Rochester mixed martial artist Raphael "The Silencer" Butler was not pleased with his performance during his last fight for national MMA organization Bellator.
Though Butler did not suffer a setback, he still felt it was a fight he should have dominated. He did not show off the skills he's acquired since moving his training camp to California.
But Butler will receive a chance at redemption Friday night when he returns to Bellator on live national TV.
Butler is set to square off against fellow unbeaten prospect Javy Ayala in a heavyweight showdown. Ayala comes in with a perfect 5-0 record, including 2-0 in Bellator. He recently knocked off former Bellator title contender Eric Prindle.
The Butler fight will be shown live on Spike. His fight is expected to be the first one on live TV, starting at about 8 p.m. Friday.
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"Raphael isn't going to disappoint this time out," said Sterling Entertainment Group's Jeremy Bjornberg, who is Butler's manager. "He knows this is a big second chance for him. He's got the potential to be one of the best in the world; he won't waste that."
In his last outing, Butler fought to a draw with Nick Rossborough. On its face, it doesn't sound like a disappointment at all. But Butler came in as the heavy favorite with a perfect 8-0 record, while Rossborough came in with a journeyman's mark of 24-18.
Butler has no plans of letting Friday's fight go the distance.
"Raphael has been as focused as I've ever seen him. He knows this is his big shot, and he's not getting any more easy fights," Bjornberg said. "Everyone knows about Raphael's hands because of his great pro boxing record. He's a feared striker. But I think we'll see a complete game from him this time around. Everyone is going to see the best version of Raphael that we've ever seen."
Butler's next fight is not set. He could be part of Bellator's next heavyweight tournament, but Bjornberg said the future is wide open.
"We love fighting for Bellator; it's a great place for Raphael to be," Bjornberg said. "We'll see how this fight goes, and we'll decide what's next after that. I'm excited for Raphael to have another chance to shine."
