Ion Pascu faces an uphill climb at Bellator 196 on Friday in Budapest, Hungary, where he will meet the unbeaten Ed Ruth, a three-time NCAA wrestling champion who has made a smooth transition to mixed martial arts: four wins, all by knockout or technical knockout inside two rounds.
Pascu accepted the fight on short notice after Laszlo Furko withdrew with an injury. While the SBG Ireland representative eyes his Bellator MMA debut under less-than-ideal circumstances, the Romanian remains confident he can derail the Ruth hype train.
“I’ve been living and training in Dublin for a year and a half,” Pascu told Sherdog.