A 2-0 Nevan Driehuis is already getting compared to UFC champs.
The 22-year-old fighter and police officer out of Louisiana makes the walk for his sixth fight under the AKA banner this Saturday at AKA 59 in Lake Charles. There, he will fight Mississippi’s own Jordan Loren, who is the first fight of his new four-fight deal with the promotion.
The featherweight fight takes place on the main card of AKA 59. Coming off back-to-back finishes, Driehuis looks to improve to 3-0 as a pro after a stellar 7-1 run as an amateur. He poured on heavy pressure in his last win against Adrian Smith, getting him out of there by second-round TKO.
Jordan Loren calls Nevan Driehuis ‘TJ Dillashaw light”
What does Driehuis’ opponent Jordan Loren see out of the hot prospect? Shades of one of the best bantamweights to ever do it: TJ Dillashaw.
“I have him written down as ‘Dillashaw light’,” Loren said of Driehuis. “Like not a ‘great value’ version of TJ Dillashaw [but] his best form is a TJ Dillashaw-type fighter.”
“He does push a pretty good pace. He’s fast. He’s got a hell of a fighting spirit, which I admire.
“He’s good. It’s an exciting fight. I feel like it tickled my fancy,” Loren added.
Dillashaw went 13-4 in the UFC Bantamweight division and had two title reigns with TKO wins over Cody Garbrandt and Renan Barao. He even challenged Henry Cejudo for the undisputed flyweight title in 2019.
“I definitely can [go five rounds],” Driehuis said. “My cardio seems infinite to me. Some days I go to train and I output so much, I’m not tired.
“I do run a lot. I do sprints. I do assault bikes. I do sprinter treadmill. I wouldn’t even say my cardio comes from that. It comes from pushing the pace in the gym.”
Jordan Loren: Nevan Driehuis has ‘lot more to lose’
Loren has an underdog mentality going into his fight with the undefeated Driehuis.
While Driehuis may have a prettier record than him, Loren isn’t counting himself out. After all, he has more to gain from a win on Saturday.
“The way I look at it honestly. If you think me and him as far as like what our stakes are in the fight, he has a lot more to lose than I do,” Loren said.
“There’s a lot more like pressure on his side, maybe. I don’t know if he necessarily feels it or not, but I feel freer going into the fight when most people think I’m going to get knocked out.
“It is a lot easier to go into a fight like that than it is to go into a fight where you’re supposed to knock the dude the f*** out. It’s freer whenever you’re the underdog,” Loren added.
Get your tickets HERE for AKA 59 in Lake Charles.