Fighters Only

Issue 116

July 2014

The Team Alpha Male lightweight is passionate about East Coast hip-hop and Nike Jordans.

FLICKS

What is your favorite genre of movies?

“I like gangster movies. Goodfellas is probably one of my all-time favorite movies. I also like The Godfather; the list goes on and on. Even if you asked me what my favorite romance is I’d probably say A Bronx Tale. I guess from a young age I was fascinated with organized crime for some reason.”

What was the last movie you watched and what did you think of it?

“I watched The Wolf of Wall Street and I loved it! It’s long, about three hours, but it’s definitely worth checking out.”

What was the last movie you cried while watching?

“That would have been Forrest Gump. I don’t know how old I was, I think it came out in 1994 or 1995, so I would have been maybe 14 at the time. When Forrest is talking to Jennie’s grave, that moved me and I got a little choked up.”

If you could punch one actor in the face who would it be and why?

“One of my buddies asked me that question about sports figures and I said Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs basketball player) for some reason. He’s really dorky and he bugs me. I’m a (Phoenix) Suns fan and they are in the same conference and I just don’t like him for some reason.”

TV

Is there a TV series you are watching right now?

“I’ve just finished a whole series of Dexter and I loved it. I like how he was a bad guy but he killed bad guys. He enforced that street justice. Some of these people would get off on hurting, killing and raping people, and Dexter would take justice into his own hands and end up killing them. It was pretty cool.”

If you could be a character in any TV show, past or present, who would it be?

“I’d want to be the wrestler AC Slater (played by Mario Lopez) on Saved by the Bell. It just takes me back to my childhood. He was a wrestler and got all the hot chicks.”

What are your favorite sports to watch on TV?

“I watch a lot of basketball. I’m a big basketball fan. As far as football and baseball are concerned I’m a San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants fan, but when it comes to basketball, for some reason, I’m a Phoenix Suns fan.”

CARS

What was the first car you owned?

“That was a 1988 Bronco II, the small two-door version and not the larger one like OJ Simpson used to drive.”

What car do you own now and why?

“I just got rid of a Chrysler 300 on 24s. I had to get rid of it because I was getting a ton of flat tires. You basically have rubber on those rims and so it was flat tires all the time. It wasn’t very convenient. I’m driving a Civic now. I’m in the market, believe it or not, for a Prius. It’s more of a business decision for me. It’s a tax write-off and I do a lot of driving. It will really help on gas. I’m also looking to get a 1970 or ‘72 Chevrolet Chevelle.”

What’s your dream car?

“I recently rode in a Tesla and those things are bad-ass. But I’d really like something classy and sporty, maybe a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or AMG.”

STYLE

How would you describe your style?

“I’m a sneaker-head first and foremost. I probably have over 100 pairs of sneakers. On top of that I’d say urban stuff. Plus, Clipse are one of my favorite groups so I wear a lot of Play Cloths, their clothing brand. But I’m in my 30s now so I have to balance it out with a mixture of Play Cloths and stuff from the J.Crew catalog. The pants have gotten a lot smaller. I’ve had to adjust to that. I used to wear the baggy pants but now that’s out and I’m wearing tighter fitting clothing. I wear Diesel Jeans and it’s kind of hard to get a pair of baggy jeans now.”

Is there a particular brand of training shoe you’re addicted to?

“I rarely step outside the Nike box. The trainers I buy now are the ones I wasn’t able to get as a kid. I came from a single-parent home. Most of the shoes are Jordans. I’m a huge Jordan fan. I can’t even tell you how many pairs of Jordans I have. I’m a big fan of LeBron so I have a few pairs of LeBrons. If I step outside the Nike box I will pick up a pair of Shaqs. I recently bought a pair of Reebok pumps. One of my other favorite pairs of shoes are the Nike Air Max 95s. I probably have 15 pairs of 95s and about 10 pairs of Air Max 97s. That era is my favorite.”

MUSIC

What’s your favorite genre of music?

“I listen to mid to late-1990s hip-hop; that’s my favorite. Wu-Tang Clan was one of the big groups for me growing up. And I was also a huge fan of A Tribe Called Quest. That’s to name just a few. As far as MCs are concerned, Raekwon was probably my favorite, although I could name so many more.”

Do you like any of the current hip-hop artists and rappers?

“It’s pretty tough to find many new artists I like today. Rap has changed so much over the years. I was more of an East Coast hip-hop fan than anything else. I loved Biggie and rappers like that. The West Coast stuff was a lot of gangster rap and it wasn’t really my thing. I really liked Gang Starr. Man, I could keep naming guys for days. But if I was going to pick my favorite current MC I’d have to go with Action Bronson. He has that same flavor. He sounds a little bit like Raekwon and Ghostface, in fact, kind of like Ghostface and Raekwon mixed together. He raps about stuff I like to hear. As far as the mainstream stuff’s concerned I sometimes listen to Rick Ross and Young Jeezy.”