SerpApi.Org
Eoin Sheridan is aiming to deliver another standout showing as he prepares for his Professional Fighters League debut in the United States over the coming weeks.
The undefeated Dublin fighter (5-0) secured a unanimous decision victory over the promotion's seventh-ranked welterweight, Chris Mixan, at Belfast's SSE Arena this past April and is determined to extend his perfect record with a spectacular finish on American soil.
Training alongside OKTAGON two-division champion Will Fleury, Sheridan has his sights set on capturing championship gold in the future. Elsewhere in MMA, Conor McGregor is facing another lengthy break from the UFC after confirming his nightmare injury.
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"I come from a karate/kickboxing background, I'm amateur and professional Irish champion kickboxer, and I've been doing MMA for years now," Sheridan explained.
"Myself and Will have been training together for years. I suppose me and Will have been through the mill; we've had all sorts of injuries along the way and faced all sorts of adversity, but finally now we're both starting to come to the light, which is good.
"I'm 3-0 in the PFL, 5-0 overall. I just beat the number seven-ranked fighter in the world in my last fight, which was in the SSE Arena in Belfast. The biggest problem I had was getting matched. I had nine different opponents fall through between June and December in 2024. But it's going well, and hopefully it continues to do so."
Details regarding Sheridan's opponent and fight location are expected to be revealed in the coming days, with the 28-year-old backing himself to secure a stoppage victory.
"I'm coming to blast him out of there, Shero style. It's a major card, and it's going to be great," he said.
The Straight Blast Gym competitor is hoping a dominant performance will propel him into the welterweight division's top 10 rankings. Following that, he plans to face a top-five contender in his subsequent fight before ultimately pursuing the 170lbs championship.
The vacant title will be up for grabs this weekend in Washington when American Thad Jean squares off against Russian Shamil Musaev, following Ramazan Kuramagomedov's surprising retirement after capturing the belt in February.
"Somehow, my last opponent has gone back to number eight, and I'm still not ranked. I don't know how that works, but apparently if I win this, I'll be in the top 10 in the world," stated Sheridan. "After this fight, I'll be looking to take on someone in the top five."
Sheridan's PFL debut in America comes on the heels of several major UFC events featuring Irish fighters stateside. McGregor's octagon comeback ended in disappointment earlier this month when he suffered an injury from the very first kick he threw against Max Holloway, with the bout ending after just 69 seconds.
Meanwhile, Ian Garry is scheduled to headline UFC 330 on August 15, challenging welterweight champion Islam Makhachev for the title in Philadelphia. "Ian was in SBG recently, and I was chatting to him," revealed Sheridan. "We're at the same weight, so we had a bit of craic. I wish Ian well. Obviously, he has a big fight coming up.
"Myself and Conor were sparring together this year, and Will is flying it. If I take my next opponent out in spectacular fashion, I could be right in the mix for the PFL world title, hopefully within the next year or less."
