Ray Cooper III on the PFL 2022 Season: ‘The Goal Is the Same, Get Back to the Finals’
Nobody represents the Professional Fighters League 170-pound division better than Ray Cooper III, who is the only man to have taken part in all three tournament finals. Cooper (24-7-1, 11-2-1 PFL) is a two-time PFL titleholder, an achievement he recorded following his victory over Ultimate Fighting Championship alum David Michaud in 2019 and after avenging his 2018 defeat at the hands of inaugural champ Magomed Magomedkerimov last October. In his rematch with the Russian, “Bradda Boy” overcame some initial adversity to knock his foe cold at the 3:02 mark of Round 3. While talking with Sherdog ahead of his clash with Carlos Leal Miranda at PFL 3, Cooper revealed that he felt confident about reaching the finals every year and taking home the victory.
(00:00) Intro
(00:44) Participating in all three tournament finals
(01:14) Celebrating his victory over Magomedkerimov
(01:44) His goals for the 2022 season
(02:35) His pre-season
(03:08) Training with his family
(04:10) Setting an example for his younger brothers
(04:58) His corner
(05:10) His prediction for the fight
(05:41) Not caring about his walkout song or pre-fight rituals
(06:38) Answering John Howard’s callout
(07:55) Outro
Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.