Jacob Fatu On MLW Title Defense against Calvin Tankman Being About More Than The belt

On today's episode of The Wrestling Inc. Daily, the current and longest-reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu was on the podcast and chatted with Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman ahead of MLW's Never Say Never show tomorrow night. MLW has seen many new talents join the company including current MLW Middleweight Champion Lio Rush. Fatu gave his thoughts on the new talents coming to MLW and if he worries about them coming for his title.

"Oh, absolutely, I mean we're talking about The Von Erichs to LA Park. It might even be people on CONTRA," Fatu admitted. "We don't shoot real because this game is a shady business and ain't no telling who's after it, but man, I'm seeing everybody who comes up. I'm not one of those cats that's just, okay, cool, I got the belt. I know that cat's coming, but I know I'm not going to work him.

"No, look what happened to Calvin Tankman. He came in, did his thing, didn't take him lightly, and now look, Wednesday, he got a title shot and it's about to go down. So, absolutely man, every time they bring in new talent, I'm always focused. I'm always ready. I'm always listening. I'm always watching. I'm trying to figure out who this cat is coming up.

"Perfect example is exactly what Calvin just did. Came in, did his thing. New talent, made a name and now he's up. I don't give a damn. I ain't turning down for nobody. Y'all want a shot, come get this. This is more than just a work. This is not a work. This s**t is real."

Fatu is set to defend his title against newcomer Calvin Tankman at tomorrow night at Never Say Never. Tankman is on a dominant undefeated run in MLW taking on many different challengers leading up to this superheavyweight bout. Hausman asked Fatu what fans can expect from this big match.

"I think fans can expect exactly what Calvin Tankman says every interview and every promo; He's fighting for his family. He has a kid, and I have children as well," Fatu stated. "This isn't another match where it's okay, let's promote it. Let's set it up. No, this is real. This is Calvin's breakout year.

"For him to come in and do the amazing things that he has done, it kind of makes me feel some type of way because it's like, 'na, I'm the big man who moves around when it comes to MLW.' So I think they can expect a lot of hard hitting, a lot of dedication and a lot of emotion in this match because like I said, it's more than just us. It's more than just the belt. It's our family's man. This is what we love to do. This is what we do. This is how we feed our families.

"I mean, man, we lived this. It's going to be big. It's going to be good, and Injustice, he's rocking with them. You never know man, we might just turn it into CONTRA – Injustice and Calvin Tankman, but this one's definitely going to be one for the books, and honestly, I'm very very excited. And I hope everybody else is excited as well."

Hausman noted that in the build up to the match, Fatu took a massive pounce from Tankman.

"Honestly, I've never been handled like that before in my life," Fatu admitted. "He's a real strong dude. You see him, and he kind of makes me look small, but like I said, it's more than that. He's really for shoot strong."

You can find Fatu every Wednesday night as part of MLW Fusion. For more information on how to watch please visit www.MLW.com! You can find the full audio and video for Fatu's interview below. Calvin Tankman will be our guest tomorrow on The Wrestling Inc. Daily.