Logan Storley respects Thad Jean heading into their welterweight tournament title fight inside the PFL Smart Cage on August 1st, but he is focused on getting a measure of redemption against someone who bested one of his teammates. Storley appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts and touched on the points-based structure he was a part of last season and contrasted it with the more straight-ahead, defined tournament bracket this year.
The former Bellator MMA interim champion prefers the win-and-advance bracket style this year and while it has certain hallmarks to his days as an amateur wrestler with the single elimination tournament style, it also feels like this year is easier for PFL fans to understand things better, according to the tournament finalist. On route to said finals, Storley secured a pair of unanimous decision wins over Joseph Luciano as well as Masayuki Kikuiri, and when touching upon that path to the PFL finals, Storley said,
"They were both big, strong kids, you know. So really just setting the pace on them and dominating the grappling. Getting your ground and pound in there. Making sure there's no questions about it, you know. Dominate those fights and set a really good pace. I felt like I did that."
Speaking to Thad Jean's path through this year's tournament, he punched his ticket to the finals to face Storley here by defeating one of Storley's Kill Cliff FC teammates, Jason Jackson. When touching upon that tendril of this matchup in the coming days, Logan Storley stated,
"He's a talented young kid. Good striker, a lot of power, athletic. Does a good job in all positions. Jason and him had an extremely close fight, and Thad obviously got the nod. So you know, I was impressed with the way Thad competed so far this whole season. I'm excited to go out there and represent Kill Cliff and go get this W for our gym. For myself, for my coaches, you know, all those people that support you. But yeah, no, he's performed great so far."
In the pre-fight lead up Jean described Storley as a one-dimensional fighter with a singular wrestling-minded approach. When responding to that characterization some fighters have of him and even some fans have of him that he comes to the cage with a myopic approach to the contest, Logan Storley quipped,
"Everyone can say whatever they want, right. You look at the best of the best, a lot of them have been wrestlers, right, who go to their game plan. Dominate guys and maul guys and drag them into deep waters. So I'm gonna do what I'm the best at. So you can say it's one-dimensional, whatever you want, but not very many people have ever been able to stop it."
"So I'm going to continue setting a high pace, dragging guys to deep waters, and just competing at the highest level. That's what I think I do better than anyone is just compete. Ability to make changes mid-fight, ability to push the pace, ability to win scrambles, and the ability to always try to win every single position. So yeah, I think that's kind of what I do. So I guess if people call it one-dimensional, they can call it one-dimensional [laughs]."
Logan Storley on the headlines to come and showing his level
As for what the headlines will read when the dust settles post-August 1st, Logan Storley said,
"That I'm the best in the world. That nobody can hang with my wrestling. That the pace, smothering, scrambles after scrambles, that's what I do better than anyone else. So I think that's what the headlines will read. Just a high, high pace and a smothering pace and just me competing in all positions. Being focused for twenty-five minutes was enough to go out there and really be dominant."
When asked if there is an additional degree of satisfaction to handing an unbeaten fighter his first loss, and while that surging fighter has been bantering with you no less, Logan Storley stated,
"Yeah, I mean, for sure. You always want to go out there and you want to be that guy to give them their first loss and show them that there's levels and that he's not quite there yet. So that's my plan is to go out there and set the bar and give him that first loss and win a world title."