CR Exclusive Interview with Erik Perez

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

The 22-year-old Jackson’s MMA fighter, Erik “El Goyito Perez”, just turned himself from prospect to contender. At UFC 150, Perez posted the fastest KO at 135 in either the WEC or the UFC with a 17 second knockout over Ken Stone.

Surprisingly, Perez was a small underdog heading into this fight, but an underdog nonetheless. “I’ve been the underdog before, [the underdog status] didn’t affect me”, Perez said, “I was already motivated [heading into the fight]”.

Although he looked very motivated for the quick finish, he didn’t expect it, “Yes, I wasn’t expecting [the quick finish]’, said Perez, “I just want to fight great and have a war if I have to. I’m always prepared for 3 rounds”.

Perez talks about his life since his two quick finishes under the UFC banner, “It hasn’t changed too much, but the experience has been great. I’m not sure [what I’m going to accomplish by the time I’m 30], I’m living the life right now and living the dream”.

Now that he boasts a 2-0 record in the UFC by two 1^st round finishes, Erik Perez is taking it easy and letting the UFC decide his next fight, “Everyone is good at 135 so whomever the UFC says is fine with me. I’m fine fighting with whoever.”

Before the interview was over, Erik Perez explained how he got his nickname: “El Goyito”, “Gregorio is my middle name and ‘Goyo’ is short for Gregorio. When I started fighting professionally I was very young, only 16-years-old, so everyone started calling me “Goyito” for little Gregorio. “

Thanks again to Erik Perez and make sure you guys go follow him on Twitter @Goyito_Perez. Keep him on that list of future title contenders.

UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II Prelim Recap

Nik Lentz celebrating his victory over Eiji Mitsuoka. 

This was a solid night of fights that was sadly capped off with controversy. Every fight but two were entertaining and the prelims only had one fight go to a decision. This entire card was stacked from top to bottom with lower weight class fighters, something that has been slowly taking over the UFC with their entertaining fights and incredible speed. Let’s take a look at those fights and give some possible matchups.

Nik Lentz vs. Eiji Mitsuoka: Outclassed is the best word to describe Mitsuoka’s performance Saturday night. Lentz was clearly the stronger fighter and had the advantage everywhere that the fight went. He hurt Eiji with a beautifully placed knee on the chin that dropped him. Lentz got his back from there and slammed him, only to finish Mitsuoka off with strikes shortly thereafter. With that now making Mitsuoka 0-2 in the UFC with two TKO stoppages, he will most likely be cut.

Possible matchups for Lentz: Nik Lentz looked like he was on a whole other level to that of Mitsuoka. He rocked him, out grappled him, and finished him with strikes. He has the strength and wrestling ability to become an elite featherweight and the fighter to kick-start just that would be Matt Grice, who is coming off a dominating victory over Leonard Garcia. They are similar fighters and I believe Nik Lentz would take that fight.

Dustin Pague vs. Chico Camus: This was Dustin Pague’s third fight in three months, and it showed. Although he won the first round on two of the judges’ scorecards, he ultimately ended up losing the unanimous decision to the newcomer out of Roufusport.  Chico showed off a solid top game, especially for someone who is mainly known for his striking game. That’s now two in a row for Pague and 1-3 overall in the UFC. I would be surprised to see him back in action under the UFC banner.

Possible matchups for Camus: After his impressive performance, Camus clearly has a bright future. He fights with some of the best in the world: Ben Askren, Anthony Pettis, and Erik Koch, meaning that he might have what it takes to eventually be on the same level. If he wants to make it to that level, Vaughan Lee is still waiting for an opponent after his loss to TJ Dillashaw.

Ken Stone vs. Erik Perez: I was telling my dad as this fight started that Stone has one of the worst chins at 135. Right after I was done telling him about the brutal Jorgenson loss, he was dropped and finished. It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I really believe he should be cut and here is why: his only legitimate win was over Donny Walker (who isn’t exactly the greatest), three losses via 1^st round KO, not just TKO, but KO. And lastly, his last win was a slightly controversial decision over Dustin Pague who took the fight on one weeks notice, and only two weeks after his previous win. That, in my opinion, deserves a pink slip.

Possible matchups for Perez: Perez is the next big thing at 135. At only 22 years old, he has so much time to grow and he is already 2-0 in the UFC with two 1^st round stoppages, one by submission, and one by KO. Along with the fact that he trains out of Jackson’s and Winklejohn’s, he has what it takes to become an elite bantamweight. Edwin Figueroa and Perez are both looking for a step up in competition and that fight would be fireworks.

Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper: I have to admit that I thought Hamman would rather easily dispose of the 23 year old Kuiper. But the Holland native really impressed me with his striking. Hamman was winning the first half of the opening stanza but Kuiper quickly turned that around with some nasty leg kicks that tore one of Hamman’s leg muscles. Kuiper would end up finishing Hamman with strikes in the 2nd round.

