Darrion Caldwell just doesn't want to beat his opponents, he wants to destroy them. He wants to beat them so bad that they're never the same.
"My job is to beat these guys senseless," Caldwell told ESPN.com. "I want them to feel just like a wolf versus a sheep. That's what these guys are -- they're in my way."
That's exactly what "The Wolf" has done through six fights with Bellator. Six opponents, six wins. Four first-round submissions. To date, none of the six fought for the promotion again after losing to Caldwell. If you're looking to jump on the bandwagon of an up-and-coming fighter, there's still room before the train leaves the station. Although unranked in ESPN.com's bantamweight top 10, Caldwell is cool with his current status.
"I'm still pretty new to this sport. I don't have double-digit fights under my belt yet," said Caldwell. "People will realize eventually that I'm the best in the world. They're going to have no choice but to put me in the top 10."
Caldwell (9-0), who had his first pro bout less than four years ago, looks for his 10th career victory when he takes on Joe Taimanglo in the main event of Friday's Bellator 159 card from Mulvane, Kansas (Spike TV/ESPN Deportes, 9 p.m. ET). Taimanglo (22-6-1), nicknamed "The Juggernaut," sports a 5-2 record with the promotion and half of his wins have come by submission.
Caldwell staked claim to contender status after dismantling former two-division champion Joe Warren in March. It was a battle of top-tier wrestlers, but with different styles. Caldwell, the 2009 NCAA champion at 149 pounds from NC State, dominated the 2006 Greco-Roman gold medalist at the FILA World Wrestling Championships, complete with Warren being thrown around like he a ragdoll and dropped on his head. Caldwell, 28, described his performance as fighting "the perfect fight."
Guam's Taimanglo is a step down in terms of notoriety but the prize for winning moves Caldwell along to his overall goal. He embraces being able to stay active against someone he describes as a "pit bull in the cage." Entering his second consecutive main event, Caldwell is embracing the opportunity to grow his public profile, even if he believes the fight won't last long.
"I know he's either going to tap or be asleep before the first round is over," said Caldwell. "Whenever Bellator is ready for the real champion to take the throne then I'm more than happy to take over."
Caldwell stresses that he isn't looking past Taimanglo but he does have a vision for where his career is headed. A win would solidify a future title shot against Eduardo Dantas (18-4), who regained the Bellator crown by defeating Marcos Galvao (17-7-1) via unanimous decision last month. Despite the one-sided victory for Dantas, Caldwell wasn't impressed with the performance and believes he sees a flaw in the Brazilian's makeup, which will show if the two eventually meet.
"He's so much better than Galvao. You've got to be able to go in there and finish that guy," said Caldwell. "I think that non-killer instinct that Dantas showed he has is going to be the difference between me and him. He just showed that he doesn't have the killer instinct, he's not a killer."
Caldwell must first get through Friday's opponent before a fight with Dantas can become real. But Caldwell is already suggesting "Dudu" hand over the title now.
"I think Dantas knows his time is coming to an end," Caldwell said. "Dantas' best bet is to hand the strap over and get out of the division -- figure out something else to do."
"The Wolf" also has his sights set beyond the bantamweight division. Having previously fought at featherweight, he expressed interest in jumping back up to 145 pounds when Bellator says "we have no one else for you" at 135. He claims there is no difference between the fighters in the two divisions, just different names.
All of this for a fighter who two fights ago was best known for a celebration gone wrong. After choking out Shawn Bunch at Bellator 143, Caldwell did a backflip off the top of the cage and inadvertently landed on a camerawoman. Now, one bout away from a title shot, the plan appears to working.