Tyler McGuire on Raimond Magomedaliev Fight: ‘I’m ready for a War’
Highly-rated American welterweight Tyler McGuire is looking to build on a December victory to make it two in a row.
McGuire is set to face dangerous Russian adversary, Raimond Magomedaliev, in the lead card of “ONE on TNT I,” the first of a four-part event series which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Wednesday April 7 (April 8 in Asia).
The 35-year-old mixed martial artist from Arizona wants to impress in his next outing, to put himself in a position to challenge for the ONE World Title.
“Raimond is an excellent fighter with a diverse skill set. I’m looking forward to testing myself against him. All Dagestanis are tough, so I know he’ll be ready. After watching him, I know I’ll have to be ready for a war because the guy is dangerous from every position,” said McGuire.
“His biggest strengths are his abilities at range. He’s a very diverse striker that can hit from a variety of angles. At this level, weaknesses are hard to find. I haven’t seen much of him on the ground, so that could be something to exploit.”
McGuire joined the Singapore-based ONE Championship in 2018, then undefeated and coming into the promotion with momentum. After defeating the tough Luis Santos in his first appearance inside the Circle, McGuire earned a shot at the ONE Welterweight World Title.
Unfortunately, McGuire succumbed to former titleholder Zebaztian Kadestam via 5th round knockout, despite dominating the majority of the fight with his wrestling. McGuire says he learned a lot from that experience, and is looking to piece together the puzzle and make a run at the title once more.
“I’m working on being more efficient. Up to this point, I’ve always relied on horsepower and cardio to get things done. The title fight showed me some things that I could have done more efficiently to have more gas in the later rounds,” said McGuire.
“I think that some bombs are going to be thrown and we will both be chasing a finish. I’d be surprised if it makes it to the third round. I want to make a statement for a title shot.”
“ONE on TNT I” features a main event showdown between ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, and 12-time UFC World Champion Demetrious Johnson and reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano Moraes.
Also on the card is the return of former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez who faces #2-ranked lightweight contender Iuri Lapicus in the co-main event, as well as an appearance from ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
The “ONE on TNT” series will air every Wednesday in the United States from April 7 for four weeks. Each week will include a preliminary card digitally streamed exclusively on the Bleacher Report App and B/R Live from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, followed by three main card fights televised exclusively on TNT in the U.S. at 10 p.m. ET. It will be available in Asia via the usual channels.
McGuire is ready to make a statement in the biggest fight of his career thus far, in front of millions of fans back home in the U.S.
“I think the biggest difference maker in this fight comes down to who executes. The fight game is merciless. If you don’t show up, you become the nail instead of the hammer. I intend on showing up. I think I’m going to win because there’s no other way to enter the cage. There’s no room for self doubt in a cage with killers. Everyone I have fought up to this point has either fought for, or had the title. I would imagine whoever wins this is going on to challenge the champ,” said McGuire.
“As far as being nervous or under extra pressure, I live for being under the lights. No one is going to put more pressure on me than what I put on myself. So whatever external pressures there may be, it doesn’t matter. I care more about letting down my team than anything else. A fight is a fight. If that in itself doesn’t do it for you, it’s time to hang it up.”
