Alex Lohore says Cage Warriors foe Nicolas Dalby is not the same guy who once drew with Darren Till

Alex Lohore believes his experience in spoiling big nights for hometown favorites will work in his favor when he clashes with Nicolas Dalby in Copenhagen for the Cage Warriors interim welterweight title on Saturday night.

Dalby first claimed Cage Warriors gold five years ago, but after a stint with the UFC, two wins in the bank on his old stomping ground has him on course for another crack at a belt. Lohore signed for Cage Warriors due to the path the promotion paves to the UFC and he knows that a win over a man who has graced the Octagon in the past, as well as held a coveted Cage Warriors title, will put him on the radar of the world’s flagship promotion.

“The goal was always to go to the UFC. Going to [Cage Warriors] was about that,” Lohore told MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast. “You have more of a chance of going to the UFC if you’re with Cage Warriors. Even if I don’t go to the UFC, I’m happy to stay with Cage Warriors and defend that belt. Whatever life shall bring me, I will take it.”

Dalby will not be the first former UFC fighter Lohore has pitted himself against. Two years ago, “Da Killa Kid” took a win over TUF Smashes finalist Colin Fletcher with a second-round submission. And despite Dalby’s European stock, Lohore believes Fletcher was a greater challenge given where he was in his career at the time.

“I think Fletcher was a bigger challenge at the time because I was fresh in the sport and he was just fresh out of the UFC, so he was a tough challenge,” Lohore said. “Also, it was my first time on a main card and my first time on Bellator…it was so much pressure and I managed to do well.

“This time I’m more prepared, more ready. It’s gonna be a good fight. Obviously, Dalby wants redemption because he went to the UFC and he got released, he was the Cage Warriors champion and now he’s not and he has a chance to get it back. It’s gonna be a good challenge in there, it’ll be a good war, but I’ll have my hand raised in the end.”

Dalby has won international plaudits for his striking ability, while Lohore is known for the devastating knockout power that led him to the BAMMA title in 2017. Although the Dane’s stand-up ability is deemed his primary threat, Lohore believes Dalby will be looking to take the fight to the floor due to his own stopping power.

“I know he said he’s going to take my head off, but none of these guys really want to strike with me,” Lohore said. “I can tell by what he’s saying, he will 100 percent try and take me down and try to do the Terry Brazier thing where he just tries to keep me down…but he’s not going to stand up with me. If he does, it will be a good thing because then we’ll have a good fight and someone will get knocked out.

“He looks like it’s not like it was before; he’s not the guy who fought Darren Till and drew with Darren Till,” he continued. “You never know, maybe on the night, because he’s in his hometown, the crowd is going to give him a bit more energy, a bit more strength, so he will 100 percent bring a bit more than what he normally does, but it’s not gonna be enough.

“I was made for this. I love it, especially when I’m fighting away from home and when everyone is against me — that’s when I fight at my best.”

As a French fighter who rose to prominence in the U.K., Lohore is no stranger to being on enemy soil. Far from being intimidated by his adversary’s hometown support, he relishes the thought of silencing the gathering as the fight approaches.

“I love to prove people wrong, that’s what I like to do,” Lohore said. “So many times I’ve come in and there are so many boos, and at the end of the fight there’s nothing…I can’t hear anything…it is what it is. I know they have to do that to support they’re guy…it’s normal. It’s a good way to get fans also…it’s a good way of turning enemies into fans.

“I see me coming out victorious with great domination and I see myself surprising a lot of people. Even Dalby will be shocked by what’s in the cage with him,” he added.

Check out the latest episode of Eurobash. The Alex Lohore interview begins at 1:26:00.