Interview questions

1) How did you get into the sport?
Started in the martial arts to get some inner peace and build
up some confidence...maybe learn something useful, too. I was
dead scared of sparring though.
Over the years, I found the game (sparring) to be really fun
and wanted to get into the most raw form of that competition-
MMA. There's just something in me that tells me to do it.
Can't really describe it, but it is there and it pushes me to
work harder to be a better fighter.

2) What's your favorite strike/submission to use in a fight?
I love my right front roundhouse. Gives me warm fuzzies when
I throw it.

3) Who is your biggest inspriration?
I would have to say Georges St Pierre. The man is a legend and
is very honest about things-his past, his frustrations and who
he is. Not many in the MMA world will admit to being bullied
as a kid or crying out of frustration when injuries pull them
off the card. That takes balls to do.

4) Which team are you training with in preparation for your
next bout?
Don't have an official team at the moment, just some carefully
selected training, sparring and conditioning buddies and a few
supporters pushing me on.


5) Do you like to stand with your opponents or take them to
the ground?
Stand. I'm a striker all the way at this point. Sprawl and
brawl!

6) What does it mean to be a fighter?
I think the Twisted Genetiks fight team said it best:
Some are born to build, to discover, to heal; and there are
those born to fight. They fight for themselves, their
families, their God. It is their nature, it is their genetics.
Those that cannot understand label it abnormal, deviant ...
twisted. It is our twisted genetics that compels us; it is
what separates us from them.

That is what it means to be a fighter.


7) What holes do you see in your next opponent's game?
Don't have an opponent anytime soon-just focusing on my own
training right now.

8) What separates you from other fighters in your division?
My drive, heart and how I combine some irregular styles into my game like Capoeira.

9) If you could have a dream fight with anyone, who would it
be?
Urijah Faber, GSP, TJ Dillashaw or Jon Fitch.

10) What do you want to be remembered for at the end of your
career?
I'll figure that out when I get there.

11) How do you balance your training and MMA life with your
home life?
It helps me keep a level head with my home life. However,
between that and working an 8-5, it does leave me with little
free time and that has impacted a bit of my social life.
Still, those worth my time work with me and we make time to
hang out.

12) How do you justify participating in a sport where you look
to deliberately hurt another person?
Every sport has a risk of injury, even Tai Chi. Yes, I said
Tai Chi-in one class I was in, someone dislocated a shoulder
doing parting the wild horse's mane incorrectly. The idea of
getting hurt isn't fun, but it is part of the sport and thus
worth it, much like getting a tattoo. Pain is part of the
process.
It isn't the same as just a street brawl, either...hate when
people compare the two. An MMA match is two highly-
conditioned athletes who are voluntarily fighting. There are
rules, safety measures and respect involved. The fight isn't
about hurting one's opponent per-se, it is about who has the
most skill and about respect.

13) What are your tattoos and what do they mean?
I have five currently:
-Greek for "under the shade" as in "we'll fight them under the shade" on my left pec as a symbol of my inner strength.
-Greek for "know thyself" on my left arm-a reminder to always and forever stay true to who I am and not what others want me to be. The two tats are in Greek because I'm half Greek.
-A Maori tattoo on my calf that has a ton of traditional symbolism in it representing where I've been in life up to this point. Very intensely personal tattoo and I don't really tell many people what it means.
-Black/green nautical star on my right pec-black and green are my muay thai colors and that star is a reminder it is okay to fly solo. Also, hoping to find my way in life.
-Rush from Megaman on my upper right arm. I am a huge nerd and always thought Rush was the most awesome character ever and one of my trainers started calling me Rush after I would rush through exercises I either had trouble with or didn't like. When I'd rush, my form would tank and he'd yell at me like a puppy, so it seemed appropriate.