Possible matchups for Kuiper: At only 23 years old, Kuiper has a lot of time to round out his striking game, for it isn’t very technical. Chris Camozzi was originally supposed to fight on this card against Buddy Roberts but was then injured. Camozzi is visibly improving after each fight and I’m sure he’s itching to get back in there. A fight between these two would have the potential of being a barnburner.

Possible matchups for Hamman: Jared Hamman is one of the toughest guys in the UFC. He guts out big injuries and when he’s horribly rocked, he pushes forward. Rafael Natal and him are both coming off 2^nd round KO losses and are looking for rebound fights.

Dennis Bermudez vs. Tommy Hayden: Bermudez could be one of the first TUF runner-ups in a long time to actually be able to do something in the UFC. Although his chin is still suspect; which was shown with the knee that Hayden landed and almost KO’d Bermudez with. Bermudez still recovered and defended the rear naked choke that Hayden almost had. Dennis came back and submitted Tommy Hayden with a standing guillotine with seconds to spare in the first round. That Makes “Wild Card” 0-2 in the UFC with two 1^st round submissions, leading to the dreaded pink slip.

Possible matchups for Bermudez: Bermudez is one of the strongest guys at 145 in the UFC. He can outwrestle a lot of the guys at featherweight, almost purely based on strength. Sam Sicilia is fighting the winner of TUF: Brazil, Rony Jason. Bermudez should fight the winner of that fight if he wants to prove himself.

Click here for the main card recap!

UFC on FX 4 Prelim Recap

                                                                                   Photo by Joe Camporeale, US PRESSWIRE

Dustin Pague vs. Ken Stone: This fight was not the most exciting but Ken Stone won by split decision over Pague who took this fight on one week notice. Ken Stone really does not gain much from this fight due to that fact and Pague barely loses any steam in the UFC brass’ eyes because he took it on extremely short notice.

Possible matchups: I can see Ken Stone facing off against Nick Denis because Stone is moving up and Denis just came down the rankings. Pague should face Jeff Hougland. That fight will determine who is UFC caliber and who needs to go.

Ricardo Funch vs. Dan Miller: This fight could have been voted Fight of the Night. It was back and forth both standing and on the ground. Every round was close and then Dan Miller pulled of a guillotine choke out of nowhere.

Possible matchups: Funch simply is not UFC quality but if he was to stay around I would say a fight with Jake Hecht in a loser gets cut match would be acceptable. Miller would have a good fight with either Brock Jardine or James Head. Both of those matchups interest me.

Matt Brown vs. Luis Ramos: This was a fun fight as well. All Matt Brown fights are fun! Matt Brown is not the best fighter in the world but can beat almost anyone at 170 when he is on. In this fight we saw Matt Brown’s endless assault finally take out Ramos in round two after a flurry of uppercuts and knees that left Ramos a bloody mess.

Possible matchups: Ramos needs to get cut and get some wins outside the UFC. Brown should fight either Rich Attonito or John Maguire. Both of those matchups would be very competitive and help us understand where Attonito and Maguire stand in the rankings.

Chris Camozzi vs. Nick Catone: This fight was okay. It was back and forth but ended with the always unsatisfying stoppage due to a cut. Chris Camozzi caused the stoppage with a brutal knee in round 3. It really sucked for Catone because he was fighting in his hometown.

Possible matchups: Camozzi keeps on winning somehow despite the fact that his skills lack technique and polish. But Camozzi has won two straight and is 4-2 in the UFC and that’s pretty dang good. I can see him facing off against Clifford Starks who is a very tough guy. Or maybe Brad Taveres who is another fighter who is not very technical but is 3-1 in the UFC.

Joey Gambino vs. Steven Siler: Going into this fight Gambino was very highly touted even though it was his Octagon debut. I know he trains at Tri-Star but I did not believe his hype. I do like Siler a lot and knew he was the real deal. Both Sam (the other writer here at CR) and I knew Siler would dominate. A lot of people disagreed with us but in the end we were right. Everyone wants to put down Siler. Before his fight with Cole Miller everyone counted him out and once he won everyone was like “Cole Miller sucks anyway, that win doesn’t mean anything”. So, ridiculous. But anyway, Siler absolutely killed this poor kid and it was a brutal, bloody display.

Possible matchups: It is time for Siler to get a contender. I think Siler should fight Jonathan Brookins. That fight would be fast and sick! Plus it would catapult one of them into title contention. For Gambino, he needs to face someone a little less seasoned. Someone like Pat Schilling. That would be a good loser goes home match. However, Gambino could always make his way back to the UFC and make a name for himself but he looked bad in this fight.

Rick Story vs. Brock Jardine: Pretty boring fight with the ultra-seasoned Rick Story taking on UFC newbie Brock Jardine. First off Brock Jardine is a crazy MMA name mixing Brock Lesnar and Keith Jardine but anyway…The fight just showed that this was a mismatch and the UFC wanted Rick Story to get back to his winning ways.

Possible matchups: Story needs to get a matchup with a guy on his own level. Someone like Jake Ellenberger or the winner of Demian Maia/Dong Hyun Kim. Both of those fights would be fun and help give some order to the welterweight division. Jardine should get someone closer to his level as well. He could take on Che Mills or Carlo Prater.

