Red-hot Neal Anderson credits winning streak to experience, eyes exciting win at Unified 37

Apr 9, 2019

EDMONTON — Surging Neal Anderson is looking to keep the good times rolling when he locks horns with Craig Shintani at Unified 37 on May 24 at River Cree Resort & Casino in Enoch, AB. The red-hot Edmonton fighter enters fight night on the strength of five straight victories. Shintani, meanwhile, is riding high with back-to-back wins, recently improving to 8-2 as a pro. Before these two meet on May 24, Anderson checked in with Unified MMA’s Ed Kapp.

What do you think is the biggest reason behind the win-streak you’re currently on?

It’s just consistency, I think. I’ve been at it long enough, now that I know you always have to train. Some guys take too much time off between fights and spend the first half of their training camp getting back into shape. If you’re training consistently, you’re constantly improving. I didn’t always do that at the start of my career, but now it’s just routine, whether I have a fight or not. I’m always improving between fights. The competition has been getting tougher with each fight, but the amount of training I do has been keeping up with that.

Do you feel that the momentum of your career has been building up over time, or do you take it one fight at a time?

I always take it one fight at a time. I never look past the next fight. You could say that momentum has been building — my training partners say it has been — but I don’t try to look too far ahead. They say that your next fight is your toughest fight. So, I just stay focused on that.

Is 150, the weight this fight will be contested at, the lowest weight you’ve fought at?

My first fight back in 2008 was at 145, but every fight since then I’ve been at 155. I would have preferred this to be at 155. I know that all except for Craig’s last fight were at 155. I could have easily fought at 155. I understand what he’s doing and I would have done the same in his position. He’s trying to make me cut as much weight as he can. It’s a pain in the ass for me. It’s just part of the game. I’m not looking forward to the extra five pounds.

How difficult will that be?

It’s never easy. It always sucks to cut weight. I’ve never missed weight. Every time I weigh-in, I weigh less than 155. The last fight, I weighed 155 with my sweatpants and watch on. I get paranoid that my scale won’t match up with the commission’s scale so in the past I’ve been 153. It’s going to suck, but it’s only an extra two pounds. I’ll try to cut a little more the night before the fight.

Is that all the more reason for Craig to avoid you on fight night?

Nah, not really. It is what it is. While I’m cutting the weight, I might think that. I’ll probably get a little pissed off.

What should fans expect on fight night?

They should expect a very exciting and technical fight. We’re both going to be in great shape and we’re both coming to win impressively.

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