By KOTC Staff
In March, Troy Sorensen was one win away from becoming King of the Cage’s Canadian Lightweight Champion, but the Canadian Combat Club fighter’s title aspirations were quickly halted by Chad Freeman, who stopped the veteran shortly into round one. For some, the loss may have been a tough experience to overcome, but for Sorensen it was just part of the sport that he’s grown to love.
“Chad hit me with a right hook behind the ear and I don't remember anything after that,” said Sorensen, who was awarded a shot at the KOTC Canadian lightweight belt after tapping out Kris Kucher at the promotion’s “Retaliation” event in February, 2010. “I've seen video, so I know the fight continued after that, but really, my body was just moving on muscle memory. I can't be too disappointed, I was caught with a great punch and that was the end of the fight. That's MMA.”
Up next, Sorensen will look to rebound from his loss to Freeman at KOTC’s upcoming July 16th, “Brawl in the Mall 5” event in Edmonton, Alberta. Sorensen will face fellow KOTC vet T.J. Klassen, who has gone 1-1 to date while fighting for the promotion. Last November, Klassen was stopped by Trevor Wright at KOTC 48, after tapping out Chris Sullivan with strikes at the promotion’s “Combustion” card last May.
“I think he likes stand-up or ground 'n pound,” said Sorensen when asked what he knows about the lightweight. “I've been working on my stand-up and I want to show the world I can stand and bang.”
Sorensen began training in mixed-martial-arts back in 2004, as after attending an event in Lethbridge, he returned to Edson and began training at the aforementioned Canadian Combat Club. Since then the 37 year-old-fighter has gone on to earn a purple belt in Franco Behring Jiu-Jitsu under Professor Mike Yackulic, and Sorensen is happy to report that his evolution as a fighter continues.
“Carlos Espinosa and Jeff St Peirre have been helping me in this camp,” said Sorensen, who has recorded three submission victories to date in his pro career. “Training is great, no injuries and skills are sharp.”
While Sorensen hasn’t dwelled on his loss to Freeman, that doesn’t mean that the experienced grappler isn’t hoping to rematch the Kamloops fighter at some juncture.
“Probably once more in the fall,” Sorensen said when asked how many more times he’d like to fight in 2011. “It would be great to get another shot at Chad for the title.”
Of course, defeating Klassen on July 16th will be key if Sorensen hopes to rematch Freeman within the foreseeable future, and not surprisingly the veteran fighter is predicting a win at “Brawl at the Mall 5”
“I will win by TKO on the ground.”
“Brawl at the Mall 5” will be hosted by the Edmonton Events Centre in West Edmonton Mall, and will also feature Brad Stewart fighting Elmer Waterhen for the vacant Canadian middleweight title.
Tickets for the upcoming July 16th event are available at ClubZone.com and the Wild West Shooting Centre
