By Dustin De La Torre
Eddie Arizmendi sits down to talk about the highs and lows of Mixed Martial Arts, getting started in the sport after his dad showed him a fight. He also fills us in on his upcoming fight this Friday, December 09, 2011 at M-1 Challenge XXX, where he will be taking on Tyson Jeffries “He has a wrestling background so I am looking for him to come in and shoot for a takedown…”
FHTV: Eddie, would you please talk about how you got into MMA?
EA: I was about to go to the Marines and my dad said “come check this fight out” and I was hooked I started training a month into training I and had my first professional fight. I lost my first fight but I got back into the gym and started to train as much as I could. I won my second fight and I have been hooked since then.
FHTV: What was your reason for joining the Marine Corps?
EA: At the time I was playing football atPimaCommunity College, the school work was getting to me I could not keep up with the school work. I knew I still wanted to compete so transitioning into MMA was a perfect fit.
FHTV: Prior to your start into mixed martial arts, did you have any formal martial arts training? Taekwondo, karate or wrestling?
EA: I had nothing, I was a football player who had trained for one month and took a fight a month into it. Obliviously going into that first fight I had a lot of weaknesses and I got submitted in the fight.
FHTV: Leading into your first fight who did you have training you?
EA: I had a buddy training me and corning me in all my fights up until my 7th professional fight. Then I knew I had to take my game into another level and started trying at APEX Mixed Martial Arts gym inTucson,Arizona.
FHTV: Talk about signing with Shine Fight promotion and a fight never materializing?
EA: Man, that busted my moral big time. It was a heartbreaker I was waiting and waiting and nothing ever came about with Shine Fights. I can thank them because that made me very hungry. It led me to M-1 and once I signed with them I knew going to be taken care. I love fighting for M-1 they are very respectful and always listen to what the fighters have to say. It feels good to be fighting for them. I have had the opportunity to fight on a regular basis and not have to worry when I will be fighting again.
FHTV: You take on Tyson Jeffries on Friday night? What can we expect to see from you on Friday? What do you know about Tyson?
EA: He has a wrestling background so I am looking for him to come in and shoot for a takedown and try to take me down and hold me down and pound me out. That being said I do expect him to try to stand and bang with me for a bit. He is a really tough dude so we will see how it goes.
FHTV: You mention a stand up fight with Tyson, what did you think of his last fight when he was on the wrong end of a spinning back fist?
EA: He just got caught, he was fighting a very unorthodox guy who is hard to train for and he just caught Tyson. Up to that point I think Tyson was winning the fight.
FHTV: Talk to us how you started training with a few buddies and how you have progressed to a well rounded fighter with 15 wins, with 6 wins via knockout and 7 by submission?
EA: Yeah it is all the hard work I am putting in at the gym. I love going into the gym and learn and applying all these techniques into a fight. I am lucky to have all my training partners because they help me out a lot. I know I have all the ability to either submit Tyson off my back if he does try and take me down or to beat him up using my stand up.
FHTV: Would you like to thank any of your sponsors?
EA: I would like to thank M-1, TUC, Self Made, Tri-Coasta, my management team Fight Legion, my gym APEX MMA, Intimidation, Platinum Ink Marking and Production, Arizmendi Ranch, and you and FIGHTHUBTV.com
