Clay Collard Pulls No Punches

𝙁𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 2⃣

A spot in the Million Dollar Championship on the line for @brentprimus155 and @CCCcollard

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— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 12, 2024

Clay Collard has been a staple with the Professional Fighters League since joining the company in 2021, having been labeled as one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division. He is once again back in the playoff picture in 2024, and he’s not holding back in his quest for gold.

After a frustrating 2024 regular season saw him come up short in the main event of his second fight against Mads Burnell in his home state of Utah, Collard is no longer focused on the show. After having repeatedly been in the playoffs but never claiming gold, Collard gets another opportunity when he begins the 2024 playoffs against Brent Primus in a PFL 8 lightweight semifinal this Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Collard made it clear that he doesn’t care about excitement anymore. He’s prepared to do whatever it takes to get the win, even if it means boring the fans. Knowing the strengths of Primus, Collard recognizes he’s in for a much different fight than he would prefer to have.

“This guy’s not going to [stand and trade]. That’s a fact,” he told Sherdog.com. “That’s always what I want to do, and anybody that has done that with me has got their ass kicked. They didn’t just lose; they got their ass kicked. That’s what I like to do—that’s what I’m good at—so I got to figure out a way to keep it standing, keep these guys off me, keep these guys from hanging on to me. And if I do that, there’s very few people in this world that I think can beat me.”

Not one to stall the action or look to just hold control and ride out a round in his fights, Collard would prefer for his opponents do more damage when they take him down. He’s made the necessary changes in this training camp.

“We’ve been working on it,” Collard said. “I love Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I get down. I think I’ve put on a pair of [boxing] gloves once this entire fight camp. I’ve only boxed and sparred on the feet once this entire fight camp. Other than that, it’s been on the ground. We’re getting away, we’re getting away, we’re stopping takedowns. That’s all I’ve been working on because I’m sick of it.”

His focus on correcting what has hindered him in the past has also led Collard to address the obvious: He is going to do whatever it takes to get the victory, unapologetically.

“I’ll put it this way. I like being that exciting fighter. I like putting on a show for the fans, but we’re in the semifinals and it’s about getting a win, so I’m going to be a boring as a motherf---er,” Collard said. “I’m going to throw my jab. I’m going to run. I’m going to be boring, and I’m going to do enough to win. Everybody is going to hate me for it, but guess what? It’s not my motherf---ing fault these guys want to nut hug me the whole time. This fight is probably going to be the most boring ‘Cassius Clay’ fight ever, and I’m totally OK with that because I’m trying to get the W and move onto the finals.”

Being exciting throughout the regular season is one thing, but Collard stressed more than ever that his experience has taught him the time has come to just go get the victory by any means necessary.

“It’s going to be boring,” he said. “I’m going to run. I’m going to jab. I’m going to move. I’m not going to let Brent’s big ass grab ahold of me. If I do, I’m going to scramble for my dear life to get up and get away. Now [that] we’re in the playoffs, a win is a win. A win, I move on. A loss, I go home. I got kids to feed. I got to keep going.”