Ramsey Nijem vs. C.J. Keith: Keith looked okay in the first 45 seconds but then Nijem went on a tear and destroyed Keith at 2:29 of the first round. It was a brutal loss for Keith because he also missed weight and had to give up 20% of his purse to Nijem.

Possible matchups: Keith is not UFC caliber and after an ugly loss and not making weight he will most likely get cut and he probably should. Nijem keeps impressing me. After his horrible loss to Ferguson, I didn’t think he had much of a future but he has now won two easy victories. I think Nijem needs a step up in competition. A fight with Tim Means (our exclusive interview with Means) would be a ton of fun and prove us Nijem can handle a deadly striker.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Ricardo Lamas: Everyone and their mother told us we predicted this way wrong. Even some of the biggest MMA news sites all voted for Hioki but Sam and I were not convinced due to his other efforts in the Octagon. I have always liked Lamas, even when he was an undersized lightweight. He is always fun to watch and he has a great fighting spirit. Lamas looked great by winning the standup and almost submitting the submission ace. Ricardo ended up taking a unanimous decision. I loved how we called this correctly and it shows are MMA brains off.

Possible matchups: No doubt that Lamas fights the Korean Zombie and Hioki fights Dustin Poirier. Those fights make perfect sense with both Lamas and Zombie getting big wins and Poirier and Hioki coming off big losses. Both of those fights would be a ton of fun and I would pay to see those for sure. Make it happen Dana!

For the Main Card Recap Click here

CR Exclusive Interview with Francisco Rivera!

Photo by Bloodyelbow.com

Francisco Rivera is an up and coming bantamweight in the UFC that is both one of the more entertaining fighters at 135, which is quite the accomplishment, and he also holds the power of a heavyweight. He has a record of 8-2 with 5 of those coming by 1^st round KO/TKO with an accumulated time of just 4:05. That’s some power!

Anyway, Rivera was very gracious in taking time away from training to do an interview with us on his upcoming fight with Ken Stone at UFCon FX 4. He took this fight on short notice, replacing the injured Edwin Figueroa. His answers were very honest and we look forward to him showing his power on June 22!

Championship Rounds: Hey Francisco! Thanks so much for doing this with us and we can't wait for your fight! So, your next opponent is Ken Stone at UFC on FX 4. How do you think taking this fight on short notice will affect your performance?

Francisco Rivera: This fight will be good one. Going to just bring it, hopefully he wants to stand and bang a little before he eventually tries to take me down. (Laughs) But we will see, I come to fight on my feet. It's what the fans like, it’s what I like, so we will see :).

CR: What motivated you to take this fight with Stone?

FR: What motivated me to take this fight was that I'm on a good fight streak and this will be my fourth fight in five and a half months. So my body is in pretty good shape and my confidence level is riding high.

CR: How do you envision your fight with Stone going?

FR: I feel like [the fight] will turn out my way. How can I say it won't? (Laughs) [I predict a] KO in the second round.

CR: What do you ultimately want to accomplish in the sport of MMA?

FR: I want to be able to look back and know that I was part of the biggest MMA organization of all time. Most people dream [of it]. And my dream came true.

CR: Which of your accomplishments means the most and why?

FR: Making it to the UFC is by far my biggest accomplishment of all ... Never would have I thought I would be here. My life growing up was a mess.

CR: What was your initial reaction when the UFC officials called you up to come in on short notice to fight Alex Soto?

FR: I was crying because after the 1st cut with Zuffa™, things were not good for me. I didn't think they would call me that fast but I knew my last two fights before they called me were two of the best KO’s of the year.

CR: Talk about your fight with Soto. What was your gameplan? And why do you think you utterly dominated him for 3 rounds?

FR: My fight with Soto was what I wanted and I knew what would happen. My experience got me through; the nerves and my confidence got me through the fight... Once I felt his power I knew it was my fight. He ran from me for three rounds and I rocked him in every round so I was happy with my performance. I was able to get some cage time and I was happy with my win.

CR: You are a very seasoned striker. How long have you been training in MMA and what was your first martial art?

FR: Yes, my Muay Thai was my 1st martial art. And my boxing was top notch in training. I was beating all the MMA guys up in training which led me to MMA and my first amateur fight which I got my ass kicked in. (Laughs)

CR: When you first were interested in MMA, who was your role model?

FR: My best friend, who died a few years back, was the one who got me to do MMA and I dedicate my MMA career to him. He was also a MMA fighter, Brian “Jop Jop” Joplin… RIP.

CR: There has been a lot of controversy over judging in MMA. How do you think this could be improved? What should be done?

FR: The thing with the judges sucks. To prevent that, or going to the judges, I guess fighters must finish fights, thus the only way to stay away from them (Laughs) Point blank.

Thank you to Francisco Rivera for doing this! Go follow him on Twitter @CiscoRiveraUFC and tune in on Youtube or Facebook for his fight against Ken Stone on June 22!

RIP Brian Joplin