Faith-based approach has Bellator 103's Justin Wilcox ready for Taimanglo

Justin Wilcox wasn’t sure he’d be fighting at all again, period, let alone with a chance to fight for a shot at $100,000 and a crack at a major title.

But the featherweight said it was his faith that helped get him through a rough patch. Now Wilcox (12-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) will try to take things one step farther when he meets Joe Taimanglo (19-4 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) tonight at Bellator 103.

Bellator 103 takes place at Kansas Star Arena at Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, just south of Wichita. The main card airs on Spike TV (9 p.m. ET) after prelims at Spike.com (7 p.m. ET).

“If I could go back to June of this past summer and step through what’s happened in my life – I went a year without fighting and I was getting really down on myself,” Wilcox told MMAjunkie.com. “It was good vs. evil, and the Lord brought me out of that and into the light. I’d told my wife, ‘Leslie, I don’t even know if I’m going to be fighting anymore.’ But the Lord made me an athlete.”

And that athlete will be trying to make his way to his first Bellator finals against Taimanglo in the Season 9 145-pound tourney.

After choking out Akop Stepanyan in the opening round in September at Bellator 99, Wilcox no doubt got a burst of confidence. He hadn’t won a fight since April 2011 against Rodrigo Damm for Strikeforce, which made him 5-1 in that promotion. But after a no-contest with Gesias Cavalcante, he dropped fights to Caros Fodor and Jorge Masvidal.

Then he was out a year before Bellator brought him in. Now he wants to prove the promotion made the right call, and he believes Taimanglo is just the right type of opponent to do that against.

“Fights against guys like Joe Taimanglo are my favorite,” he said. “He’s an exciting fighter, too. I was watching this kid and getting this huge smile on my face. I love these fights. He’s just a banger and he gets in there and fights, and those are the fights that excite me.  

“Joe’s nickname, ‘The Juggernaut,’ suits him well. He’s going to try to knock you out. If you look up ‘fighter,’ there’s probably a picture of Joe. He’s not going to back down or quit, he’s going to come right at you. He’s a great striker and he’s tough on the ground, so he’s someone that no one should ever overlook.”

Wilcox wasn’t supposed to be in the Season 9 tournament. But when Shahbulat Shamhalaev had to pull out of the fight with Stepanyan to tend to his ailing father, Wilcox got the call.

He had to drop a lot of weight on short notice, but it wound up being worth it w hen he finished Stepanyan.

“I was just overwhelmed when I finished the choke. I stood up and said, ‘Lord, all glory be to you,’ he said. “… You know, seven days’ notice, cutting all that weight and this kid is tough – so you’re putting yourself behind the 8 ball right away. The benefits of having faith was what I proved.”

Knowing he’d have a semifinal bout coming up in a month, Wilcox kept his weight in check so he wouldn’t have such a rough cut this time around, and he made the weight without issue on Thursday.

Now he’s focused in squarely on Taimanglo. He said he won’t look past him to thoughts of the $100,000 total tournament prize at the end of the line – or the potential title shot that would await if he beat Taimanglo, then beat the winner of Patricio Freire-Fabricio Guerreiro.

“I’ve been competing my whole life, since 7th grade when I started wrestling,” he said. “I’ve learned not to overlook the obstacle in front of you, especially in tournament situations. So I’m taking this fight with Joe Taimanglo like I’m not in a tournament, just like I have to get ready for this one fight. This next fight is what I have to overcome, so that’s all I’m looking toward. I’ll tackle the next obstacle whenever it comes.”

In the meantime, he hopes whatever the outcome, he proves to a whole bunch of people that he belongs in the spotlight.

“Every time I fight, I plan on putting on a show. That’s what people come to see. I don’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, it’s just Justin Wilcox. He’s not that fun to watch.’ I want them to be like, ‘Oh man, Justin Wilcox! He’s always exciting – we’ve gotta sit down and watch this fight.’”

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