Bellator 239: Cris Lencioni disappointed 'boring' Salim Mukhidinov won't trash talk
Cris Lencioni is glad he finally has another fight, but he's a little disappointed his opponent won't help with the hype.
THACKERVILLE, Okla. – Cris Lencioni is just happy to be back.
Friday night at Bellator 239, Lencioni (5-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) will partake in his first MMA bout since when he fights Salim Mukhidinov.
The American Top Team featherweight was supposed to return in October, but last-minute weigh-in drama involving opponent Robin van Roosmalen cancelled the fight. Waiting by his phone for months, Lencioni was raring and ready to go when he finally got the call for Bellator 239.
“I stayed constantly ready,” Lencioni told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I was sparring hard. I was like, ‘Maybe we’ll get a rebooking pretty fast.’ This is the big show, so this is what happens. You can’t always get a quick turnaround. … I know how it is. Plus, I still got my show (money) or whatever for it, so it technically counts as a fight. I should have assumed I’d be waiting longer.”
Now paired with Tajikistan’s Mukhidinov (7-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), Lencioni can’t complain about not having a fight on deck. However, Lencioni is a little disappointed the promotion didn’t give him someone who would banter with him in the fight’s lead-up.
“He’s so boring, man,” Lencioni said. “I hate to say it, but he didn’t even chat with me. (There was) no pitter-patter. You know what I’m saying? … (Trash talk) is fun, man. That’s what everybody wants. We don’t have to go after each others’ families and (expletive), but we’re fighting each other, right? We’re pretending we’re not fighting each other?”
When it comes to the fight, Lencioni doesn’t have an ideal way to get the job done. Lencioni admitted however, there is something somewhat appealing to him about picking up his first professional TKO victory.
“I’m just coming to (expletive) knock him out,” Lencioni said. “Wouldn’t a knockout be cool? You always see me choking fools out. That’d be cool if I just went out there and knocked him out.”
Bellator 239 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full Bellator 239 pre-fight interview with Cris Lencioni in the video above.