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Lloyd Harrop Determined To Send Out Message Against Chesters
03 Jul 2010
By Dean Parr
On July 23rd, at UCC MMA's 'Manchester Mayhem,' Denton's Lloyd Harrop (1-0) will take on fellow Mancunian Craig Chesters (3-1) in an intriguing scrap between two ambitious Welterweights. Harrop is excited, and reckons he has all the tools necessary to emerge victorious.
"I'm really looking forward to it," beamed Lloyd. "Obviously, I made my Pro debut last time, and I'm looking forward to the experience and hopefully getting another win. We're both local lads and he's an experienced fighter with a good record, so I think it'll be a good match-up and a good fight for us both."
For the Manchester Ground And Pound man, it seems the gameplan is to turn the fight into a striking contest.
"From the videos I've seen he looks to be a grappler with good takedowns and a solid single leg," analysed Harrop. "I think the key to victory is to keep him standing.
"He trains down at Hyde MMA; I know a few of the guys there. It's a new gym, but they're growing and they've got a decent set up going on down there. The last guy I fought was from there as well, and I think if I beat Craig, that puts me up there in the Welterweight division because he's experienced and has a good record. It'll be a good thing for me I think."
Indeed, in his last outing, Lloyd stopped temporary Hyde alum Danny Boomer (0-1) in the second session of their scheduled three rounder at UCC 'Blitz at the Ritz.' Harrop was content with his showing, but is insistent he must make constant improvement to achieve his goals.
"I was happy with the win," he asserted. "I obviously made a few mistakes, but that was just nerves and the atmosphere, but I think I'll be better next time because I've worked on the mistakes. I'll be better from the experience. With my coaches, I'm just going to work on a few things, and the more I get in there, the better I'll get.
"I'm not looking past Craig Chesters at the moment though. I just want to see how this fight goes, and what I said to Danny Hornsby [UCC Promoter] is that I'll fight whoever is put in front of me. I think that I made a big statement in the last fight, and if I make one here, people will take notice and hopefully I'll go on to bigger and better things. I'm just going to get in there and see how it goes, but I'm predicting a three round war; I wouldn't expect anything less. Anything better is a bonus."
For Lloyd, fighting on the sold-out debut show of UCC was a big deal. "The crowd was massive and I think it will just keep on growing," he enthused. "I was really impressed with the set up, and I just think it'll only get better."
Harrop's preparations are seemingly going to plan, and he's more than content with the set-up at Manchester Ground And Pound. "Everything's going well," he noted. "I've given myself less time to cut weight for this one because I think I went in a bit light for the fight with Danny Boomer, so I'm just going to make sure my weight's bang on this time.
"It's a great gym where I train," flowed the 170-pounder. "It's one of Manchester's original MMA gyms, with ex-Champions there in Ozzy Haluk and Dan Rogerson. They've fought at a good standard so I've got good guys behind me, and we've got good fighters coming out of that gym."
July 23rd is set to be an exciting night for Manchester Ground And Pound vs. Hyde MMA clashes, with Harrop's stablemate Andrew Devant (4-0) challenges Leigh Cohoon (4-2) for the UCC Welterweight Title in the main event of the show. Lloyd admits setting a positive vibe early in the night is crucial.
"That would be the idea," he pointed out. "I wouldn't say there's a rivalry as such, but obviously two of our guys are fighting two of their guys, so we'd like to go 2-0 over them."
Harrop vs. Chesters is set to be an all-action affair. Tickets can be bought by visiting http://www.uccmma.com.
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