what I believe is the fitting transfer for myself proper now could be the match with Nicky Rod. I’m certain that match will occur sooner or later. He’s making an attempt to begin a giant struggle on social media and calling me out and all these things and I simply form of ignore it. I don’t need to play into his technique or his video games in any respect.”
Fowler, together with Rodriguez, Meregali, and present gi world champion Victor Hugo make up the game’s prime 4 lively heavyweight grapplers, all of whom compete on the UFC FPI.
He admits that Meregali probably sees him because the weakest of the bunch – and definitely the smallest. With that in thoughts, Fowler says that Meregali is asking him out simply so he can keep away from Rodriguez and Hugo:
“In addition to that, I believe that one more reason that he’s making an attempt to get a match with me is as a result of he has Nicky Rod calling him out, which he already stated he doesn’t need to settle for that match. And he additionally has Victor Hugo calling him out, and once more he stated that he doesn’t need to settle for that match. And naturally, he has his explanation why he’s saying he supposedly doesn’t need to settle for them, however calling me out is a technique of mainly turning down these two guys with out actually turning them down…
“I believe that’s in his head what he’s pondering. ‘Dang, my subsequent match is gonna need to be both Nicky Rod, Mason or Victor Hugo?’ So that they sit down, ‘Okay who do we’ve one of the best likelihood to beat? Most likely Mason.’ I’m the smallest out of the choices, proper?
“I don’t suppose that he thinks I’m a simple match, however I simply suppose that he thinks that Nicky Rod and Victor Hugo are robust matches, however I get it. They’re huge, large, athletic monsters…
“On the finish of the day, we’re grappling one another. It’s not that huge of a deal. I don’t actually care.”
In the end, Fowler isn’t significantly eager about partaking in some confrontation or build up a match with trash discuss.
As a substitute, he has a wholesome sense of self-awareness about himself and the game {of professional} grappling.
On the subject of trash discuss in jiu-jitsu, Fowler added:
“Guys egos get tremendous huge. Like bro, you aren’t a UFC champion. We’re grappling one another. You’re not a fighter. You’re not the shit. You’re not that cool. We’re all not that cool, we’re jiu-jitsu guys. After I was doing MMA, I assumed all of the jiu-jitsu guys have been p****** and now I’m one in every of them. Possibly that’s why I don’t let my head get too huge as a result of I got here from MMA. However yeah, lots of these guys stroll round like they’re the massive dangerous wolf and it’s like bro, you’re not that cool… We’re not UFC fighters, man. Cease performing such as you’re within the UFC.”
