Bellator 272: How Sweden’s Oliver Enkamp built his career after breaking the UFC era
| Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut Date: Friday, December 3rd |
| Reporting: Watch live broadcast on BBC iPlayer from 23:55 GMT |
Bellator welterweight Oliver Enkamp says he was forced to “rebuild” himself after a failed period in the UFC made him question his fighting style.
Enkamp, 30, was undefeated when he arrived at the UFC as a 25-year-old, but he suffered back-to-back by Nordine Taleb and Danny Roberts and was subsequently released from his 2018 contract.
Now things have changed.
Enkamp is in a winning streak in three games – taking victory in the first round each time – as he looks forward to Bellator 272, where he will take on Kyle Crutchmer.
With his share in Bellator rising rapidly, the Swede says that he is a better fighter due to his short UFC time.
“My success [in Bellator] has its roots in my two previous losses, says Enkamp to BBC Sport.
“I had two games in the UFC and when I look back I was probably not mature enough for that level at the time, but if I did not have the two losses and the learning opportunities, I would not have those three wins.
“It really developed me as a fighter and I have built myself up as a complete fighter.
“Before that I wanted to represent karate in MMA but I realized that you have to know everything. You have to be good in every part of the game.
“I learned so much with the two losses and it has made me the fighter I am today.”
At Bellator 272, Enkamp will take on Crutchmer in a match that will help decide the next welterweight challenger.
“We are both prospects and we are not even in our prime. It is a fantastic match-up,” he said.
“He’s a high-caliber wrestler from a previous career, so he’s a specialist in my opinion.
“This is a very exciting match-up because it’s a striker against a grappler. These fights turn out to be fun for the fans.
“I do not like to make predictions but let’s look at the previous statistics.
“In my first fight, I sent in a striker. Then I took a grappler, then I sent in a striker and now I’m facing a grappler. So I’ll let you do the math.”
There is another welterweight challenger fighting from Sweden who has taken the MMA world by storm.
Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC debut in July 2020, winning his first four matches in promotion.
Enkamp believes that Chimaev justifies the hype around him.
“We have some history. He called me out when he was 2-0 and I was in the UFC at the time,” Enkamp explained.
“So, it was some kind of beef that was stirred up by Swedish MMA media but I have never eaten steak with anyone.
“I think he’s a great wrestler. He has four very convincing wins but when he fights a top-ranked guy we will know if he is the real deal or not.”
