Issue 179

June 2019

The man they call 'The Kraken' is waking up to the idea that he could be the next (very) big thing in the UFC.

You made your official UFC debut and stopped Chris De La Rocha in the third round. What was the overall experience like for you under the bright lights of the Octagon for the very first time?

Honestly, it was a very new experience for me, for my whole corner and everyone involved. I never had an adrenaline dump like that before. It was crazy for me in the second round. It felt like my body was moving in quicksand. I also had to factor in that I was fighting without my contacts. The first round went fine. Once I hit him I just didn’t stop. I got the takedown pretty quickly and it was easy work from there.

The second round I just couldn’t see much. I have astigmatism in both eyes. My depth perception is horrible. I had corrective surgery but my vision before that was 20/100. It got to the point where my vision was so bad from the sweat and the blood and everything that I had to wait until he hit me so I knew he was within hitting range and then I could hit him.

Once I got the takedown again it was over. We were going shot for shot until I got the takedown. What I took from that fight was that I can go to deep waters and even if I do have an adrenaline dump I will bounce back and get my second win.

It was a good showing for my first fight to get all of those fighting jitters out. It’s a whole new experience fighting for the UFC.

We always hear about the Octagon jitters. Some fighters feel that it’s real while others don’t seem to be affected. Can you describe what those feelings were like for you?

I wrestled at the Division 1 level. I wrestled in front of big crowds before. I always brought a big crowd when I fought locally. When you are fighting locally, the cage is a little bit smaller. It’s a packed arena but there isn’t nearly as many people. It’s not as big a spectacle, either.

All of the visual stuff that goes into it isn’t really there on the local shows. Even the material on the canvas is different. For the UFC Contender Series it’s canvas but for the other events it’s like a vinyl type of covering.

It’s just a different experience for all of your senses. We were doing our prefight walk around and it’s just different. It’s all just not what you are used to. I was the first fight on the card and the crowd got pretty loud. I wasn’t expecting that many people to be there for the first fight on the card. You walk out and see your own face on all the monitors. It was overwhelming.

Then Bruce Buffer is standing there. He’s the guy you watch on TV all the time. To finally hear him say your name, you realize it’s happening, you realize it’s the real thing. It’s go time. It was just 100% new for me. I definitely enjoyed it and relished it.

Shortly after that first UFC fight you had the corrective surgery. How much of a difference has it made for you?

As quickly as five days post-surgery I felt amazing. I could notice a huge difference. It’s like seeing in HD.

You recently had a moment of reflection, saying you had so many obstacles you overcame and challenges accepted but you realized there was a lot of work ahead of you. When did you realize that signing with the UFC was just the tip of the iceberg?

As soon as I got signed I knew there was a lot of work to do. I have the fewest fights of any heavyweight on the UFC roster. We are already playing a catch-up game in a sense. I have done a lot but there is still a lot to do.

There are a lot of holes in my game to work on. I’m always ready to get back in the gym. There will always be critics and criticisms. You see these critics and it reminds you that there is always more work to do.

Although you are new to the game, you bring a very unique skill set to the Octagon. Are you the next big thing, literally and figuratively?

That is very fair to say. There is a lot of pressure that comes and there is a standard of performance I have to uphold with a label like that. A lot of people are touting me as the next big thing. It’s really easy to get lost in that. I have to stay grounded and remember all of the work I have to do and all of the work that I have done. We have all sacrificed a lot to get to this point and in order to maintain this level it will require a lot more hard work.

With so many great things on the horizon and so many great things already accomplished, how do you stay grounded?

My strength and conditioning coach does a great job of keeping me grounded. Any time my head gets a little too big he is pretty good about finding an area to improve upon.

My girlfriend also pokes a lot of fun at my expense. The people around me do a really good job of keeping me grounded. Any time I am really feeling myself I go read some YouTube comments. That brings me back to reality.

You have two really good nicknames. You dubbed yourself “The Chosen Juan” and “The Kraken”. How did you get dubbed “The Kraken”?

In college my roommate and I drank pretty heavily after my last season of wrestling. We would go through a handle of Kraken rum a week. It’s one of my favorite rums. Everywhere I go I always get a Kraken and coke. One of my training partners, one of the guys that really got me into fighting, he was going over his nickname. He said that I should be the Kraken. He said because I drink Kraken rum and because I’m huge and he said sparring with me is like going with this huge, insurmountable force. So, it fit and it stuck from then on.

There has been a lot of talk of new weight classes within the organization. What are your thoughts on a superheavyweight division and going up even higher in fighting weight?

If they added a higher weight class or increased the heavyweight limit you will just get a better version of me. The less I would have to cut, the better. I feel like I am at my most athletic at 285. If the weight class was 285 I wouldn’t have to cut and it wouldn’t diminish my performance at all.

If they made a super heavyweight class, I would fight even more often. I would fight every month. I don’t take damage in any of my fights. After the last fight they said I could fight next week if I wanted to.

You can’t teach size and you have crazy genetics, so where do some of your natural physical gifts come from?

My dad’s side is probably where I got most of my physical gifts from. My dad is one of the smaller guys on his side of the family and he is 6’2” and 270lbs.

I have aunts that are 6’3” and 6’4”. My half-brother played basketball at TCU. My cousin was on scholarship at Florida State and played in the Canadian Football League and played on a few practice squads in the NFL.

My dad played pro baseball right out of high school. He got drafted and even played at the Triple A level. Then he used his last year of eligibility and got a football scholarship at a Division 1 school.

That is where a lot of the athletic ability comes from.

I knew at 14 years old that I wanted to be a pro athlete. I have been taking sports and training very seriously since then.