Cookeville native Izaiah Scott will fight to defend his Agoge Fight League 135-pound kickboxing title against William Aldridge at the Putnam County Convention Center on Saturday.
Training out of Upper Cumberland MMA in downtown Cookeville, the 18-year-old Scott will be one of four amateur bouts on the evening. Scott said he is fired up for the opportunity to secure his first knockout in front of his home crowd.
“It’s awesome,” Scott said. “The people i went to school with, too getting excited about it, it’s just something crazy. Like, I wanted to be in the NFL or I wanted, like just something big, and whenever I found fighting i was like ‘ooh, I really feel like I can make it in this.’ Like I really feel I could, you know, make a name for myself.”
To add to his arsenal of strikes, Scott said he is prepared for the mental battle against his next opponent. Scott said Williams was a worthy foe, but warned him not to get too complacent to start the fight.
“I think that he needs to overwhelm me with his pressure and he needs to get me into a dog fight,” Scott said. “Because if not, I feel like my brain is just going to start picking up on his patterns and start picking them apart.”
The octagon will feature amateur kickboxing and mixed martial arts fights. Scott will compete in the stand-up only kickboxing fight with boxing gloves, according to promoter Steve Modlin. Modlin said knees and elbows to the head are prohibited in amateur kickboxing and MMA.
“I’m excited to showcase my skill and show what I’ve been working on and how it’s gonna take some one really special to get me out of there and take the belt from me,” Scott said.
Scott said martial arts is the highest a form of self-expression, from how you prepare, how you execute to how you perform. While he expects a slug fest, no matter how his opponent chooses to approach him, Scott said he and his corner are ready for anything.
Scott said he has secured several TKO’s via body shots, but is head hunting for his first home run swing. Regardless of how it ends, Scott said he is focused on securing the victory and returning home with his belt in hand.
Headlining the event is Aftekhar Khesrawe, an undefeated Afghan-born fighter based in Nashville, taking on Kiyren McKee at 145 lbs. Active UFC fighter Trevor Peek will commentate for the event.
Action begins at 2 p.m.