Issue 076

June 2011

FO: You just fought and beat tough UFC veteran Rob Emerson via decision. What was the key to victory?

Justin: “You make up your gameplan before the fight, and during that whole camp I knew Rob was a tough guy. Whenever I come to a tough challenge I always picture it as being tough but I don’t let myself picture it as being a failure. It just can’t happen, it’s just not going to happen, it’s just not a choice. Going into that fight I told myself, ‘No matter what happens, wherever this fight goes, I’m going to find a way to win.’ That was my mentality for my whole camp. I knew it was going to be a tough fight but I knew I was going to walk out of there with my hand raised no matter what.”

You sustained an unusual injury in that fight didn’t you?

“The ring surface was really hot from the lights. It wasn’t going to sizzle your skin but it was hot enough to where I had a callous on my foot and it softened it up. As the fight wore on it just ended up tearing. The whole bottom of my foot was just hanging off by some skin. It messed up my stance a little bit and made me endure some pain. There are a lot worse injuries that can happen. It felt kind of like the canvas was gummy. After the skin tore off with the blood and everything it was definitely sticky and I was slipping and sliding on my own skin and everything. That was pretty painful. My foot is 100% now though.”

What’s it like training at a super-camp like the Gudge Training Center in Colorado?

“Pretty much it’s everything, because for me I thrive in a team atmosphere. Here at Grudge I know I’m getting a lot of good partners, I’m being pushed by some of the best coaches and they’re all trying to work together as a team to hone my skills. I’m not on my own, it’s a whole team. There are other guys coming up and guys who are already established so you have a lot of people to look up to. Without a team I think you’re at a big disadvantage.”

You started out as a stud high school then college wrestler. How hard was it to learn the striking game?

“It’s definitely a challenge, but for me it’s a fun process. Wrestling for all those years, you can never master it totally but I’ve been doing it for so long I’m really used to it, whereas with the striking game it’s a whole new ball game for me. It really motivates me because I see the improvements I’m making. For me it wasn’t that hard to learn because I was really interested in it and I enjoy it.”

What was your first fight like?

“My first fight was crazy. I took it on, I think, a week’s notice. I was working in the Trona mines back in Wyoming. I didn’t have a team around me, I was a college wrestling coach helping the junior college. I took the fight on just a week’s notice thinking, ‘I’m a tough wrestler, I can beat up everybody,’ and that’s the mentality I had as a wrestler – and still do. I just walked into in blindly, shook hands and used a lot of my wrestling and anger and aggression. Just impose my will in someway. I ended up losing the fight, but I was definitely putting a beating on the kid. I lost [by second-round armbar] because of a lack of experience and I didn’t know a thing about jiu-jitsu. I wasn’t a complete fighter, but it lit the spark. It was probably a blessing that I got beat in that fight because I didn’t have intentions of just fully becoming a fighter, but after I lost it motivated me. It was a pro fight too, so I’ve never had an amateur fight.”

Do you have a day job?

“I do personal training. I enjoy working with people, helping them. Not just fighters but everyday people wanting to get in shape.”

We hear you’re also an upstart DJ. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

“Music has been a huge part of my life ever since growing up. My dad wasn’t a star athlete or anything, he was a musician and that’s just something he passed down to me at a young age. I started playing drums in second grade. Before I became a professional fighter I actually played in a band, and for two years that’s how I paid rent. When I became more of a full-time fighter the music kind of took a backseat, which is OK because I really wasn’t looking to become a rock star. But I DJ still because I have a huge passion for music and it relaxes me. I still play guitar everyday. It’s just something that makes me happy and releases my mind from the fight game.”

Is the UFC the ultimate goal?

“I want to go with the UFC. I want to fight the best in the world and be at the pinnacle of the sport. I’m just looking to step up in every fight.”