“Obviously, more cameras, more interviews, more spotlight, more people asking stuff from me,” he said. “I’m able to handle that stuff. I love this stuff. I love talking to the media. I love signing posters, doing all the photos – it’s part of my job. Some people complain about this because, I don’t know, they don’t want to wake up early, they don’t want to do the extra work, but this is all part of my job. So is fighting. I love this. I’m nothing but confident going into this fight.”
The biggest difference in this main event (other than the location and opponent) also brings us back to the whole “Bam’s dad” thing. Raising a newborn is a full-time job in itself, and Ige knows he has plenty of help available in his wife, whom he calls “incredible,” as well as his mother, who came to Vegas to help.
FREE FIGHTS: Frankie Edgar vs The Korean Zombie | Mirsad Bektic vs Dan Ige
Additionally, the extra responsibility helped Ige create a more solid organization when it came to his time management.
“I found a structure really fast,” Ige said. “It almost forced me to have structure in my life, something I’ve never really had. I just go train every day and do whatever I do every day, but I never had that structure to it. Now, I have complete structure in my life, in my training, and it’s made me a better fighter.”
