ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi interviews Shane Burgos ahead of his second PFL fight vs. Yamato Nishikawa on June 23.
Margaret Mundy for ESPN with you today with Shane Burgos who is headed into his second pfl fight June 23rd in Atlanta against Yamato nishikawa Shane I wanted to I want to ask you about the first fight but let’s let’s look forward uh for a second here uh you know this is your second fight you’re 0-1 right now pfl yeah I watched I watched this fight against Clay Collard very tough dude what what are you looking forward to uh you know going to the second fight with pfl oh I’m looking forward to an actual fight like a like like a real Shane Burgers fight that’s what I’m looking forward to because I know this guy’s coming in the same position I am he’s in the position where his backs against the wall on my backs against the wall but it’s either win or go home and uh we’re both looking for the kill so I’m excited for that I’m excited he’s coming in there to take me out because that’s exactly what I’m coming to do and I feel like fights like that that’s that’s what everybody knows me for like those crazy wild fights and this is this has to be he has to go in there and he has to try to take me out or or he’s getting get some send home packing I mean we don’t want to just go out there and get a three-point decision we gotta get the Sixers five at least so yeah we’re both looking for the Finish Line I feel like this would be a vintage Shane Burgers performance but for the Finish did you see his fight against Clay collar do you watch it yes warming up backstage while he was fighting so I was watching here and there but then it went back and watched it again obviously durable dude it seems like yeah yeah for sure 100 I’m not taking them lightly at all like it’s one of those things like a lot of people are like oh my God you’re gonna steamroll this guy like I’m gonna Steamroller know his name like is that is that the reason why you think that yeah I know I’m gonna steamroll my guy that’s what I I believe that why do you think that just because you don’t know his name like I I believe in my skill set but just because you guys don’t know who this guy is doesn’t mean he’s he’s a walk in the park or anything like that he’s super tough he’s young he’s got a bunch of fights he actually has more fights than me I have more uh high profile experience but right his experience counts for something and the guy is tough so I’m not taking him lightly whatsoever and the fights that are like this where I’m supposed to win there’s more pressure on me and I mean there’s a lot of pressure on me going into this one uh this is the one that I’m supposed to win right and this is one where where if I don’t win then or if I if I win and it’s just like a lackluster performance then then I get nothing out of it you know I mean so I hold the pressure in the world’s on me yeah I know I know that this is not a position that you wanted to be in you know all in one and you’re in this position where you know this is what makes pfl so unique right it’s like these fights really have a lot of stakes because it is it is you know win or go home and and maybe in this case like you said not even just win but you need to win in spectacular fashion get a finish I mean is that that has to be some pressure 100 like 100 it’s it’s more added pressure but I really I I love I love pressure I really feel like like it’s corny cliche line but pressure makes diamonds and the more pressure the brighter the lights please doubt me doubt me you need to doubt me I I love that position I love that role so yeah I don’t really more pressure the better I’m not putting too much stock once referee says go it’s all the window do you feel any is there any added burden because you know you were promoted and you and you kind of are you know you were the hottest free agent you know you came into pfl you know you were the guy that you know you talked about it they paid you a good amount of money um and uh you were you were you know set up to be a star and you lose the first fight is is that is that Weighing on you a little bit yes I know like I I at first it was but I remember I went backstage to do the post-fight press conference and you never really ever do it after after a loss but they asked me to do it I was like you know what it’s fine I’ll do it and I did it and I was able to kind of snap back into reality where I was like I was pissed I was I was bummed I feel like I let them down but then on the other hand it was like you know what get over it because you have 10 weeks to go and make it right I mean that’s the one thing I like about the the not one thing that’s one of the things I like about the season format is that once what what Win Lose or Draw no matter how you how you did in that performance let’s say you had bad performance and you won or you lost whatever you’re getting a quick turnaround you know exactly what it is like we already all knew that we were fighting June 23rd in Atlanta we didn’t know who we were fighting but we knew we had our next day already booked so for me to I got backstage one of the one of the uh reporters asking that and I was like that’s right that’s a good point and I need to dust myself off and be like let this go because somebody’s sitting here crying about it it isn’t gonna do anything just focus on the next one and that’s that was uh we’re leaving just to be able to be like you know what let it go on to the next one the next one is Insight I already have it booked just full focus on that one I I’ve heard you say in interviews that it wasn’t even so much losing that fight against uh Libya Auburn Mercier was the fact that it wasn’t an exciting fight and that’s kind of your brand right your brand is to have you know these exciting knock down drag out