With his next big fight just a little over a week away, local pro MMA fighter Cass Bell had an injury scare during training this week.
On Thursday, however, Bell assured his fans the injury won’t set him back at such a late stage of his preparation.
“It’s a minor injury, I’ll be fine,” Bell said. “I don’t want to say what the injury is, but I have everybody working on me right now, making sure I’ll be good. Luckily it was nothing big.”
Bell’s preparation for his fourth fight on the prestigious Bellator card is in its final stages, with most of the hard work over and a focus now mainly on cutting weight.
He will travel down to San Jose on Wednesday, ahead of Saturday’s Bellator 226, where he will face off against Isaiah Rocha.
“He’s an up and coming fighter,” Bell said of his opponent, who is 1-0 as a pro but unbeaten in eight straight fights going back to his amateur days. “The kid’s going to be tough. He throws a clean kick, and he moves, he likes to switch his stance.”
Bell will present a challenge himself, having ended all three of his pro fights in the second round.
And the experience of having been at three Bellator events in San Jose already will stand to the Arcata native, who signed a multi-fight deal with the organization earlier this summer.
“It’s so much easier, and it makes me more relaxed,” Bell said of having been through the build-up before and knowing what to expect. “Sometimes I think to myself, ‘man, I’m too relaxed, I need to get worked up.’”
So far so good for Bell, who fights out of the Institute of Combat in Arcata with trainer John “Juan” Thompson.
This time around, Bell’s teammate Tyson Miller, a former Eureka High wrestler, will also be on the card, making his pro debut at the prestigious event.
Miller will fight at 180 pounds against Albert Gonzalez, a taller and more experienced fighter.
“This is a tough test for Tyson,” Bell said. “He got the call from Bellator, and there are no easy fights at this level. He’s going to be pushed.”
Bell, however, has plenty of confidence in his younger teammate.
“If he’s himself, like he is at the gym, he’ll be fine,” the veteran pro said.
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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.
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