Lewis McGrillen-Evans admitted he "had an idea" Dean Garnett would force him deep, ahead of his PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament final versus Alexander Luster.
The McGrizzla will contest for the belt at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France this weekend as part of 2024 PFL Europe Championship, with the event set to be broadcast live around the globe on DAZN.
McGrillen-Evans came through a brutal contest with Garnett to earn his place in the showpiece, ultimately weathering multiple knockdowns to stop his foe in the third round.
Speaking to DAZN News ahead of his clash with Germany's Luster across the English Channel, the Manchester-based fighter admits that he expected a hard fight before the bout.
"I had an idea, I can’t lie," he said. "A lot of people mentioned we needed to be cautious of his wrestling, but I always knew that Dean Garnett could throw a good punch himself.
"I was prepared for that moment. People always ask if you are ready for a war. I always knew deep down inside of me, I had that mode. I was just ready to showcase that side."
McGrillen-Evans and Garnett appeared to trade momentum before the former finally put his opponent down, and he admits he may have exposed himself at points in the clash.
"The first knockdown was a bit crazy," he added. "The game plan we had was to succeed [in landing] the first knockdown. I felt like I got a little bit eager to try.
"Every time I touched him with my left hand, I was shutting him down. But I felt like I got a bit eager,. It became a bit of a back-and-forth. I had to dig deeper than I anticipated."
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