Billy Goff (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is seeking to go 2-0 within the Octagon when he meets Trey Waters (8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) for his sophomore UFC look at UFC St. Louis on Saturday, Might 11.
Goff completed Shimon Smotritsky on the Contender Sequence and rode that momentum right into a TKO win over Yusaku Kinoshita in his UFC debut final August.
Waters, in the meantime, inked a UFC deal after his LFA win over Jalin Fuller after which defeated Josh Quinlan through unanimous resolution in his Octagon debut.
Goff acknowledged Waters’ benefits in top and attain: He’s 6 toes 5 inches with a 77-inch attain in comparison with Goff, who’s 5 toes 10 inches with a 72.5-inch attain.
“He’s a tall, lanky man,” Goff mentioned of Waters. “He’s an excellent boxer who shortly transitions to jiu-jitsu, so I can’t simply stroll in and grapple or something. He’s at all times within the combat. He’s had a few late-fight finishes to come back again. He’s by no means absolutely out of it. I imagine I’m higher, and I imagine I’ve the talents to get previous the drawback in top and attain. I’m taking pictures for the first-round end, however I’m at all times ready for quarter-hour of hell.”
Waters had comparable benefits in his win over Quinlan. Goff mentioned his takeaway from Waters vs. Quinlan is that Waters doesn’t combat as quick as he does.
“He fights on the identical tempo as most of his fights,” Goff mentioned. “He tries to gradual every part down. I don’t assume he’s going to have the cardio to combat on the tempo I combat at. He’s going to have a tough time slowing it down, as a result of I’m not going to let off the gasoline.”
Goff mentioned his plan is to make Waters work and let his cardio take over if want be.
“It’s simple to do all of the stuff you wish to do once you’re good and recent. However once you begin sucking wind, it will get tougher to defend issues or react as shortly.”
In a match-up between two welterweight prospects, the winner might set up himself as a person to look at at 170. Goff mentioned the stakes of the bout are the identical as when he fought Kinoshita.
“This is rather like the final combat and each different combat I’ve had,” he mentioned. “I attempt to deal with each combat like an important combat I’ll have. At any level, it’s make or break. You by no means know when an important time to indicate up is.”
Goff’s objectives for 2024 are to go 3-0. He isn’t anticipating to interrupt into the highest 15 this 12 months and mentioned he isn’t in an enormous rush to take action, both.
“I’m simply making an attempt to catch some good momentum and get an excellent following, so after I do make my run to the highest 15 and for a title, I’m getting paid quite a bit,” he mentioned.
Goff mentioned he’s taking pictures for the first-round end over Waters.
“I undoubtedly see it going my means. Nevertheless, I’m at all times ready for quarter-hour of getting my sh– kicked in.”
UFC St. Louis is about to go down from the Enterprise Heart in St. Louis, Missouri.
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