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  - SCHAFER GUNNING FOR UFC 93 SUBMISSION BONUS
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - by Tom Hamlin - MMAWeekly.com
It’s not just a special honor to receive the UFC’s “Submission of the Night” – it also makes your wallet a lot fatter.
For Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer, tax season is coming up, and he wants a few extra bills to cover the bill from Uncle Sam.
“I’ve gotten second place twice now,” he told MMAWeekly Radio. “One of these days, it will come around.”
Schafer will soon get another opportunity to get the award when he faces Antonio Mendes on Jan. 17 at UFC 93. Schafer was originally scheduled to return in February, but took the fight on six weeks notice when a spot opened up on the Dublin, Ireland card. He’s not concerned about the short time – he’s hit his stride in the Octagon.
“Sometimes you’ve got to take those risky fights,” he said. “No sense in sticking around the B-level all the time. You’ve got to take the risks, and if you win, they pay off.”
The submission specialist hit a rough patch after submitting Rob MacDonald with an arm triangle choke at his UFC 62 debut. Losses to Michael Bisping and Stephan Bonnar took him outside of the organization for the first half of 2008. But a win against once-hyped Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 15 – a fight tailored for him to lose, despite his strength in Alexander’s weakness – put him back on track, and gave him a big confidence boost.
“A lot of it had to do with nerves,” Schafer said of his slide. “I was so nervous. When I came back with Houston, I felt really good. I had a few wins under my belt. I knew I could do it. If I perform to my abilities, I think I can hang with a lot of guys in the UFC.
“Nothing worse than performing below your ability. The UFC’s crazy, a lot of nerves, a lot of chances to over-think stuff. It kinda gave my confidence back too.”
Schafer was already close to being in shape after helping teammate Pat Barry prepare for his fight against Dan Evensen, and simply extended the camp when he got the word to face Mendes.
The last stretch of preparation has been grueling.
“All week I had Pat Barry and Ben Rothwell throwing kicks and punches at me, rotating on me,” said Schafer. “It was not fun at all. This guy could definitely beat me, but if I can survive with these guys, it shouldn’t be as tough as going against Pat and Ben.”
And again, Schafer is facing a striking-centered fighter, which plays into his bonus plan.
“He’s definitely a striker first,” he comments. “A little more technical, not as explosive as like a Houston (Alexander), a little more tough, a little more smart though. So he’s going to be a similar style, but a little different type of striker.”
With only the rowdy Irish fans to encourage him, he says the pressure is off, and that means he’ll be on when the cage door closes. Any win will do, but putting Mendes away will be most satisfying, and maybe, the most lucrative.
“I want to finish the guy and make him tap out,” said Schafer.
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