fights and that was not that so what is worse is it the loss or is it or is it not having you know the best fight no it’s definitely the lost I hate losing at anything man if you lose it it’s a competitive fight it still bothers me at all the three losses I had before that were awesome competitive fights but they still eat at me so I lost it or anything pisses me off but that felt more like a bad Spar than it did a bad fight because he did a really good job of just like winning rounds like he’s good at doing that just like kind of nullifying and dragging out and sucking the time so yeah what went wrong with that in that fight would you say I mean because he’s he’s uh you know he’s a guy who’s he’s a veteran like you he’s been in the UFC high level of competition you know and I’m sure you know you guys knew that uh going in what do you think was was the was the you know the issue he just did a good job at making it more of a competition and less of a fight like I never felt like I was in a danger in any position so like even when he had my back I didn’t feel like he was trying to choke me or trying to punch me into that but he just did a good job of just being able to hold on to me he had a strong grip uh had a tough time breaking that I didn’t want to get too Reckless with that now hindsight’s 2020 I feel like I should have just got Reckless at that at that point but um I did it a little bit too late in the third round when he’s when he finally fell off and I just started going crazy but I just didn’t have enough time at that point so uh like I said hindsight’s 2020 maybe I should have got a little more reckless in those those stalemate positions another unique thing about pfl is that there’s a chance and maybe even a pretty good chance that you’ll run it to him again later this year in the playoffs or maybe even in in the finals if you make it if you guys both make it is that something that you’re hoping for like you want you want to see uh oam back across the cage from you yeah of course in five rounds I think there’ll be a different fight for sure I think I think it would be I think it’d be a way more exciting fight too and I think him going into a finals he’ll he would be more inclined to try to finish too like he did with his his last final fight with uh Stevie Ray so I think it would be a completely different fight in a lot of different ways so yeah I would love that and I do like that about like you said like the the end is in sight with the million dollars and then the championship but also rematches in sight too so I do like that a lot the fact the fact that you know you’re fighting a guy of the caliber of an Olivia Albert Marseille in your first fight in pfl so that kind of show like you know this is this is a pretty strong roster you know the best fighter is not always I mean obviously the UFC has a lot of great Fighters but there are good Fighters everywhere including pfl absolutely especially the 55 or 45 Division the pfl these guys can so some of them have been in the UFC and they maybe they got cut but like even oam like if you look at his losses like his losses are all legit guys he has no no losses to any bombs or anything like that so like you can justify him not getting cut and you got guys like it uh bubble junk and Bubba Jenkins and uh Brendan lockman at 45 who could easily compete in the UFC now uh the 55 division is Natan Schultz and Raj Mafia or the clay Collins yeah there’s so many good guys Stevie Ray they got guys that have been in the UFC guys that maybe got cut but just because you got cut doesn’t mean you’re not good enough to be in the airplane those all the guys that got cut from New Jersey have wins in the UFC too so yeah I think this the processor is stacked and only getting more stacks and then since you know since the first half of the season the pfl continues to be aggressive in going after you know top three agents Francis and Gano is now you know in the mix uh that’s a huge deal for pfl is that encouraging you know for for someone like you who you know you took a chance you signed as a free agent with pfl and they’re continuing to add you know top top tier Talent yeah 100 so like right after I signed um signed uh Aspen Lads signed then they had uh said Cedric I can’t remember which is like say what you want about Jake Paul but that’s eyeballs that’s eyes that’s attention that I love that that’s eyeballs on on the organization so that’s another one you got Francis signing which is the biggest free agent signing in the history of the sport in my opinion I think I was up until then at that point but there’s no question the deal he got is awesome it’s phenomenal it’s an amazing deal for the entire sport not just for Francis that’s what I love about it but uh the fact that they’re doing all this it shows that they’re not just they’re not just trying to be another another promotion they’re trying to be the top tier promotion uh right now obviously it’s the UFC they have the biggest brand they have the biggest uh platform but the pfl is hot on their heels and they’re calling they’re showing that they’re they’re here to not just be part but to compete with them yeah I mean you can’t you can’t catch the UFC in in one year right or even in two years right it needs to be like a a steady climb and I feel like that’s kind of what pfl is doing every year little by little you know they’re adding more Talent they’re adding more depth to the roster um that’s gotta be something that that you know you like that’s you know because you you know they invested in you you’re also investing in them as far as your career that’s what I feel like I I put my my trust in my stock and Emma if if they if they look bad then I look bad if they look good then I look at that how I feel and they’re looking great right now like that that signing with