Gallery Michael Chandler def. Brandon Girtz at Bellator 197: Best photos view 18 images

TEMECULA, Calif. – On paper, it might be tempting to overlook Brandon Girtz thanks to his recent 1-4 record.

But with a right shoulder reconstructed after an injury he suffered nearly a year ago in a loss to current lightweight champion Michael Chandler, Girtz said he’s feeling better than ever.

Dealing with an injury and surgery unfortunately was nothing new to him. He’s had two surgeries on the ACL in his right knee, as well. That’s kind of how he knows he’s ready to roll Friday at Bellator 219, thanks to the experience from those other injury issues.

“(The shoulder) was definitely one of the worst injuries I’ve had to come back from,” Girtz on Wednesday told MMA Junkie. “When I compare it to an ACL, I feel like it’s a lot stronger now. But the beginning steps are quite grueling. There are a lot of things in the shoulder – a lot of moving parts. There’s no real concern about it now. It took me multiple years to feel like my ACL felt good. This, I felt good five months after. They even tell me it’s stronger than my left. It feels great, and there’s no real concern about it at all.”

Girtz (15-8 MMA, 7-6 BMMA) on Friday headlines Bellator 219 against fellow lightweight Saad Awad (23-10 MMA, 11-7 BMMA) at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. The main card airs on Paramount and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Awad is a 3-1 favorite in the fight, which may have a lot to do with Girtz’s recent record. And while he won’t put any blame for the recent losses on any physical setbacks, he said feeling good right now is the key to pushing forward.

His submission loss to Chandler in the Bellator 197 main event in April 2018 gave him some confidence he could be in there with the best of the division, but then the injury happened in the fight with a Chandler slam and he got caught in an arm-triangle choke.

“That fight was very frustrating,” he said. “I felt great in it. I felt amazing. I felt this energy. I felt like the fight was going my way. And then for your body to give out in a move I’ve done multiple times? It was tough. But nothing you can do about it – life throws you some things, and you have to get over it and keep moving forward.

“Obviously I had some things in my shoulder going on, and now they’re all fixed. All I can do is look toward the future.”

Add to that the confidence he has from Bellator putting him in another main event so quickly after his return from the injury and surgery, and Girtz is ready to give a performance.

“First fight back, main event against a formidable opponent,” he said. “It shows all the work I’ve been doing has been for something. They want to put me in fights people can see because I come out and I fight. This is entertainment, and that’s what I do: I go out there and give people blood. I definitely see him a battle.”

For more from Girtz, check out the video above.

And for more on Bellator 219, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.