A Perseverant Pursuit

“You’re either working or you ain’t. If you’re ready to go, you’re ready to go.”

Lamont Stafford speaks from experience when he claims he does not believe in ring rust.

The reigning Rage in the Cage OKC light heavyweight champion has been down that road before, emerging victorious in an October 2020 appearance after spending four years on the sidelines. Stafford decisioned Tommie Britton in the RITC OKC 76 main event, where he leaned on the crisp boxing that made him a star on the regional scene. However, he paid a steep price for his efforts and suffered a broken hand that has kept him out of action ever since.

Now fully healed, Stafford will face Will Dicke in the Rage in the Cage OKC 86 headliner on Saturday at the Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton, Oklahoma. Dicke, 36, finds himself on a three-fight winning streak after he struck Victor Jones into submission at an Ogitchidaa Fight Promotions event in July, and he appears poised to make a run at Stafford’s title.

Without looking beyond the obstacle that has been placed in front of him, Stafford has designs on a return to Bellator MMA, where he punched out Jules Bruchez at Bellator 18 more than a decade ago. The “KO King” sounds more motivated than ever ahead of his battle with Dicke.

“He’s going to run into something,” Stafford said. “I guarantee it. Where he’s weak, I’m strong. I feel like my ground game is better than his. The only thing he’s got better than me is his record, and I’m about to break that down.”