Bellator MMA welterweight Brennan "Irish" Ward -- or SwaggleBerry Fin, as he's known on social media -- is not overly impressed with the opportunity before him this weekend.
Ward, 28, faces Paul Daley at Bellator 170 on Saturday in Los Angeles. Ward is mostly characterized as a "fun" member of the Bellator roster, but not necessarily a huge threat to win a title.
Last month, Ward called out Bellator president Scott Coker on Twitter after Coker failed to mention Ward while describing the strength of the welterweight division. And while Ward relishes the opportunity to face another banger in Daley, he doesn't see Saturday as a career-defining fight.
"I fought for a title a couple years ago [as a middleweight, in 2014], I think people forget that," Ward told ESPN.com. "I always hear that I'm this up-and-comer m-----f-----. I've been here. This is, like, my 14th fight with these guys. I fought in Japan last year, in front of 30,000. I've been around.
"I don't market myself like these other guys, so I'm not the biggest name. But I'm not defined by MMA like so many of these guys. I could have marketed the f--- out of myself the last five years and probably been a way bigger name, but I'm still kicking around because I f--- people up."
These aren't unusual sound bites from Ward, who grew up in his father's boxing gym in Waterford, Connecticut.
On paper, Ward checks off every box when it comes to potential star power. He speaks from the heart and is not concerned with being politically correct. His style of fighting is cut from the same cloth. He's gone the distance only once in his professional career and is known for exciting fights.
The question of whether he can transition from a "fun" fighter into a champion -- in a division that includes names such as Daley, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov and Rory MacDonald -- is a legitimate one, though, even if Ward doesn't agree.
He openly admits that he often struggles to stay committed to a sport that carries the demands of mixed martial arts. It's a problem he's had his entire athletic life, going back to his collegiate wrestling days at Division III Johnson & Wales University.
"I was hot and cold as a wrestler," Ward said. "I always had the uncanny ability to f--- off. I'd do a couple weeks, work real hard, get sick of it and get burnt out. I was always getting burnt out. I wasn't one to really push through it. When I'd get burnt out, I'd go, 'F--- this, I'm out of here.'"
Ward (14-4) really began fighting professionally in 2012 (although he did have one pro fight in 2008). He got into the sport for fun -- in his first three fights, he recalls making approximately $400 per fight. But in late 2012, Bellator visited his college town and fate came into play.
"Bellator was looking for an opponent for some guy they were really high on," Ward said. "They had these tryouts in Florida, and this kid had won it all. His opponent fell out when they came to Rhode Island and I had just fought four weeks before, had all my medicals up to date.
"I knocked that dude out in the first round, and I think I signed my Bellator contract within the next couple days."
Ward has become an easy sell on the East Coast. His last six appearances in the Bellator cage have taken place in Uncasville, Connecticut, which is just 15 minutes from his hometown in Waterford.
A fight against Daley (38-14-2), a former Strikeforce title challenger who has fought all over the world, certainly seems like a big opportunity on the surface.
"This is a big fight for [Ward], because it will identify where he's at in his career," Coker said. "If he's successful with Paul Daley, he's going to be right up there in title contention. Is he mostly an exciting fighter, or can he be a [current champion] Douglas Lima? That hasn't been answered yet."
For Ward, it's possible to be both. And he believes he's already proved that he can be both.
"Who the f--- can beat me? You've got to beat me, dude," Ward said. "I have a mindset that fighting is not my whole life, but I'm still gonna thrash you. I still train harder than these dudes. Just because I'm not checking in on Facebook in the gym, posting to Instagram, I'm still doing the work. Look at my physique. You think I just look like this? I don't fight like this for no f---ing reason.
"In 2012, I signed with Bellator. You know how many guys have come and gone in that time? You know how many undefeated dudes I've knocked out? Look it up. I beat four black belts. I'm here for the haul. They can't get rid of me because there's no one else like me in this division. The only other dude close to like me is Paul Daley. Another straight-up banger. A true banger. An exciting fighter. That's why they made this matchup. This will be the best fight ever in this division."
