Etna native “The” Ryan Sanders was a late replacement the last time he stepped into a mixed martial arts cage.
Now the fighter out of Young’s MMA in Bangor will face a late replacement on Friday night’s nationally televised CES MMA 36 card at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island.
But that “fill-in” for injured CES lightweight champion Luis Felix is no slouch. Levan “The Hornet” Makashvili, 27, of Oceanside, New York, only recently was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a three-fight stint with the world’s top MMA promotion.
“In my head it’s a better fight for me,” Sanders said. “This guy comes with better credentials, and he’s a UFC-caliber guy, which is exactly where I need to be in testing myself so I can move up the ladder. I think it’s a blessing in disguise, honestly.”
Makashvili, who arrived in the UFC a year ago touted as a top featherweight prospect, was 1-1-1 in three fights with that promotion. His most recent outing was a majority draw against Damon Jackson on Jan. 30 at UFC on Fox 18 in Newark, New Jersey.
Makashvili (7-2-1) who won his first five pro fights.
“It looks like from what my coaches have seen that he has a wrestling background, but he prefers to strike — he’s more of a boxer,” the 6-foot-1 Sanders, who will have a 5-inch height advantage over the 5-8 Makashvili, said. “But I’m not really caring about what he does. All I’m concerned about is me implementing my fight, my fight style and my game plan, which is to go out there at a ferocious pace.
“He’s taken this fight on short notice and I’ve been training for 10 weeks and was ready for five, five-minute rounds, but this is a nontitle fight, so it will be three fives. I know my conditioning will be a lot better than his.”
Sanders (10-7) was scheduled to face Felix for the CES lightweight championship after defeating Felix in a nontitle bout earlier this year — that fight that ended amid controversy in the second round, when Felix suffered a reported knee injury.
Now another injury to Felix during training camp has squashed an immediate rematch for Felix’s belt, though Sanders said a potential CES title fight looms for him in August.
“I told my wife when I signed for the (second) Felix fight that I’d be surprised if he makes it,” Sanders said. “I just know how he is. He’s a paper champion: He looks good on paper, but he actually isn’t that good of a fighter. He’s just the local hero down there, so he gets to pick and choose his opponents, and then when he has to fight someone tough he tends to want to get out of it, and that’s what he did this time.”
Sanders learned Felix pulled out of their rematch last Friday, with Makashvili announced as his replacement Monday.
While Sanders will no longer be fighting in Friday’s main event, his fight remains on the main card to be broadcast live by AXS-TV, along with another bout featuring Jon Lemke (5-4) of Team Irish MMA Fitness Academy in Brewer against Josh LaBerge (10-5) of Fall River, Massachusetts.
“This is how careers are made, by taking these kind of big fights when they’re placed in front of you,” Sanders said. “I’m going to take this and run with it. I’m in a great place right now, and I honestly feel like this fight is taking place for a reason.
“On Friday night it’s my destiny to fight a guy of this caliber and show myself and everybody else that I’ve beaten the top two studs in New England and now I’m ready to fight at the next level.”
