JACKSONS.TV

 jacksons.tv: What background in combat sports did you have prior to staring MMA?

Joey Villasenor: I used to box with my friends when I was younger. We would get in the background and throw on some gloves and box. That was pretty much the extent of my fighting background prior to MMA. In high school I played football, baseball and track and field. I was an all around athlete.  I was not competing in martial arts until I was around 19 years old.   

jacksons.tv: When did you first see MMA?

Joey Villasenor:  It was UFC III and I was about 17 or 18 years old. It was one of those underground things people were talking about. The first time I watched it I got sick to my stomach because I thought it was really brutal.  I thought at the time as a young athlete that I could defend myself.  When I saw trained athletes fighting it scared me into pursuing self-defense.  

jacksons.tv: After you realized you wanted to train what did you do?

Joey Villasenor: I started training with my forearm I worked with at the time when I was 19 on the weekends. He had a jiu-jitsu background.  After a while I started training at a gym in Farmington, New Mexico. At that gym I met when of my team mates/coaches, Floyd Ford. We became best friends and started training together. It took off from there. I started getting real serious about it. 

jacksons.tv: When you first started were you studying all of the disciplines separately or was it already blended?

Joey Villasenor: The benefit for me is that I didn’t start off in wrestling or boxing or kickboxing.  I started off mixed.  I actually started off mixing the parts together. I have always thought that worked in my favor.  I didn’t have anything I needed to correct, I just learned.  That is what I have being doing since starting. 

jacksons.tv: How did you come to be at Jackson’s?

Joey Villasenor: My buddy, Floyd Ford, and I had heard about Jackson’s.  In about 2000 we met Jackson at a King of the Cage event held here in Albuquerque.  We got in contact with Greg and his guys and started coming down here on the weekends and the rest is history. I’ve been here 8 or 9 years. I’ve been here back when Jackson’s was just a grassroots group and we really had to work to be where we are at now – we weren’t given it. 

jacksons.tv: How does the athletic competition from a mental perspective in MMA compare to your participation in other athletic competitions?

Joey Villasenor: For me it’s the same. Some people say, “How can you get in there and fight somebody?”  "Do you have to hate them?"  I don’t.  I have been raised with sports and being competitive. That is what fighting is to me. It’s a sport. It’s the same way I would look at football. There are some differences but you still have teammates, you have coaches, you have a support group. You have to work hard.  If you want to be successful in any sport you have to work hard. Those are the run-of-the-mill disciplinary type things we have done in this gym. I think that makes us really successful. 

jacksons.tv: How have you evolved from the first time you walked through the doors of Jackson’s to the fighter you are now?

Joey Villasenor: To be honest with you I haven’t stopped.  Our gym hasn’t stopped evolving. Every 3 months there is always something new or something that we are learning. The biggest thing we have learned is to be more professional. To train outside of the gym. You have to push yourself. Studying the guy you are going to fight. Our sport is still new so sports nutrition and techniques to prepare for fights are just now starting to come out. What I did nine years ago would not work for what people are doing now. The sport is constantly evolving, the gym is constantly evolving and I feel I keep getting better. Experience goes a long way and I feel I’m at a place where I am extremely comfortable in there.

jacksons.tv: Many fighters drift from their game plans but you seem to have the ability to stay very focused and stick to the game plan.  How do you keep focused on the game plan while fighting?

Joey Villasenor: I think it’s mental.  When you prepare with the best and spar with the best you don’t feel the need for fear.  I have great coaches. I think one of the biggest things to be successful in this sport is to listen to your coaches. Be aware of what they are telling you in the corner. I think that is probably the biggest advice that you can get. Even though you have only one minute or 45 seconds to get that information down it’s really important that you do. We put ourselves through strenuous conditions to try to mimic what we go through during a fight. I’m just very blessed to have the great coaches and great minds I work with. If you’re not disciplined you will not succeed. 

jacksons.tv: You’ve demonstrated in your fights you can both strike and control your opponents on the ground. Do you have a particular preference?

Joey Villasenor: I think execution of a game plan is extremely important. I would really like to stay standing but the bottom line is to keep my opponent off balance and keep him fighting in his worst area. If he’s a great, great striker then I might want to put him on the mat for a while and get him tired out.  MMA is popular because as a fighter you can be well-rounded and take the fight to your opponent’s weaknesses. As a fighter you need to be well-rounded so you can take advantage of your opponent’s weaknesses. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s going to be the ground game or stand up game. Everyone knows Jackson fighters love to bang. Everyone just knows that. The reason we like to bang is that we can comfortably wrestle and comfortably control the ground game.  We can also handle getting it back into standup. Being a well rounded fighter is probably the most important thing we have going on in this gym. 

jacksons.tv: What is your current status with regards to any upcoming fights?

Joey Villasenor: As of right now my contract is up with Strikeforce. We are assessing other offers and Strikeforce is matching.  I’m in a great spot right now. I’ve fought all over the world. I’ve fought in Japan with PRIDE. I fought in DEEP. I’ve been a 6 X champ in King of the Cage. I also have fought in ELITE XC and Strikeforce.  I’ve fought in many major organizations.  My teammates are enjoying a run in the UFC. I’m not sure where I’m going to end up but before my career is over I would really love to say that I’ve experienced all of them. Experiencing all the organizations would be for my own self-satisfaction more than anyone else’s.  I might not be as well known as my other teammates but that is fine with me. I’m pretty much a quite guy. It’s all about self-satisfaction and doing things my way. I fell mentally right now, physically and with all my experience that I’m ready to fight anywhere and anybody. 

jacksons.tv: Can you describe your fighting in Japanese organizations?

Joey Villasenor: It’s an uphill battle. You are an American fighting Japanese.  Usually you have 2-3 days to get there. Cutting weight and traveling really was difficult but I loved Japan. I loved seeing the world. I’ve seen England, Australia and Japan.  I’ve fought around the world and it’s a great feeling.  I’m glad to be fighting in America, stateside. Usually I fight only a few states over. The time changes are not so drastic. It’s really is an uphill battle whenever you fight overseas. You don’t know if the judging is going to go against you or for you. Stateside it’s how you've fought – win or lose. People respect how you fight, perform and toughness.  It’s not so much about wining as it is about your performance. The foundation of this sport is that the best fighters in the world (win or lose) show extreme heart.  It touches the nerve of everyone and everyone wishes they could be that tough. I been fortunate to be able to fight around the world but I’m sure glad I’m fighting stateside. 

jacksons.tv: Would you like to thank anyone who has supported you?

Joey Villasenor First off I have to thank my family. I fight not only for myself and my future but I fight for my family.  I fight to get my name out there and give them a sense of pride that one of us made it in sports at an elite level. I’m so glad and proud I’ve been able to do this. Secondly, I want to thank my family here at Jackson’s. These are all my little brothers and sisters here at Jackson’s. These are my big bros. I’ve known Keith Jardine for a long time. Nate Marquadt and Rashad Evans are my core guys.  There are a lot of guys you won’t hear there names but I want to thank them too. They are just blue collar guys who come in here (to Jackson’s) and give me a run for my money and help prepare me. I also want to thank all of the fans. I appreciate the love and support.