nt"

LOS ANGELES – Grappling standout A.J. Agazarm has yet to take part in a professional MMA fight, but he’s already found an incredible way of describing what’s about to happen.

“The way I look at it is it’s a saloon full of gunfighters,” Agazarm told MMAjunkie at Bellator 214 media day on Thursday. “Everybody’s got a story to tell, and everybody is really dangerous, and that’s what’s fun about Bellator. Because no matter who I’m going to fight, it’s going to be a show. It’s going to be crazy, and it’s going to be something that people are going to be talking about for years.

“If you don’t understand the saloon reference, just put it in terms of gaming. Bellator is like Fortnite. It’s a universe of murderers all dropped off on a boat – hundreds of them – getting ready to kill everybody using everything they possibly can. That’s what I’m going to be doing in there. I’m going to be using everything I possibly can to take this guy out.”

Agazarm (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets fellow rookie Jesse Roberts (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) on the MMAjunkie-streamed prelims of Saturday’s Bellator 214, which precedes the Paramount-broadcast and DAZN-streamed main card at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Agazarm is an incredibly accomplished grappler, previously competing as a Division I collegiate wrestler and later earning a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt before medaling in both gi and no-gi competitions around the world.

Now he’s turning his attention to MMA, where he’ll hope to earn a similar measure of success. While adding strikes to a grappling match certainly changes the stakes – not to mention the strategy – Agazarm, at least outwardly, doesn’t seem bothered by the challenge.

“Being a world-class athlete, you run the same thing,” Agazarm said. “Whether it’s grappling tournaments, wrestling tournaments, swim meets, track and field, it’s always that same mindset. And now, for this, it’s just been kind of dialing in on a couple specific things and changing a couple of approaches that are going to happen in that fight or that I’m predicting in that fight so that I’m the most well prepared. But I think in fighting it’s important to maintain that creativity aspect so that you don’t loop yourself in as just another fighter, so it’s just focusing and harping on being creative.”

Agazarm certainly possesses an incredible amount of upside, but there’s absolutely no guarantee he’ll be an instant standout. But no matter how he performs Saturday night, Agazarm believes his willingness to step outside of his comfort zone should already be viewed as an admirable accomplishment.

“I think just stepping in the cage is special,” Agazarm said. “People don’t realize how big of a deal this is. I’m stepping in the ring with a guy that wants to kick my head off. This is a significant thing, and I think as time has gone on, people have been more accustomed to seeing this atmosphere. It’s become the norm. But let’s not forget – I’m stepping in the cage where there’s another dude that’s trying to kick my head off, and that’s pretty crazy if you think about.”

To hear more from Agazarm, check out the video above.

For more on Bellator 214, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.