“If anything, I think this is a perfect style matchup because he’s gonna try to grapple with me and that’s not gonna go well for him,” he said. “I’m a good grappler, and I’m also a good striker, so it’s not gonna go well for him. We talked about it throughout. As soon as I got the name, they were like, ‘He’s gonna be desperate; he’s gonna come with everything that he can.’ He’s definitely gonna work his *** off for this fight, he’s definitely gonna come to fight, so I need to be on my toes.
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“I don’t overlook anybody — a fight is a fight, and one fight can change it all,” Coria added. “One punch can turn a black belt into a white belt; it doesn’t take much. I’m glad I have my coaches (with me) and I need to keep my head level, go in there with a job to do, stay as sharp as I can, fight the best fight I can.”
One of the other motivating factors for Coria over the last couple of years has been the meteoric rise of his teammate, training partner and flyweight champion Joshua Van.
“It’s definitely eye-opening seeing him come from nothing,” began Coria, speaking about Van and the influence he’s had on both him and the rest of the team. “He came from a war-torn country, and in five years, he got to the UFC, and he’s a champion. It’s very inspiring to me because it shows that we can also do the same thing.