Create a free account to unlock this article! Get Started Already a subscriber? Log In

Tywan Claxton believes in his hands.



The 7-0 (amateur) Blackzilian fighter boasts some Division II All-American collegiate wrestling credentials, but it's putting fist to face that gets his blood moving.



In his next fight, Claxton will make his professional MMA debut. While nothing is announced on that front yet, he already knows who he wants to face.



"I called out a hype train," Claxton told FloCombat. "I called out somebody that Bellator's kind of pushed and pushed and [somebody] that I know that I can beat in less than 24 seconds. I called out Aaron Pico and told him, 'Hey, let's get down in the middle of that ring, bite down on that mouthpiece and throw.'



"I haven't gotten a response yet, but it is what it is. It's making noise. I'm gaining fans. I'm gaining followers. Different organizations are hitting me up trying to get me fights, so it's doing everything it's supposed to do."



[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BW7nYX_hkJJ/?taken-by=tclax149" hide_caption="0"]

Training alongside the likes of Michael Johnson, Gilbert Burns, Desmond Green, Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, and a host of other noted mixed martial artists in South Florida, Claxton boasts supreme confidence in his abilities. If his spotless amateur record isn't enough, he also draws some swagger from his unsanctioned run of scraps on the streets. With a mouth like his, sometimes you have to back up your words, and that's something he's more than happy to do.



"I will say that I am a savage," Claxton said. "I had a couple brawls back in my day, back in my college days, Court Street (in Pomeroy, Ohio). You can ask my old teammates. All those guys know that. I got a big mouth, and sometimes when you got a big mouth, you gotta back it up.



"I'm not a huge guy, so the way I talk, people gotta see, 'Hey, let me see if this dude is about what he says he's about.' I'm a savage. I say what's on my mind, and I don't really care what the consequences are -- if there are consequences."



Claxton is ready to put that mentality to the test against Pico, a fighter he's called out in various ways across social media.



[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXEcq6OBiQ9/?taken-by=tclax149" hide_caption="0"]

To "Speedy," Pico isn't an intimidating fight. He's easy work, and he's the perfect name to make a splash against to kick off Claxton's professional career.



"One, I got beaters, and he has no chin," Claxton said. "So if I touch him one time, it's over. It's not a matter of 'if' I touch him. It's 'when' I touch him. That's a fight that I can go out there and try new moves. That's like a little brother fight. I can put my hand on his head and let him swing a couple times and touch him on the chin...



"Even the guy who beat Pico [Zach Freeman], hell, if you want to throw me on the main card, I will starch his ass in less than 24 seconds. I'll starch the guy that beat Pico. I'll make my pro debut against a guy that's 10-2, 10-3, whatever that guy's record is. I'm not worried about it."



While Claxton dabbled in the boxing gym throughout college and currently trains alongside a stable of killers, he does note Pico's experience advantage inside the ring. While Pico's credentials far outweigh his own, Claxton doesn't see that as an issue in the slightest. Paper credentials mean nothing to him.



"He's got more technical boxing experience than me," Claxton said. "But these hands are street certified. Let's take your technique versus my savagery and let's see who wins. It's worked out in my favor so far."



With no opponent announced just yet for Pico's sophomore appearance inside the cage, Claxton notes the fight is currently marked as "possible." He's not getting too excited just yet, though, because he understands why Bellator would be reluctant to book it.



"The thing is, when you have a vested interest -- Pico is a vested interest for Bellator, they put all this money behind him," Claxton said. "Do they want to take the chance of putting him in the cage with somebody like me and him getting starched again? That's up for debate.



"But at the same time, you got somebody like me who's got a big mouth and he can fight. So it's checks and balances. It's all about how they want to go about it. If I was to sign with Bellator -- I'm not saying I have a Bellator contract. I'm not saying I don't have a Bellator contract. I'm saying they kind of have to pick and choose who's worth investing in the most. One simple YouTube search, you'll see these hands are real."

