Tonight, Bellator XVII will be headlined by a super fight between reigning lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, and former UFC competitor, Josh Neer. Despite the bout being a non-title affair, Neer sees this as the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself.

After being released from the UFC, Neer has won his last two outings via TKO and submission. The former Miletich fighter has been outspoken regarding opponents who have seemingly played it safe in order to collect their win bonus rather than engage in an actual battle. With Alvarez, Neer doesn’t see that being a problem:

“Eddie’s style is a great match up for me. I always match up well with technical fighters, and from the footage I have seen on Eddie, he is a real technical fighter. He doesn’t back down, and this is the thing I love about this fight. He is always coming forward, and he never takes a step backward. I am used to being the one moving forward and having to chase everyone around. In this fight we are going to clash right in the middle of the cage. I am not going to back down, I am not going to want to go backward. I am going to want to go forward, and from what I have seen from Eddie, he wants to move forward, and he wants to be the aggressor. That first sequence in the fight, the first trade is going to be key. I look at this fight in particular as I have a huge opportunity to upset a guy, and I definitely am capable of beating him. I love coming into fights as the underdog because there is no pressure. There is no doubt in my mind that I can beat Eddie. I am going in there to win, not to collect a paycheck. I am going in there to win the fight and that is how I approach every fight.”

There has been no indication if Neer will continue to compete for Bellator after tonight.

Bellator XVII from Boston, Massachusetts will air on Fox Sports Net.

(Source: MMA Mania)