Daniel James discusses his upcoming Bellator 293 main event fight with Marcelo Golm: “I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but there’s no more losing”

Daniel James returns to the Bellator cage Friday night, taking on Marcelo Golm in the main event of Bellator 293 in Temecula, Calif.

James (14-6-1 MMA, 2-0 Bellator) made an emphatic return to the big show in Nov. 2022, rallying to defeat top-10 heavyweight Tyrell Fortune in his home city of Chicago, Ill.

While James takes it one fight at a time, his sights are set on much bigger goals before his Bellator career ends. This includes, of course, an opportunity at a heavyweight title shot.

“I understand Linton Vassell got the title shot after this, but with two sold-out shows, the company needs to know what they’ve got on their hands,” James said Wednesday during his pre-fight media availability. “Two sold-out shows. I’m the big man on campus right now. The band’s in town, we’re ready to play. I’m willing to wait, but not wait too long. The best decision is to let Daniel James fight in Chicago for the title.”

In an exclusive interview with BJPenn, James, who currently rides a four-fight win streak, said that he is focused on perfect execution against Golm (10-3 MMA, 2-0 Bellator).

“He has a shorter reach, so he puts himself in the range of a guy with a longer reach,” James told BJPenn. “I think he’s a guy that maybe likes to stand from what I see. I know he’s a Brazilian guy, so he probably has a little jiu-jitsu, but no grappling. So, I expect to go out there and basically just stand with [Golm], touch him up a little bit and see where it goes from there.”

James’s confidence is at an all-time high with what is before him. While he is not looking past Golm but recognizes what a victory could do in defining the rest of his combat sports journey.

“I’m not trying to sound arrogant, but there’s no more losing,” James said Wednesday. “If I execute and do what I’ve been taught, there’s no way I should lose in my career. I came back to the [U.S.] to fight for Bellator. There’s no more losing right now if I do what I have to do.”

Doing what has to be done was also paramount in James’ training regimen, as he has actively promoted Windy City Mushrooms across social media and is using it to improve his overall health and well-being, he said.

“The mushrooms actually help me provide a lot of different vitamins that I don’t get from regular foods,” James told BJPenn. “With the focus, the energy I put [in and] the health effects through it all, you know what I’m saying? My performance and me waking up in the morning, you know. Some people wake up with a groggy feeling and not feel like moving too much. Like, I just wake up, and bing-bing, I’m ready to go. “The mushrooms [have] a lot to do with that.”

Nonetheless, James will look to move one step closer to a shot at a world title and continuing his unlikely comeback story.

The main card airs on Showtime beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, with the prelims kicking off the evening at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Bellator’s YouTube channel.

Can Daniel James get the job done Friday night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn Nation!