Francis awesome for this for the entire sport you mentioned uh Jake Paul and I wanted to ask you about that uh you know having him on board even as like an investor you know as an equity partner or whatever whatever the title is obviously great for eyeballs like you said do you do you think he fights I mean do you think he actually gets into the occasion fights I I do I do I really do but I don’t think he’s that kind of guy that’ll trying to just uh let me so I think he’ll fight but do I think he’s gonna fight uh someone like said your after that no I think he’s gonna fight somebody that’s owino I think he’s gonna he’s not a stupid kid he’s gonna fight somebody with maybe a little bit of experience but not a crazy amount of experience and that and that’s what he should do he shouldn’t fight somebody that’s got a huge name like I wouldn’t fight Nate d as an MMA right off the bat for your first fight um if he did that I would be very impressed with the drawings of the fact that he’s getting in there with somebody like that but I don’t think he would do that for his first fight I do think he’ll fight for sure but I don’t think he’s gonna fight a world beat or a world a world name right now a world renowned yeah I mean he’s oh no and MMA already has no uh you know my experience yeah who do you think wins that fight by the way the boxing match Jake Paul or Nate Diaz how many rounds is that eight eight rounds 185 pounds damn eight eight rounds if it was longer I would I would be more confident in Nate but I’m still getting a little bit older now Jake is definitely faster um one punch knockout power goes to Jake but the cardio definitely goes to to Nate and the volume goes to Nate so he’s been in there with world-class Fighters I mean at this point Jake’s been there with some good Fighters too so it’s it’s a close fight but I’m still leaning towards Nate I’m gonna go like 60 48. fair enough uh last thing Shane and thanks for time again uh I gotta ask you about you know this this recent string of drug test failures in pfl I think it’s uh it’s nine you know nine from from the first half of the Season which is kind of an alarming number I mean what is your what is your thoughts on that I don’t know like they’re they’re saying like I just saw they’re calling it banned substances so I don’t know like usually when you when you hear that everybody automatic oh steroids but it could be diuretics too like there’s a million things that are considered banned substances so I wish before they said that they would specify what it is exactly so we could know um because I don’t know that that is very peculiar I I know there’s no usada so it’s a lot easier to get away with but uh I would love to know what specifically these guys are testing positive for so yeah I think it was like a mix of you know Peds and diuretics and you know other stuff but uh yeah it’s uh it’s kind of crazy yeah and your division you’re you’re actually not your division but your former division was affected by that too they lost two fighters at 145. oh I didn’t even know that who was that 45 uh Flores and uh I don’t have the names in front of me right now uh but yeah but I mean it’s uh it’s kind of crazy right I didn’t know that that was that was a weird one yeah it was shocking like that that they were coming out back to back to back like that I was like you guys are you guys don’t know that you’re gonna get drug tested like you got you kind of you do know that we’re not not getting drug tested just because it’s not UFC like yeah UFC as you saw it which is awesome because you can’t cheat what you saw I mean there’s ways that that guys get around cheating me no matter what so there definitely is ways guys get where I feel like I feel like there’s ways people get around cheating with even with you sort of but it’s by far the hardest so with with the bfl it’s like we we get tested still but you guys know when you’re getting tested you’re still failing so that’s like what the it’s crazy like I is it worth it is it worth it I don’t know you told me now you can’t fight for x amount of months maybe I don’t even know what the what the suspension time limit is for for those kind of kind of Pops do you know what it is it could I mean it’s uh they’re all they’re all probably going to be different possibly depending on what they test the positive for but usually Nevada gives you like at least you know nine months which again in pfl it’s it’s Unique because if you’re out nine months that’s it you know your season your season is over it doesn’t like you can just come back and fight you know in nine months from now and you know things are normal because I mean in the UFC sometimes Fighters don’t fight for nine months yeah it isn’t even that big of a deal but in pfl that’s it you know that that’s right your chance of winning the million is is gone yeah completely different again from the UFC like even even when someone like that completely different all right last thing Shane I just want to give you a chance anything any final thoughts Burgos nishikawa June 23rd Atlanta huge fight for you um any any final thoughts fireworks from the first Buzz of the last bill I’m coming in there to kill him he’s coming in there to kill me backs against the wall both of us we’re both the animals put in a corner we need the Finish we need the big fight we need I’m so we need a big win um I can’t see if you write this fight out a hundred times how this fight can be boring one time especially in the specific position that we’re in where we both need these these advantages that are pretty quick so referee says go we’re getting right to work back awesome Shane thanks so much man good luck enjoy the violence have it going brother thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming Sports and premium content subscribe to ESPN Plus