LAST YEAR proved to be a period of reflection and self-assessment for millions of people across the globe – including Bellator middleweight Mike Shipman.
The London Shootfighters standout's plans to reassert himself in the middleweight mix were scuppered by the coronavirus pandemic, which left several Bellator fighters unable to compete.
Shipman, however, was one of the lucky few to take to the cage during the tough and testing 2020, locking horns with Pietro Penini at Bellator Milan last September.
But prior to that unanimous decision victory over the Italian, Sea Bass was forced to take sit back and take stock of his career.
He told SunSport: "Having that break and being forced to step away really kind of allowed me to put stuff into perspective and think about what I want to get out of fighting and what I'm doing it.
"And it really allowed me to adapt my training and kind of fall in love with it again, which was, obviously, very useful."
The pandemic-enforced reflection period saw Shipman rediscover his reasons for dedicating his life to fighting.
And it made him come to the realisation that he wasn't himself in his grudge match with Fabian Edwards in November 2019.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
He said: "There's plenty of other ways to make money, but I fight because I'm having fun and I'm expressing myself in that moment. And I realised that I wasn't doing that in that Fabian fight.
"I kind of got so caught up in the rivalry and the animosity and wanting to hand him his first loss that I wasn't enjoying myself in the fight. I wasn't present in it and I wasn't doing the things that I should've done.
"I wasn't fighting. I was trying to stop him from winning. I wasn't enjoying myself the way I should've been.
"That kind of thing will not only affect your performance, it steals the real prize of fighting. Which is being very present in that moment.
"Who knows how many you're going to have? That's the other thought that came to me.
"Anything can happen. You can get injured in training – the pandemic really brought it home."
Being present again translated to a dominant performance for Shipman against the durable Pennini, although he wasn't completely satisfied with his display at the Ex PalaLido.
He admitted: "There were a few little bits and bobs I wasn't happy with. But generally, I was happy with that performance because I was enjoying myself.
Having that break and being forced to step away really kind of allowed me to put stuff into perspective and think about what I want to get out of fighting and what I'm doing it
"I was there, I could see everything that was happening. I wasn't thinking about the end result and I was in there in the cage with Pietro and doing myself.
"I'm known for getting finishes and that didn't happen this time.
"But again, I'm not getting too hung up on the end result because I'm happy with how I dealt with the process.
"And that was a stressful fight week because I had actually broken my foot.
"But with the obstacles I had, I was really happy with the performance and really happy at staying present with it.
"Even though it wasn't a spectacular knockout or anything, just being present in there and not being caught up in any other nonsense, it was fun."
With his name firmly back in the win column, Shipman is now looking at those above him in the Bellator middleweight rankings.
He said: "Ideally, [I'd like to fight] anybody above me in the rankings next. But honestly, it's been so long now – it's going to be coming up to another year now.
"This is the least active I've been. So really, I would just be happy to get in there with anyone. In the top ten, there are some interesting guys.
"Any time Fabian's name comes across my desk, I'll take that one. [Costello] van Steenis as well because that's the other loss that I do need to get back at some point.
"Ideally, by the end of the year, I would've got two fights out and two wins against ranked opponents and I'll be top four and pushing for a title eliminator.
"That would be ideal. If I get the right opponents and right time frames – those are the big ifs. If I can do that, that will be great.
"Rattle off two more wins and be right up in the mix and set myself up for a title eliminator in early 2022."
So when exactly would Shipman like to get back to action?
He said: "I'm ready whenever. Hopefully, in the coming months, something will come up.
"I've been staying ready and treating it as if I'm in camp.
"I'm kind of running it close to where I need to be. So if a call comes, I'll be ready in two or three weeks."
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
Source: Read Full Article
