"The reason I felt a little flat against Tibau is because I had to get the cobwebs out. With Kenny, it's going to be bell to bell. You can expect
don't go to the bathroom for this fight because you might miss whatever happens in this fight
I'm going to bring it," stated UFC lightweight contender Joe Stevenson as he talked about his upcoming clash with Kenny Florian. Check out what else he had to say about the fight, what he learned from his loss to BJ Penn and much more.
PC: How is preparation going for your fight against Kenny Florian?
JS: It's going good. I'm training my butt off as always. I'm not doing anything different for this fight. I'm doing everything that I always do.
PC: Both of you guys were on The Ultimate Fighter and have improved leaps and bounds since then. What do you feel like will be the difference in this fight?
JS: Obviously our stature is different. He's tall and lanky and I'm short and stocky. I think we are both well-rounded, but I think the difference will be raw strength. I know a lot of other things play a part in these fights, but I think it will come down to strength.
PC: This is going to be your second fight since the BJ Penn fight. Is that fight behind you now or do you still think about it?
JS: I still think about it. I have to. It's what keep me motivated and makes me train harder. If we don't remember our past, we can't go forward. I have a Hawaiian wife man. She brings it up every time we argue.
PC: Florian seemed to evolve after he fought Sean Sherk, who was considered the best at the time. BJ is the man in the lightweight division. How will you learn from that fight and translate it into your game now?
JS: I know I won't fight anyone that physically and naturally gifted again. BJ can do things most fighters can't and I learned a tremendous amount in that fight. It's made me a stronger fighter.
PC: You have become the king of the guillotine choke. Is that something you work on or are these guy's necks just there?
JS: They're just giving me their neck dude. I work on it, but I never try to finish guys with guillotines in training. I put them in guillotines so they can't punch me in the face and I'm locking it in tight enough to make guys tap.
PC: I know it's difficult to run a gym and compete. How are you doing with that?
JS: It's not bad because I have a lot of guys that give me a hand. My coach, Irvin Bounds, is a huge help. All I really have to do is teach classes. I also have the final say in everything.
PC: How is the gym coming along?
JS: It's like a 9,000 sq. ft. facility. It's bigger than most people's gym. When they were making the gym, my partner, Ernie, and Irvin were talking about making a gym that would look good without me. It's kind of weird because I'm used to like hole in the wall gyms because that's how we're bred; that's where tough guys are from. This is a little bit different because it's nicer. There is still a little spit on the wall and a little blood on the ring floor, but other than that, it's awesome. If anyone wants to check it out, they could go to www.cagechamp.com. They have photos of the gym and that's the gym's website.
PC: What can we expect from Joe Daddy in this fight? You looked real timid against Tibau. What can we expect?
JS: The reason I felt a little flat against Tibau is because I had to get the cobwebs out. With Kenny, it's going to be bell to bell. You can expect
don't go to the bathroom for this fight because you might miss whatever happens in this fight.
PC: Where do you see this fight taking place?
JS: I think he will want to try and keep this fight on the feet. I don't mind it being on our feet. If it goes to the ground, I think I have the advantage, but I'm looking to push the pace at every turn. There is not going to be a second where he gets to relax and try to pull off one of his fancy moves or something. If he kicks me, I'm going to right hand him. It's boxing to me with a lot of angles, conditioning and muscle memory. I'm prepared!
PC: This is definitely a stacked division and a win over Florian could get you right back in the mix. How important is this fight to set you up for a possible fight with Sherk?
JS: I think it's as important as anything. There really isn't any other avenue for me to go. I'm not in this fight to make money. I'm not fighting for money and I'm not fighting to be able to cut in line at the clubs; although that is fun however and really cool. I'm fighting to be a champion. I want that belt; there is no other reason. I've fought for free and I'll probably fight for free before I die again, but I'm going to bring it.
PC: As always, I look forward to your fight. I think both of you guys are great. Good luck my man. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
JS: I want to thank my coach, Irvin Bounds, everyone at Kobra Kai and the fans can go to www.cagechamp.com to check the gym out. I have to thank everyone that's making this happen, Robert Drysdale, my new Jiu Jitsu coach; he's awesome. I want to thank all of my sponsors: Warrior Wear, MMA Warehouse and Sprawl!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]