UFC Fight Night: Ross Pearson aiming for bounce-back win against Gray Maynard

Sunderland lightweight Ross Pearson claims that a wretched streak of luck in the past year is a “stepping stone to the big-time” as he prepares to fight Gray Maynard next weekend at Fight Night in Bangor, Maine.

Last April he injured his foot directly prior to beating Ryan Couture before a highly-anticipated scrap with Melvin Guillard in Manchester was waved off after an accidental illegal strike. Pearson was injured for the rematch then two months ago he lost a controversial decision to Diego Sanchez.

“It’s not bad luck, I just deal with it. I’m not bitter,” Pearson told Sky Sports. "These situations have prepared me, they’re just stepping stones to the big-time. It makes you more mature.”

Pearson recalls a bizarre night in New Mexico in June when he seemingly dominated Sanchez.

Everybody knows I come to fight, I’m an English-style MMA fighter.

He said: “I spoke to Diego for 10 minutes afterwards when he was getting stitched up by the doctor. The doctor had a little laugh because he was looking at both of us, stitching Diego up, and I was fine!

“It was a funny, awkward situation. He knew he didn’t win. He got an extra pay cheque when he shouldn’t have. Deep down, looking at his face, he knew he didn’t win.

“Literally everyone congratulated me. I walked out of the arena and all the fans – remember we’re in Diego’s hometown – said I won. No matter what two judges said I won that fight.

No pain

“I’ve won fights where I’ve got backstage and thought ‘this doesn’t feel like I won’ because I’ve been in pain, black and blue. But I literally didn’t have a scratch against Diego.”

Such was the enormity of the judging decision that UFC president Dana White publicly declared Pearson would be treated as the winner – starting with a quick turnaround on August 16.

“I spoke to Dana in Dublin. It was crazy, he was getting hounded by fans. I thanked him for handling the situation. The bigger fights are coming now. Diego is one of the more famous guys, now I’m fighting a top 10 ranked opponent.”

The veteran Maynard is a last-gasp replacement for Abel Trujillo but Pearson, 29, is unfazed.

“My manager in California called me Monday night and it was announced straight away.

“It doesn’t make any difference to my preparation, I’m comfortable with the change. There’s no game-plan change because I expected Abel to wrestle more than strike and Gray will do that too.

“Everybody knows I come to fight, I’m an English-style MMA fighter – sprawl and brawl, heavy boxing, heavy Thai boxing, using knees, punches and kicks and a lot of scrambling.

“I’m confident going into any fight that if I touch people at 155 pounds then I knock them out. I feel like I can make this event mine. I can’t wait to go to Maine and put on a show.”