Issue 190
May 2020
The Californian flyweight on his long road to the UFC and steering clear of the cheese factory
You picked up a Performance of the Night bonus with your win at UFC Raleigh. You showed a vicious ground game and put on an all-round great performance against Jordan Espinosa. What are your memories from the fight?
I was trying to go for an arm triangle. I was listening to my corner. They told me not to burn my arms out. I let go and started elbowing his legs and his body. I was trying to get some work in. I started hearing him breathe weird. I know that kind of breathing. It was one of those things, you have to go for it. Worst case scenario is that if I go for it and don’t get it I’m still on top. I’m not losing position. I squeezed for about ten or fifteen seconds and I felt him go out. I’m just thankful. I’m thankful that I get to do what I love. I was sidelined with an injury for about 10 months. It sucked. This is what I live for. This is how I make my money. It couldn’t have gone any better. I had no injuries at all. It was great.
When did you get word that you'd landed the bonus? How great was that feeling?
Oh, man. It was amazing. I didn’t fight for 10 months then all of a sudden I got my show and win money plus a bonus. There couldn’t be a better feeling. It was life-changing money. I remember when I was fighting for 300 bucks. Three hundred goes into 50,000 how many times? I am grateful. I know people who have fought in the UFC for a long time who never got a bonus. I am just super thankful to get it.
You took the long road to get to the highest level of MMA. What was that long road like to navigate?
It was crazy. When I got into the UFC I was 17-4. When I first started fighting my goal was to make it to the UFC. I didn’t want to be in Bellator, no disrespect to them. I wanted to be in the top organization. I want to be the top guy in the top organization.
I took a lot of fights. I was fighting once every other month. I was tired of living on people’s couches. I was tired of staying at Team Oyama’s gym. I gave myself a timeline. I gave myself until I was 26. Right about that time, I got the call for the Contenders Series. I went out there and gave it everything I got. My mindset was either I’m going to get knocked out or this guy is getting knocked out. It worked out for me. I got the contract.
A few months after that I would have probably retired. I wasn’t giving up on myself but how long can you chase this dream and live off small paychecks? I wanted to start a family. I wanted to buy a home. A lot of credit goes to Coach Oyama, Jeremy Luchau and Jason House. They kept me in the game and kept me focused. Coach Oyama had me move down here. He trusted me. He felt like I could make it. Thank God it worked out.
Do you ever let your mind go to the place where you plan on what your future held for employment if MMA didn’t work out?
I have never been a great student. I went to Junior College basically just to wrestle because I knew I was going to fight eventually. I knew I was going to be some type of laborer. There is a cheese factory in my hometown. It’s a great job. People get paid well there… but it’s a cheese factory. I was going to do some type of work like that. There’s nothing wrong with that, they get great money and great benefits. It’s not a knock. It’s just one of those things where if I didn’t go to school and didn’t make it fighting that is where I would have ended up.
You are a student of the game. You enjoy breaking down film and really digging into the nuts and bolts of it. That being said, whose film are you most impressed with and who are you enjoying watching right now?
Right now I love going back and watching all the classics. Jose Aldo is one of my all-time favorite guys to watch. Frankie Edgar is right up there, too. Those are the two main guys. I have watched them fight for a long time. I also like Anderson Silva. He is an all-time fan favorite. He was the man. I love watching his fights.
...
