“I won’t know how the nerves are gonna feel until they walk out and look at me and say, ‘You’re on deck! You’re next!’” said Lawrence, who previously stated he felt more nervous ahead of his Contender Series appearance than he did his debut fight with Cachero. “That’s when I’m gonna know if it’s gonna be the same feeling as the Contender Series because there I was definitely like, ‘Holy s*** — this is happening.’
“I’ve had so many long layoffs for life, opponents backing out, injuries, et cetera throughout my career, so at least it won’t be something I’ve never felt before if I do get that feeling. We’ll see if that’s what happens.”
In addition to eagerly anticipating Saturday’s clash with Martinez because it’s been too long since he last was able to compete, Lawrence is also champing at the bit to get in there because the 29-year-old operates with a clear sense of urgency when it comes to his career.
“I haven’t been in the UFC too long and I’m only getting older, so I gotta gain some ground, get some respect, and start trying to get towards the rankings because our window is only so big,” said Lawrence, who trains with the all-star cast of coaches and fighters assembled at Sanford MMA in Deerfield Beach, Florida. “I got into the UFC later than I would have liked to have gotten here, so I need to start gaining ground before I start feeling old.”
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When I joked that his worrying about feeling old makes me, someone more than a dozen years his senior, feel ancient, he laughed, but quickly reiterated that his window is limited, which makes his frustrations with spending a year on the sidelines all the more understandable, and his urgency to get back in there clearer.
Even though he’s trying to plot an expedited route towards the rankings, the thoughtful and articulate bantamweight knows that Saturday’s bout is of paramount importance and that the difference between winning and losing often comes down to a matter of inches, not yards.
“I focus on the fight at hand and make sure I get this one out of the way before I get too far in my head about everything else,” answered Lawrence when asked about balancing the here-and-now with his bigger picture plans of climbing the divisional ladder at an accelerated pace. “It’s good to plan ahead, but I don’t get too far ahead. I gotta get this one and get to the next one afterward.
