Oliver Enkamp aiming for undefeated year in Bellator

Oliver Enkamp defeats Walter Gahadza | Bellator

The Scandinavian welterweight is making his second Bellator appearance this weekend against Lewis Long in Dublin, Ireland.

Oliver Enkamp’s UFC run didn’t go to plan but he is aiming to make amends in Bellator.

The previously undefeated welterweight went 0-2 in the world’s leading promotion where he was bested by Nordine Taleb and Danny Roberts. Enkamp (8-2) was subsequently released but it didn’t take him long to find a new home in Bellator. The signing made sense considering the Viacom-owned company’s push into the European market and ambition to stage shows in Scandinavia.

In his Bellator debut, Enkamp overcame Walter Gahadza in an impressive grappling display which resulted in a first round submission victory. Although the fight didn’t go as he expected, the Swedish fighter was pleased to get off the mark in the hope of starting a new wave of momentum.

“I was actually surprised when Gahadza clinched up with me early in the bout,” discussed Enkamp. “He’s a great boxer so I didn’t predict he’d do that. However, my grappling game turned onto auto-pilot straight away once that happened and when I saw the opening, I finished him.”

He was supposed to return to the cage around four months later in Italy to take on Giorgio Pietrini but that never came to fruition. Pietrini had some kind of infection so he was pulled from the bout. Bellator tried to keep Enkamp on the card but with fight night quickly approaching and his coaches not being happy with the suggested replacement, he decided to withdraw altogether and wait for another opportunity.

That next test comes in the form of Welshman, Lewis Long, who is also looking to build up a head of steam in Bellator. The Cage Warriors veteran similarly defeated Gahadza by first round rear-naked choke in his promotional debut and is usually keen to take fights to the mat. Long (17-5) has finished 10 of his 17 victories by submission but Enkamp has never tapped out inside the cage so things could get fascinating if the pair get into scrambles on the ground. The 28-year-old is looking forward to facing an experienced competitor like Long and showing his improvements in the process.

“Long is heavy-handed and has a strong grappling game,” explained Enkamp. “It is certainly a good test for me, but I believe I have all the tools to beat him. I’m hoping for a three round war where I get to show how much better I’ve got since my last fight. Despite that, I will always look to finish my opponent if the opportunity presents itself. I think that may happen in the middle of this contest.

Bellator 240 takes place inside the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland which is renowned for its electric atmosphere. Enkamp is aware of the hype surrounding MMA events whenever promotions visit the country and can’t wait to feel the energy transmitted from the crowd. He also hopes to have ‘the fighting Irish’ on his side but knows it will be an amazing night either way.

Enkamp was born into a martial arts environment as his parents operated a karate dojo and watching Lyoto Machida win UFC gold made him realise that with that style, maybe he could be successful too. The man also known as ‘The Future’ made it clear that he isn’t in the sport for fame or money; it is all about challenging himself and growing as a person.

He wants to compete at least three or four times this year and intends to be victorious in every appearance. The Stockholm native wants to keep developing his skills while spreading the ‘budo-spirit’ of respect and humility rather than going down the route of trash-talk and entertainment. Ideally, Enkamp would love to main event a show in Sweden which is a country that Bellator have teased about moving into.

“To compete here at home would be amazing,” mentioned Enkamp. “The Swedish fans are very educated in MMA so I think Bellator would be well received. I’d be honoured to be seen as an ambassador for them over here and definitely think I have the qualities to represent the sport well.”

Bellator 240: Primus vs. Bungard is being shown via tape-delay on Sky Sports Arena at 3am GMT early on Sunday morning for fans in the UK and Ireland. It will be broadcast on Paramount Network and DAZN, also on tape-delay, in the US from 10pmET/9c on Saturday night.