Exclusive: Eryk Anders Explains Why He Wanted Upcoming Main Event With Lyoto Machida
Eryk Anders left UFC Fight Night Fresno with another victory last weekend, and now looks ahead to a main event spot against Lyoto Machida in Belem.
When speaking to Fightful.com's James Lynch ahead of the fight announcement, he explained why he wanted to take on the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion turned middleweight.
"I think he's on the way out and I'm on the way up. It's natural that we meet each other. I threw that into the water," said Anders. "I want to fight the upper echelon of the division. I think Lyoto's ranked number 14, so that's who I want to go for."
Anders was asked about potentially matching up with Trevin Giles, and said that he simply signs the bout agreements given to him, regardless of opponent. However, Fightful has learned UFC was in dire need of a main event in Belem, and booked Anders against the hometown star of Machida for the February 3 show. Valentina Shevchenko is also set for the event.
A former Alabama Crimson Tide football player that garnered a fair amount of press leading into his July UFC debut, Anders said he didn't hear much from the UFC after his last win, but that they seemed in good spirits.
"Everybody was impressed, happy with the dominant victory," Anders said of the UFC's reaction to his victory over Markus Perez on December 9.
In the full interview Eryk Anders (10-0) discusses his unanimous decision victory over Markus Perez (9-1) at UFC Fight Night 123 on Dec. 9. Eryk also talks about how he celebrated after the win, traveling to Brazil for the holiday season and why he wanted to fight former champion Lyoto Machida next in Brazil.
