UFC 173 is taking place this Saturday at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. To start the card, James Krause will be taking on former WEC titleholder Jamie Varner. In an interview I had with Krauss, he noted that he thinks a lot of Varner and the skills that he possesses. Krause himself fought in the WEC while Varner was the champion. Krauss mentioned that he’s evolved so much when compared to the WEC days because he felt like he was only a kid. “I am a completely different fighter these days,” is what Krauss mentioned in regards to his WEC days.

Krause has trained at Grindhouse MMA in Missouri, which has recently been changed to Glory MMA, for which Krauss is in charge of. He has been working on his strength, punching power and wrestling to prepare for the well-rounded game of Varner. “With Varner you don’t know whether he is mainly coming to strike or wrestle, so you have to be prepared for anything,” exclaimed Krause.

James Krause is quite a large lightweight at 6’2 and normally walks around at 195 lbs in the off-season and comes to fight anywhere between 180-183 lbs on fight day. Even with the big cut he mentioned that he has not had problems making weight and he feels quite healthy on fight day, feeling that his cardio is intact.

Krause mentioned that the first time that he ever stepped into the Octagon, it was as if it was home to him and he did not feel nervous. It showed in his first UFC fight as he submitted “always game” veteran Sam Stout by guillotine late in the fight. He knew he would eventually end up in the UFC and he appreciates the experience that he has had in other organizations.

This will be Krause’s third octagon experience. He fell short against the #13 ranked Bobby Green in his last experience, but hopes to pop into the top 20 with a decisive victory over Varner. Krause feels that he is well-prepared for this bout and that he sees himself getting his hand raised in victory this Saturday.

The last question I asked him was about what fans should expect this Saturday. His answer: “Fireworks”. Krause fights to please the fans and he would rather lose a hard-fought battle in a fight than win a boring decision. He would love to earn a performance of the night bonus and add Jamie Varner to his impressive resume of wins.

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