HEXAGONE MMA: Dean Garnett targets future title shot as he makes long-awaited octagon return
British MMA veteran Dean Garnett is setting his sights on championship gold as he prepares to make his long-awaited return to the octagon.
The Liverpool-born fighter will square off with Miguel Haro in his first competitive outing in almost five years.
The two men will clash at HEXAGONE MMA 6 in Paris on January 22.
Garnett's last bout took place in May 2018 which saw him pick up an impressive victory over former Cage Warriors champion Dominique Wooding.
However, through a combination of injuries, Covid-19 and coaching commitments, the 34-year-old has not fought since.
Despite his lengthy hiatus, Garnett is still confident of claiming a championship belt for the first time in his career.
When asked what he would still like to achieve before the end of his career, Garnett told
Planet Sport: "Definitely winning a title. Getting the HEXAGONE belt is right in front of me now. That's the goal now. Obviously, I'm not looking past Miguel Haro, I need to beat him first."
He added: "I've not fought for a title. I was 2-0 in Cage Warriors and I was due to fight for their belt in my next bout and then they disappeared for a while, they went under for a little bit.
"I fought Magomed Magomedov in a title eliminator on ACB. If I would've beaten him, I would've fought Petr Yan. I've been close to fighting for some belts before.
"Now I think the third time, this fight is going to push me on and I'm going to become the HEXAGONE featherweight champion."
The fight with Haro will be a 64kg catchweight bout - a weight which Garnett is more than happy with.
"If there was a weight class that I could create, that would be it," he said. "I'm fortunate to be fighting at that weight. Obviously, the cut to bantamweight is quite big for me. I feel really comfortable with 64kg, it's ideal for me.
"But obviously, a title fight after this fight would need me to make a division - either bantamweight or featherweight. At the moment, I'm probably leaning towards featherweight because I'm 34.
"At this point in my career I've got experience on my side and I think it's probably not worth the effect on my performance. I think I will perform better at a heavier weight, 64kg or 66kg."
Garnett and Haro will square off on January 22 at the historic Zenith arena in Paris. Fans will be able to watch the event live on DAZN.