There is an understandable, yet no less ironic, dichotomy that often presents itself in all forms of combat sports, as athletes universally yearn for the opportunity to compete when they’ve been out for any amount of time, yet the aim is always to spend as little time as humanly possible in there once that arduous time away finally comes to an end.
Peterson finds himself at the intersection of those two contrasting desires right now as he counts down the days and hours until he and Alexander share the Octagon this weekend.
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“I look forward to a dominant victory,” said Peterson, who is straight to the point with his thoughts. “I’m not going in there to play around — I’m looking to get straight to work, and I expect to go out there and handle business in impressive fashion. I want to take him out as soon as possible.
“I don’t believe he’s on the same level as me. I believe I belong amongst the Top 20, Top 15 in the world — I think I showed that in my fights with Alex Caceres and Julian Erosa — and I’m trying to get right back up there.
“I don’t want to play around in there and give this kid a chance; I want to go in there and take him out.”
And if Peterson gets that expeditious finish that illustrates his superiority on Saturday, you’re never going to guess what he wants to do next.
“I want to go in there, get the job done as quickly as possible, and get right back in there,” he said, illustrating the dichotomy perfectly. “I want to have at least three fights this year, and we’re already three months into the year, so it’s time to get to work
“I’d like to have another one back-to-back if everything goes as I plan for it to and I’m healthy after this fight. I want to get right back in there and get another one before summer.”
