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- AFTER UFC 111 WIN, PELLEGRINO FOCUSES ON GOLD- MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

With four wins in a row, it would be difficult to deny Kurt Pellegrino has developed into a legitimate title contender.

Since returning to his native New Jersey and hooking up with fellow UFC lightweight Kenny Florian, Pellegrino has flourished and now has his sights set on goals he once thought unobtainable.

Shortly after his recent win at UFC 111, Pellegrino told MMAWeekly.com, “I had set my goals in the middle. I just told people I wanted to fight in the UFC. I believed that was the highest I could set my goals, and I have to reset everything.

“I told my wife that I never wanted the belt, I just wanted the UFC, and now I actually reset everything. I want the belt and that’s what I’m going for.”

Having dominated Fabricio Camoes this past Saturday to raise his record to 15-4, Pellegrino further demonstrated the importance of working with his current camp.

“Since coming to New Jersey this is the best I’ve ever felt and that is probably the best I have ever performed,” stated Pellegrino. “This is just a product of working with Keith (Florian and his brother) Kenny, and Miguel Torres, who has been in and out of camps helping as well.

“I pulled in all of Kenny’s strength and conditioning coaches, his diet program, and Keith actually made me eat organic for this fight. I really walked that line of eating, training, and sleeping. I really did everything I could to make sure I was 100-percent healthy.”

All of Pellegrino’s hard work shone through, as he appeared to be in the best shape of his career, performing up to the level expected of a pay-per-view main card fighter.

“To be on that main card was just icing on the cake, because everybody got to see how good I really am,” commented Pellegrino. “That kid’s a black belt under Royler Gracie and I put a stamp on him.

“I could do whatever I wanted. I mounted him, passed his guard, and took his back... I could have fought for the title that day, and at this state, I would have won.”

Even more special for Pellegrino was the fact he was able to do it in front of his hometown crowd and longtime supporters.

“That was like the cherry on top of the ice cream,” he said. “When I submitted him and heard the crowd going crazy, I realized that I’m 13-0 in New Jersey and that was the part that could have brought me to tears.

“That was like thank you fans, thank you New Jersey for supporting me, buying the tickets, and getting me on a UFC main card. My fans have always come and watched me and supported me, and I hope I did good for them and the new fans.”

Pellegrino’s next order of business is to see his brother married at the end of June. Then he intends to turn his eyes towards another fight that could bring him one step closer to the title.

“I don’t really want to fight anyone or call anyone out, but I just watched the fight with Joe Stevenson and George Sotiropoulos, and I think that would be a huge test for me to beat someone (in Sotiropoulos) who beat me,” stated Pellegrino.

“You’d have two guys who are black belts, are real good with hands, and would bring out the best in both of us. But at the end of the day it’s whoever that Joe Silva wants me to fight; just give me a piece of paper and I’ll sign it.”

In the best place of his life, personally and professionally, it’s going to be difficult to deny Pellegrino on his path towards the gold.

“To the fans, keep an eye out, I’m in the new UFC video game coming out May 25,” he said in closing. “I’ll be playing it online on PS3; I’ll be smashing people on there or being beat up.

“I want to thank Ecko Clothing, Dean Albrecht, and my lovely wife and daughter. Thanks to all the people at Pellegrino MMA, and fans out there come down and check us out at PellegrinoMMA.com.”

[mmawolverine]

very very hard not to like this guy and the way he fights, if diego hadnt ran back to ww i would have like to see these two go at it, i think he could do well against maynard whereas other fighters would get smoothered kurt would probably negate grey's wrestling, a fight with sotirapoulis would be amazing in my opinion although i think someone had a thread about the ufc leaning toward florian and george facing off soon, both kurt and george would need to up their standup considerably to face bj someday