RFA’s Zach Makovsky: Opening the Door to a New Chapter as a Flyweight Corey Adams November 21, 2013 UFC Sometimes things go wrong. However, when that happens, there is often another door waiting to open onto a new chapter. Fighters make changes all the time. Whether it be moving on to fight inside a different cage or altering their weight class, mixed martial artists are constantly working to find success in order to make the next page in the book a memorable one. This is the case for former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky. After parting ways with the organization where he spent two years, Makovsky has found himself in a situation that arguably has bigger and brighter things in store for him. In October, it was announced that Makovsky would fight for the flyweight title on Nov. 22 in the up-and-coming Resurrection Fighting Alliance promotion. Following a win over Claudio Ledesma inside the Cage Fury Fighting Championship cage to get back on track after back-to-back defeats, Makovsky views the move as an easy decision. Makovsky (R) (Keith Mills/Sherdog) “I was signed to CFFC and was supposed to fight for their flyweight title, but the champion ended up unfortunately blowing out his knee and needed surgery. I was under contract with CFFC, but they couldn’t find any opponents for me, so they released me,” Makovsky told The MMA Corner in an exclusive interview. “RFA is a great promotion, and I think it’s a good platform to get noticed and get that RFA title in the meantime.” RFA has served as a launching pad for many different fighters who are now on the big stage of the UFC, including fellow flyweights Tim Elliott and Sergio Pettis. This was one of the reasons Makovsky inked a deal with the RFA, a deal that is three fights long unless the UFC comes calling. If at any point the UFC does reach out to Makovsky, he has the freedom to opt out and fight for the biggest MMA organization in the world. “My ultimate goal now is to get to the UFC,” Makovsky stated. “I think they need to still build their 125[-pound] division a little bit, so I’m really hoping to try and get there.” “Fun Size” is now fighting at a weight class that better suits him. He was able to test himself at the weight against Ledesma, and the results were encouraging. “It was obviously harder than making 135, but it wasn’t too bad and [I] felt really good in the fight,” he said. “I think these are the guys who are actually my size. I’m fighting guys who walk around pretty much the same weight as I do now. When I was fighting at 135, the last three guys I fought walk around at 155 while I walk around at 145.” Squaring off with Makovsky with gold on the line from the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., will be Matt Manzanares, who holds a professional record of 6-1. An accomplished boxer who has had success at the state championship level and in the junior Olympics, Manzanares is coming off back-to-back impressive wins to earn himself a title shot. Makovsky (Keith Mills/Sherdog) “He’s a good fighter. His hands are pretty crisp and fluid, but he’s also submitted a couple guys, including Steve Swanson in his last fight,” Makovsky explained. “He’s definitely improving his overall game, but I think I’m overall a better mixed martial artist. I plan on controlling the fight wherever it goes. “Obviously, he feels his advantage will be standing. I think he’s probably going to be looking for my takedown and try to counter with an uppercut or knee. But I’m not just going to run in there and clinch him and wear him down immediately. I’m a mixed martial artist and confident in my overall game.” The hours of preparation are over. After being in a difficult situation before, Makovsky has a lot at stake on Friday. Not only can he add another title belt to his resume, but a win in front of fans on AXS TV will certainly draw interest from the UFC. “Fun Size” has aspirations of getting to the UFC sooner rather than later, but first his prediction against Manzanares will need to come true. “I think it’s going to be a tough fight, but overall I control the fight everywhere. I think mid to late stoppage in the third or fourth round.” Zach would like to thank Will Martinez and his team in Philadelphia at Martinez BJJ, the Drexel wrestling team, everybody at Marcelo Garcia’s Academy in New York, everybody at The Wat at Phil Nurse’s Academy, everybody at Greg Jackson’s and Tristar Gym, as well as his sponsors: Fear the Fighter, Gamma Labs and Revgear. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachFunSize Top Photo: Zach Makovsky (top) drops a right hand (Keith Mills/Sherdog)
