The first round of Micah Terrill’s last fight went pretty much as he expected.
Usually when a fighter throws his first punch in a fight, it’s meant to feel his opponent out and get an idea for how his opponent will react to being hit, or how that opponent might approach the fight. In Terrill’s case, the very first punch he threw couldn’t have had a much better result.
Terrill’s first punch broke the nose of his opponent, Cole Presley. It didn’t take long for the white mat of Shogun Fights to become speckled with red drops of blood. The second round was a little closer, but Terrill still thought he came out on top. Unfortunately, the white mat began turning a healthy shade of pink as the blood continued to flow from Presley’s nose, and it started to affect Terrill’s footing.
“With all the blood, I started slipping and couldn’t move, so I stayed still,” Terrill told Combat Press.
Unfortunately for Terrill, in addition to the slippery footing, his opponent just wouldn’t go away. Presley’s comeback ended up being complete in the third round when he finished Terrill with a guillotine choke and won the inaugural Shogun Fights welterweight title. The 5,000 or so fans in attendance were going insane. It was an exceptionally great mixed martial arts fight at any level, be it amateur, professional, the UFC, Bellator or the World Series of Fighting.
“When he started hitting me, he showed me a lot about myself,” Terrill said. “He kept coming forward. I don’t think the dude is human. I tip my hat to him, but the second time we would fight would be different.”
The loss to Presley was Terrill’s second in a row following a three-fight winning streak. With an overall record of 5-5, Terrill isn’t getting a rematch with Presley at Shogun Fights 13 on Oct. 24 in Baltimore, but he is getting another shot at the welterweight title. Following Presley’s decision to drop to lightweight, Terrill will face Jeremy Carper in one of three title fights on the card.
Shogun Fights actually offered a rematch to Terrill and Presley, which Terrill accepted but Presley declined and decided to drop a weight class. When that happened, Terrill didn’t think he would get another shot at the title.
“I’m hard on myself. I don’t think I deserved another title shot, but I’ll take it,” Terrill admitted. “It’s what the crowd wants, and I want to give them a show and prove why I got this shot.”
Terrill trains at Conquest BJJ in Crofton, Md., and worked with a new striking coach every day for the last six months for his fight against Carper. Terrill also worked on improving his strength and conditioning.
“I can finish this fight anywhere I go,” he said.
In his 10-fight career, Terrill has only been to a decision once. He’s confident his fight with Carper will not result in a second trip to the scorecards.
“I’ve heard his chin is suspect,” Terrill said. “He’s been beaten by Cole twice, and I’m bigger, faster and stronger than he is.”
While Terrill still has the goal of fighting in the UFC or Bellator, he’s already preparing for a life after fighting by working on opening his own gym. But his focus is still 100 percent on his fight against Carper, and on another chance to become champion.
“Shogun Fights is my second home,” said Terrill, who already has seven fights under his belt with the promotion. “I’ll have the hometown crowd behind me, and it’s going to be my night.”