UFC: Heavyweight Sean McCorkle Confident Going Into Bout Against Stefan Struve

To say that Sean McCorkle is a confident man would be a definite understatement.

Undefeated in 10 professional bouts with seven stoppages inside the two-minute mark, McCorkle is currently preparing for his upcoming match against Stefan Struve at UFC 124 in Montreal, Quebec. With 10 days and counting to go until fight night, the Indianapolis, Indiana native is feeling better than ever.

“Well, I was really confident before, but I'm definitely glad to have that first one out of the way, and to know better what to expect going into this one from all aspects,” said McCorkle.

“I’ve been training mostly in Indianapolis. I travel about an hour or so each time I go train with Tom Erikson or Tim Sylvia. Matt Mitrione has also been helping me prepare. He always texts me with weird questions at all hours of the night,” said McCorkle. “(Training has) been going perfect. Zero injuries, no personal issues, so I won’t have any excuses for not having a great performance come fight-time—unless I lose (laughing).”

McCorkle, who describes his life as a UFC-employed mixed martial artist as a “dream (he) doesn’t want to wake up from,” is ready to make an impact on the biggest stage of the sport, and sees Struve, a tough 22-year-old with a tremendous upside and a lot of potential, as nothing more than a stepping-stone to help him reach the next level.

“I think a dominant win over Struve puts me on the edge of breaking into the top 10,” said McCorkle. “Given the option (for my next fight), I’d like to fight the worst possible fighter with the biggest name—maybe a legendary guy on the last leg of his career.”

Although it might seem like McCorkle may be taking Struve lightly, the 34 year-old heavyweight insists he has nothing but respect for Struve.

“I think if he sticks with it, in five to ten years he could be one of the best in the world. I’m glad I get to fight him now, and not later—despite my boyish good-looks, in 10 years I’ll be too old to be doing this,” noted McCorkle.

“In my opinion, his biggest asset is his toughness. He’s shown himself to have a lot of heart, and the ability to take a beating a lot of guys couldn’t take and keep on coming back.”

McCorkle, who describes his bout preparations as “basically way more conditioning than I like to do, mixed with way less eating than I’d to like to,” has a straight-forward approach to fighting, and it appears that his upcoming bout will be no exception.

When asked about his game plan for Struve, McCorkle replied, “I don’t want to go into the specifics, but it definitely involves a lot of punching in the face.”

Although McCorkle’s preparations and game-plans are straightforward, he is confident when predicting the outcome of his upcoming bout with Struve.  

“He’s not me. I’m too big, too strong, too athletic and too good looking for him to be able to deal with me.”