Matt Mitrione Says Staying Motivated For Bellator NYC Was Difficult

Matt Mitrione admits that gearing up for a second camp against Fedor Emelianenko was a task in terms of motivation.

The two were set to meet back in February for Bellator 172. Kidney stones put Mitrione out of action. He will fight “The Last Emperor” tonight (June 24) inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The heavyweight tilt will serve as Bellator NYC‘s co-main event.

During a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Mitrione explained why staying motivated was an issue for this camp:

“Fedor has worked his butt off several times now to fight me, and I’ve worked my butt off several times to fight him now. You know, what’s interesting is that it was difficult at times to stay motivated for this camp. Because I’ve done the exact same thing, the exact same fight, there’s nothing different. There are no new ingredients in the recipe. It’s all the same stuff. You come up with, hey, this counter might work, or this or this, this move here, this step this way, blah blah blah. But it’s not the same as the first time. The first time is fun. It’s like oh, okay, let’s get back to it.”

Mitrione believes his bout tonight will end in a knockout victory.

“I feel like I’m going to knock Fedor out. I feel like I’m going to put hands on him. And I feel like I know exactly how it’s going to happen.”