Issue 193

November 2020

Since giving up the day job fitting auto glass, the Arizona bantamweight has gone from strength to strength in “the hurt business”.

You hit Miles Johns with a highlight reel flying knee to ground and pound finish at UFC 247. What are your recollections from that amazing moment and the fight in general?

In the second round I remember trying to look for that knee early on. I wasn’t getting the timing down. I was looking for my back knee, actually. I was hoping he would shoot in but he wasn’t wrestling as much as I thought he was going to. I had to switch it up to the scissor knee to cover some more distance. It ended up landing. It didn’t feel like it landed but I saw him go down I saw his eyes. I jumped on top of him and got him out of there.  

There was an interesting face-off and staredown before the fight. You weren’t having any of those shenanigans. Was that the most interesting stare down you’ve ever had leading up to a fight?

Oh, definitely. I have never had anybody do anything like that, or even say anything to me before a fight. It was interesting. It added a little spice to the fight, I guess. I was calm during the time it was happening. He was just emotional. I think something was going on in his head as far as the fight was concerned. That was his downfall.

After the finish you stepped back to the gate area. Can you put into words the emotions you were feeling at that moment? 

From the time we took that fight, from the time my coach said “What do you feel about fighting Miles Johns?” I said, “Let’s do it.” From that point on I trained so hard. The media was trying to build him up off of me and keep his perfect record. He was a former champion and it was a tough fight. For me to get a finish on him and for all of that work to come to fruition, I was so elated. I felt like my job was on the line. Sometimes if you lose two fights in a row, they let you go. I was so happy. I was so relieved, too.

The Performance Bonus earnings in your last two fights are, well, a bonus! That has to be nice, right?

That is the cherry on top. In my eyes, I know it’s for the fight performance, but in my eyes it’s for me to keep training so I can have more performances like that. I feel like they invest in those guys that perform like that to see more out of them.

You are now a full-time fighter as you quit your day job after the Cory Sandhagen fight. To truly be able to do what you want to do full-time and dedicate all your time to the fight game has to feel amazing, right?

Oh, yeah. I knew for me to be successful I had to be all in, especially at this level in the UFC. It has to be the only thing I do. I lost that fight, so I didn’t have too much money. I was only good for about six months. Even in that fight I felt a lot of pressure. They put me up against somebody that also lost. I felt like we were fighting for our jobs at that point, as well. To have a bonus off that fight was pretty amazing. It’s paying off being full-time at the gym.

What were some of the jobs that you’ve had over the years as you tried to make it as a full-time fighter?

Right out of high school I was in the auto glass trade. I was doing that for about seven years with a year break at one point. I was here in Phoenix doing auto glass out in the 115 degree weather every day and then going to practice afterwards. That was my prior job. It did take a lot out of me, so to be able to quit that job is very beneficial.

Many people have a second job but for that second job to be a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, I don’t think most people could fathom having the energy, the willpower and the dedication to put in everything it takes to be a fighter after working a job.

It got hard to do camps as I was working. Sometimes, you try to be confident but you realize man, instead of this job I could be doing those morning practices. I could be feeling better. I could be recovering. It’s great to be able to do this full-time now.

If we could step into the fantasy world for a second, who is your dream fight?

I would have to say Mighty Mouse. I like picking guys at my weight class. So, I would also say Urijah Faber. That would be one of the biggest fights we could make. Fighting either of those two guys would be awesome. 

What has been the most interesting moment of your time training at The MMA Lab? 

The one that sticks out to me is when Joe Riggs used to be there. I remember being at camp up in Flagstaff. It was at a house, we were like at an Airbnb. All of the fighters were in there. We were relaxing. Joe decides to pull out his gun and start cleaning it. The gun laws here are pretty crazy. You could just carry a gun anywhere. He pulled out a gun and I see Yaotzin Meza in the same room get up and walk out of the room. I said, I’m going with that guy because Joe Riggs is kind of crazy. I don’t know if you heard the story but a few months later he was cleaning his gun and ended up shooting through his hand and into his leg. He was in the hospital. It was a pretty big thing back then.   

Who or what inspired your fan-friendly, fight-finishing style?

The roots, the very, very beginning, stems from the fact that I have an older brother and we would always get into fights. Something in me always told me that I have to be the last one to land a strike. He can’t hit me last. I always had to win. I never did but I kept on trying. Throughout high school and getting in fights here and there, and watching fights, especially Pride fights, they were super aggressive. Especially guys like Wanderlei Silva. I feel like I have that mean streak to push forward and to hurt. We are in the hurt business. I have that ability to push forward and hurt someone. I want to win, but first and foremost I want to hurt people while I’m in there.