HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Despite the grind that the PFL regular season brings, Clay Collard feels fantastic mentally and physically as he heads into the playoffs, with the $1 million prize almost within reach.
In April, Collard competed in his first fight of the season against former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, shocking many by winning via unanimous decision in a grueling battle. He followed that up with a split decision victory over Joilton Lutterbach just shy of two months later.
Despite two hard-fought contests in a short period of time, Collard feels in great shape heading into his third fight of the calendar year for the PFL playoffs against Raush Manfio as he inches closer to the big payday that everyone is chasing.
“We got two fights, we gotta stay focused,” Collard told MMA Junkie. “We gotta take it a fight at a time. I’ve just been plugging away at this, man. Fight by fight, day by day, you know?”
Collard expects Manfio to bring the fight to the canvas as soon as he touches him on the feet, but he’s prepared for anything that could unfold during the fight. With a win on Friday, he’ll be one step closer to taking home a large sum of money.
“We can almost smell it,” Collard said about the $1 million prize. “We’re not gonna count our chickens before they hatch, though.”
2021 PFL Playoffs 1 takes place Friday, Aug. 13, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
Check out the full interview with Collard in the video above.