"John Alessio is so well-rounded, we have to be prepared for everything. Whatever he decides to bring, I know he's going to bring his A-game. This should make for an interesting fight for the fans and it will be a wonderful challenge for me, being the warrior that I am, and it should be a great challenge for him also," stated mixed martial artist Gideon Ray as he talked about his upcoming October 11th clash with John Alessio at "Night of Combat II." Check out what he had to say about the fight and much more.
PC: How is everything going my man?
GR: Everything is going as planned man.
PC: How is training going for your October 11th fight against John Alessio?
GR: Training couldn't be going any better man. We're leaving no stones unturned. My mental focus is there and my physical training is worthy of a high-level fight like this one we have coming up.
PC: Where have you been training and with who?
GR: I've been training at Top Notch gym with Macario Ramos and Jerry Stewart. I've been training with Uflacker Jiu Jitsu and Christian Uflacker who is really good at Jiu Jitsu and that's just some of the people I've been training with.
PC: How did this opportunity come for you to fight on "Night of Combat 2"?
GR: Well, I tell you what man, I got one of the best managers in the world, Gary Klusty. He's always out there turning over rocks and flipping over tables to make sure that we get the best possible shows that we can showcase our skills in.
PC: This will be your 4th fight this year. How important is it for you at this stage of your career to stay busy like this?
GR: At this stage in my career, it's about living and it's about fun. It's about life and I like to fight, but I'll be honest with you, I'm not concernedÂ…I like staying busy, but that's not why I do it. I don't feel the pressure of needing to stay busy. If an opportunity comes up, hey, if I'm interested, I jump it, but if not, I won't and I'm just having a great time man and that's what it's all about.
PC: You've been in the game for a long time now. What keeps you motivated to fight and train at this point?
GR: Like you said, I've been in this game for a long, long time. I did Taekwondo competitively for 16 years; Olympic style, not the point stuff. And then I've been competing in MMA now for 11 years. Can you believe that? What keeps me motivated man is the philosophical aspect of martial arts. You know, when we were children man, we looked up to the fables, maybe not fables, but stories about the martial arts masters that traveled across the globe and they fought the toughest people in the area and stuff like that. I got a lot of things that keeps me motivated man. I have a beautiful wife that keeps me motivated and a lot of people around me that keeps me motivated. Nobody ever pushes me to do anything, but motivation is life and living life to its fullest.
PC: What do you think of John Alessio as a fighter?
GR: John Alessio deserves respect because he's been in the game for a long time and has fought a lot of tough competitors. It is a complete honor for me to be offered such a challenge.
PC: What type of fight are you expecting from Alessio?
GR: John Alessio is so well-rounded, we have to be prepared for everything. Whatever he decides to bring, I know he's going to bring his A-game. This should make for an interesting fight for the fans and it will be a wonderful challenge for me, being the warrior that I am, and it should be a great challenge for him also.
PC: What can fans expect from Gideon Ray on October 11th at the Thomas and Mack Center?
GR: They can expect the usual. Gideon is unpredictable most of the time. I won't say flashy, but I like to do some things that are unorthodox and unpredictable. It kind of goes as it happens and happens as it goes in my fights.
PC: Did you ever think MMA would reach this pinnacle?
GR: Honestly, no I didn't. Like everything that I have been interested in throughout my life, it started out underground. When we first got interested in martial arts, we were interested in it way before "Karate Kid" and all of that stuff. We were never bandwagon followers. It wasn't like because everybody's doing it, we need to get on it. Martial arts, in general, was underground. When I got involved in skateboarding, it was underground as well. When I first got interested in MMA, it was banned from television. They weren't showing fights on television or nothing like that and to see it come as far as it has, I didn't expect it, but thank God for it man. Now you know that the people that worked so hard to make this sport recognized and well-known, the work was not in vein.
PC: How did the news of Evan Tanner's death strike you Gideon?
GR: I had the opportunity to meet Evan Tanner man and I think it was UFC 51 and we fought on that same card. I tell you what man, he was a very nice guy, very humble and he was also one of those people where I really used to enjoy his fights. Win, lose or draw, that guy fought with his heart. He was kind of the embodiment of what he believed in at that time and I tell you what, anybody that has been a real fan or a competitive in the MMA business, I think the day that we got that news of that unfortunate incident of what happened to Evan Tanner, that put a damper on everybody's day. I was in the gym today and "Purple Haze" came on by Jimmy Hendrix and the first person I thought about was Evan Tanner because he came out to that song for his last couple of bouts. His death has affected me as I'm sure it has affected others. The only thing that we could do in respect of his memory and respect for the sport is to keep it a classy sport and just keep doing our best. If he left anything here for anybody to learn from is it's not whether you win or lose, but to just do your best. I've never seen him go into a fight and dog it. Whether it was in his favor or not, he went in there and tried his hardest and gave it his best and that's exactly what I intend on doing on October 11th!
PC: Good luck Gideon. You are always a class act. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
GR: I'd like to thank all of my trainer's man: Macario Ramos, Jerry Stewart, Christian Uflacker. God for giving me this opportunity and all of the brothers and sisters out there who support me and a special shout out to all of my fans and my family. My lovely wife that makes sure all of my nutrition and my mental focus is where it needs to be. If it's anybody I missed, I will catch them in the next interview because we could be here another hour.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]