Mike Richman fully expects Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra to try and take things to the ground. But maybe not at first.
“I think he will eventually when I start [expletive] punching him in the face,” Richman said with a laugh.
Richman doesn’t like to waste any time in the cage. He fights like his car is parked in a no-standing zone in Midtown Manhattan. Eight of Richman’s last 10 bouts have ended within the first round, including a TKO of Mitch Jackson last month at Bellator 88.
On Thursday night, he plans on taking a similar tact against Bezerra in the semifinals of Bellator’s season eight featherweight tournament in Temecula, Calif.
“I try to get in there and impose my will and get him out of there and go home,” Richman told The Post on Tuesday.
Richman admits he will take a slight step back from his incredibly aggressive style. The 27-year-old has been in this spot before – a featherweight semifinals – and lost by knockout to Shahbulat Shamhalaev in November. He doesn’t want the same thing to happen again, not just two wins away from a title shot.
“I just won’t be as aggressive – I won’t be overly aggressive, looking for a ridiculous highlight finish,” Richman said. “I think I’ll possess more patience.”
Bezerra, Richman admits, might be the favorite to win the tournament. But Richman is no slouch either. The Minnesota native is tough as nails with very good boxing and wrestling. He trains in his home state with UFC veterans Pat Barry, Jacob Volkmann and Nik Lentz. Volkmann and Lentz are two of the better grapplers in the world.
“Grappling and wrestling with guys like Volkmann and Lentz definitely elevates your wrestling game,” Richman said. “That brought my game up, gave me confidence.”
Richman is not like either of those guys, though. He wants to strike. He wants to knock people out. He’s not afraid to take a few punches to give one of his own.
That grittiness comes from his time in the United States Marine Corps, where Richman spent four years. He did three tours in Iraq and says being a Marine shaped his life.
“It def matured me, definitely hardened me, the training, just being a tough Marine,” Richman said.
He loves the Corps so much that he has adopted “The Marine” as his nickname. On Tuesday, he was driving with his girlfriend to Camp Pendleton in California where he was stationed for a time. That’s not too far from where his fight will be at the Pechanga Resort & Casino, where Richman has been a patron before.
“Hopefully there will be a bunch of Marines out there,” Richman said.”I have some friends coming to the fight and I’m still trying to get a hold of some others.”
Those in attendance will surely get a fast-paced bout. Just maybe not as helter skelter as some of Richman’s clashes in the past.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” he said. “I’ve been here once before. I’m not gonna let it slip again this time.”
mraimondi@nypost.com