Meet “your favorite fighter’s favorite fighter.”

In his first professional bout, Mike Kimbel (1-0) burst onto the national spotlight with a bang – well, technically with a slam. On the live-streamed preliminary portion of Bellator 194 in February, the Connecticut native knocked out Geoffrey Then in pure Rampage Jackson fashion.

Instantly, the finishing sequence went viral, and many fans marked the 20-year-old Kimbel as a fighter to watch moving forward. 

Even better, the fight itself was only a portion of the Mike Kimbel package that night. Bellator was so impressed by his performance, Chael Sonnen interviewed Kimbel on the mic after the fight – a rare move for the promotion’s prelims.

Taking advantage of his time in the spotlight, Kimbel seized the moment and made the most of the opportunity.

“I wouldn’t have gone pro if I wasn’t the baddest, most skilled, smart, articulate fighter in the game right now,” Kimbel told Sonnen.

Not expecting a post-fight interview, Kimbel says his speech was completely off the cuff, and he was surprised at the reception it received.

“I guess it worked in my favor,” Kimbel said in an interview with FloCombat. “I guess people like to hear what I say or watch what I do. I don’t know, I guess it’s just human nature. People like to watch interesting individuals.” 

So far, the now-21-year-old bantamweight is enjoying his tenure with the promotion. It’s living up to everything he had dreamed it would be. Attaining a Bellator MMA multi-fight contract has been in Kimbel’s plans for years. 

“[Bellator] is everything I knew it would be and it’s going to keep going,” Kimbel said. “As far as being a member [of Bellator]? Patricio Pitbull, Patricky Pitbull, Baby Slice – we’ve all been cool since before we were even professional.

“I like to say, 'I’m your favorite fighter’s favorite fighter.' Some of these people’s favorite fighters in the world aren’t that far away from me, because we’re DM-ing [direct messaging]. It’s cool, but as cool as that stuff is, none of that matters. It’s just me doing me, me bettering me, and me smoking somebody every time.”

Mere weeks after the fight, Bellator inked Kimbel to a multi-fight deal. Friday, Oct. 12, Kimbel returns to the cage for his sophomore promotional outing. Standing in his way will be fellow 1-0 bantamweight Alex Potts.

“I’m grateful to have good competition in front of me,” Kimbel said. “I look forward to showcasing my skills, but they’ve all got to go." 

According to Kimbel, a lackluster victory isn’t in the cards for Friday night. He plans to continue his streak of winning before the final horn blares. 

“This fight won’t go the distance,” Kimbel said. “It’s either going to be him or it’s going to be me. As a human being, if we’re going in there to fight each other—you want to get me out and I want to get you out. Why does it take 15 minutes to go get the job done? There are altercations outside the cage that take place in 30 seconds."

It’s Kimbel's second professional fight, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to put the rest of the 135-pound division on notice.

“The division is going to feel this one,” Kimbel said. “They’re going to hear it and they’re going to feel it… I’m going to go out there and do me—be me, be free in my mind, be free in my body, and get the job done. I don’t know how it’s going to get done, but the world, the division, and the people are going to know I’m here. I’ve never padded my record. I never took shortcuts.

“I’m not here to be fighting for no purpose with the regional guys. I’ve done that already. What’s the roster look like? What’s the rankings look like? I’m here for the belt and that’s it.”