Eryk Anders weighs in on FURY Professional Grappling debut: 'Jiu-jitsu is what I started with'

A fixture on the UFC roster for the past five years, Eryk Anders has generally been perceived as more of a power puncher than a dangerous submission artist, but "Ya Boi" has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Ahead of his debut for FURY Professional Grappling, Anders said he's always had a real passion for the grappling arts.

"This is like my first grappling match like this, but I'm a purple belt world champ in the gi in jiu-jitsu," Anders said. "Jiu-jitsu is what I started with. I love jiu-jitsu. I like to wrestle, too, and I think now that the money's starting to catch up in the grappling world, it makes it more enticing to do these kind of matches."

Anders faces fellow UFC middleweight Andre Petroski in the co-main event of Saturday's FURY Professional Grappling 5, which streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS from Philadelphia's 2300 Arena as part of a two-night weekend at the venue for CFFC.

Anders said he's excited to lock up with another MMA veteran in a pure grappling situation.

"I just think that fighters grapple differently, in general," Anders said. "I feel Like they're typically more aggressive, more hungry for the finish, if you will, so stylistically, I think it's just different. Nobody wants to lay there on their back. I think the pace will be higher. Andre's a great wrestler, so it's pretty cool to face him."

Anders is three months removed from his last UFC appearance, a split-decision loss to Junyong Park, but the 35-year-old veteran said he's been training the entire time.

"I wasn't injured or anything after that fight – you know, maybe just my ego a little bit," Anders said. "I usually take about a week to let the body recover because it's not just like a physical thing. It's a mental break, as well. So, yeah, I took about a week but then went right back to training."

Anders said his usual routine includes plenty of grappling training, so he hasn't had to change much in the lead-up to Saturday's event. Instead, he's just focused on making sure his cardio is where it needs to be for a 10-minute match.

"I just upped the intensity of my training," Anders said. "My cardio has got to be on point. I have to be able to sustain high-level output for the full 10 minutes, which might not seem like that long, but it's an eternity in a wrestling match."

Anders' next UFC booking will be against Petroski's teammate, Kyle Daukaus, in December, so his training camp will commence shortly after his FURY Professional Grappling debut. Anders sees the appearance as a chance to get some key reps in before facing another grappling standout in the UFC's famed octagon. It's also an opportunity to put on a show for fans between MMA fights, going back to his first combat sports love.

"I just think it's going to be a good match," Anders said. "We're doing it at 205 pounds, so nobody's really cutting weight. We should both be able to maintain that high pace, so I think it's going to be a great show."