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Video: Joseph Benavidez heads into Dominick Cruz fight with new mindset; won’t fight Urijah Faber
By Zach Arnold | August 15, 2010
Video interviews with top fighters can be found at http://www.mmafighting.com
ARIEL HELWANI: “A huge fight for you. You are on a roll right now. You’re coming off of the big win over Miguel Torres. For a while there we thought that either Joseph or Scott Jorgensen was going up for the title. Why do you think the WEC made the right choice?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “I think I just, um, proved myself by finishing, you know, two really good guys and I beat a former champion in Miguel Torres. I was the first person to ever guillotine him and submit him and I think they saw that I’m a different fighter since I last fought Dominick Cruz and Jorgensen’s a great fighter, there’s tons of great fighters, but I just think the people that I beat were a little better and I did it a little more impressively.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “This is your first WEC title shot. You obviously need to beat Dominick Cruz, but how do you not just focus on the title itself? I mean, because that is a very big bonus after you beat him that you will receive. How do you just focus on the fight and not the title?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “Um… well, yeah, the title’s huge but… I don’t think it’s too bad focusing on it, you know, that inspires me, that’s what I want, that’s something I’ve um… I’ve wanted since I got in the sport, that’s my main goal so I’m focusing on that more than the fact that I have to avenge this only loss, too, because the title’s first. All that other stuff is a bonus but, yeah, you know, I’m just… it’s easy for me to concentrate on the fight. I’ve already fought him which really helps me out because this is kind of my second go-round, I’ve studied him twice now, and really the first time I didn’t really get to study him that much. I just had a different philosophy about fighting back then totally so it’s just, it’s easy, man, just to be motivated for that.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “What was that philosophy?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “The philosophy was that was really just like, I always thought that I was just going to be a little more athletic and have better instincts than people so I wouldn’t necessarily train for a certain style, I just said you know I’m going to train and be in shape and no one’s going to be able to handle me, I’m going to go out there and give them all I can so… when I went in against Dominick he was, you know, a little more athletic. He was also bigger, which caused I think a little strength advantage, too, and he also had a game plan that he executed and I know he studied some of my moves, his coaches did a great job where I went in there and freestyled like I usually did and wasn’t the best prepared. Now my last two fights I’ve changed my philosophy in doing that. I’ve also added some strength which I thought some of the guys in the division were bigger than me and like you can see that I’m a totally different and when I feel like I’m prepared and confident, I feel unstoppable.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “More to that point, Dominick told me recently that he thought you underestimated him when you fought last August. Is that true?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “Um, yeah, you could say that, like… I was at the point where I was winning and… I wouldn’t say I underestimated him because I knew he was tough the first time I saw him fight in the 135 pound division when he got back in the WEC. It’s like, man, this guy’s going to be a handful for anyone, you know, look at the way he moves. He’s tall and I was like, wow, that guy’s going to be great. I didn’t underestimate him but I didn’t train as hard for him as I should and that just went back to the philosophy. I didn’t take it as serious as I should back then. It wasn’t just him but my whole outlook on everything and maybe not thinking that I was better than I was but just the things that I had done had been working, sometimes you need that loss to change things and now I got to peak even to more of my potential than I already was and I was doing great, like even that last fight it was close. I think he won with takedowns. Now I’m a different fighter and I think it’s going to be a different outcome.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “So with that mind, safe to say the loss was a very good happen to you?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “Yeah, it was great, man. You hear it, it’s cliché and people are saying, oh you learn so much from a loss. You know, sometimes they’re making just an excuse, oh you need it, but it can be, it’s the real deal, man. I’ve never felt better than I did after my loss, you know, as you can see my last two fights in the sport you need some kind of inspiration and motivation all the time, you can’t just get through it. It’s a hard sport, you’re training every day, it gets monotonous so you need that little inspiration. When I lost I have a championship mentality, I didn’t want to feel that again so I went in the gym and did all I could to change myself and be the best fighter I can be so… I look at the only negative being that one on my record but now the way it’s all going down where I get to avenge my only loss against for the belt, you know… it’s awesome, I couldn’t have written it better and I think it’s destiny and fate. I’m pumped for this fight.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “As far as the fight itself, what do you need to do differently this time around?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “Really, I think I did great on the feet last time. I think Dominick Cruz goes in there and beats everyone with his kickboxing and confuses them and stuff but I’ve watched the fight and in the first and third rounds, which that would have me winning the fight if I won those and I was landing more strikes on the feet than him in both rounds and he beat me with takedowns. Like I said back then I just thought I could go in there and impose my will on people which of course I still want to do but that was my main thing is just keeping a pace and being athletic but sometimes that caused me to get out of position and that’s kind of when he got the advantage when I got out of position and might have slipped as you’ve seen my last few fights I think I’m a little more controlled and notice I can beat people with my skill, too, and my athleticism so I can go out there and pick people apart like I did on (Rani) Yahya and Miguel Torres so there’s that part and then just the wrestling, you know, that’s what he beat me with. I think I was great on the feet last time and I’ve improved there so I’m going to even give him more hell on the feet and then as far as the wrestling goes, that’s where he beat me and even back then I thought people could take me down but I would get right back up so it doesn’t matter. If I need to take them down, I can do that, too. And I did get right back up every time he took me down but that was still the different in the fight so I have a totally different outlook on that. I realize I’m a wrestler and that’s what I going to beat fights and I’m not going to let people beat me there so like I said I feel it was a great fight last time. I’ve improved, so, those are a few things I have to do but mentally, I feel also just way better.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Finally, just have to ask you, your good friend Urijah Faber. He’s moving down to 135. He was supposed to fight on this card but he got injured. His debut has now been delayed. What happens now? Obviously we don’t want to look into the future, but it’s the question everyone loves to ask teammates — he wins a couple, you’re the champ, would you guys fight?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “No. I mean, the only place you’re going to see us fight is in the gym, you know, in Ultimate Fitness down in Sacramento but I have no desire to fight Urijah. He’s a mentor and a friend and I can never see myself really trying to beat him. I think it’s great that he’s going down to 135.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “You have no problem with that?”
JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ: “No, that’s his natural weight class. I think we can find ways around not fighting you know. I mean, everyone’s going to always want to see Urijah fight, he can compete at 145 pound class and there’s fights no matter who he fights people are going to want to see it so I hope I can go in there and hold the belt for a long time and he can do something but… either way, you know, it’s just going to be great for both of us and that’s where he needs to be right now.”
Topics: Media, MMA, WEC, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Hey Little Joey,
You are a small Bantamweight. Where are you going to go if Zuffa gets fed up with your demands about who you will or won’t fight? Your boy Faber at least has some power because he is a draw. You are not. So get off your high horse and fight guys based on competition.
Sincerely,
A Fight Fan Fed Up With Teammates Pulling This Cr#p!