At 34 years old, Strikeforce middleweight Joey Villasenor realizes that it’s now or never. Armed with a new four fight contract that begins this Saturday night in St. Louis against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Ronald “Jacare” Souza, Villasenor is looking to forge his way up the middleweight ranks.
Villasenor knows that in order to remain relevant he must remain active. This bout will be only his third in the last two years. With the way the younger guys are coming up these days, a fighter can’t afford to get too far behind without running the risk of being left in the dust.
Villasenor has had plenty of time to prepare for “Jacare” as he last fought Evangelista Santos back in June of 2009. When it comes to a fighter like Souza, the more time one has to prepare the better off they are.
“I am feeling good right now,” explained Villasenor. “The most important thing is that I am healthy and have had plenty of time to prepare. This is going to be a huge test for me, quite possibly the biggest one of my career. I’m a little nervous, but for me that’s nothing unusual. My body is ready as is my mind. Now it’s time to get in the cage and perform.”
Going up against one of the world’s top BJJ fighters is a task that not only requires a lot of time, but it requires the right training partners to try and emulate his technique and style. Fortunately for Villasenor he trains at Greg Jackson’s gym where there is no shortage of talent available.
“I could tell you that we have guys here that can help me get accustomed to his style, but then again I could be totally off,” said Villasenor. “I won’t know how he operates until I get in there with him on Saturday night. I have grappled with some high level jiu-jitsu guys before, but I don’t know if there is anyone out there that can simulate his exact style of jiu-jitsu. I’m really looking forward to testing myself against him.
“Jacare is one of the more aggressive jiu-jitsu fighters out there. He is always looking to finish the fight. The guy has won 11 bouts and finished all but one of them. His stand-up is improving and he’s improving each and every time out. I respect him as an athlete and this is a guy who is really going to test me. This is a fight I can look back on after my career is over and be proud of the way I performed.”
Many fighters will tell you that ring rust won’t play that much of a factor as long as they stay active in the gym. Then you have other fighters who will tell you that all the sparring in the world can’t make up for being out of action for an extended amount of time.
“I have had an unfortunate run here as of late,” said Villasenor. “I have had fights that were postponed along with the situation with my contract when I was with EliteXC. Throughout it all I made sure to stay in the gym and train. Even if I don’t have a fight scheduled, I am always in the gym. I’m always trying to get better and push myself. For me, ring rust isn’t a physical problem it’s more psychological, but once the cage doors shut all that will go away.”
Strikeforce has a deep talent pool in the middleweight division. Although champion Jake Shields may be leaving for the UFC soon, there are plenty of great fighters looking to take his spot. A win over Souza would be Villasenor’s fifth in a row and possibly set him up with one of the top contenders in the division.
“This is where I wish I had been more active,” explained “Smokin Joe”. “This fight will definitely show everyone that I am a real contender. In my mind, I view this bout as a championship caliber fight. A win here could possibly put me in line for a shot at whoever is champion – or at the very least push me towards the top. In my heart, I feel this is a huge fight not only for me, but for Strikeforce as well. A lot of people have forgotten who I am because of my inactivity, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I like going into this fight as an underdog.”
While fighting for Strikeforce seems to have made Villasenor a happy camper he almost signed on elsewhere, but Scott Coker swooped in and brought him back at the last minute.
“After my last fight with “Cyborg” I became a restricted free agent,” Villasenor said. “The contract that Strikeforce purchased from Elite had some restrictions in it that allowed them to match any other offers I received. The UFC came in with a very nice deal and I was all ready to sign, but Strikeforce invoked their right to match. I am very happy with how things turned out. This is exactly where I want to be at this point in my career.
“Strikeforce has a great middleweight division and they really treat me well. Scott Coker is a great man and has been in the business a long time. Normally I try to stay away from the people who sign my paychecks, but Scott is a cool dude. He brought me out to watch one of his cards and then brought me to the Pro Bowl. At the end of the day, it’s still a business and decisions have to be made for the good of the company. With CBS and Showtime involved I’m pretty sure they are persuading Strikeforce which direction to go in. I would have to assume they have a say in who fights whom and so far everything has gone well for me.”
Last but not least an interview with a Greg Jackson trained fighter can’t be complete without talking about the man himself and how effective his methods truly are.
“Having Greg and Mike Winklejohn together makes a great combination,” explained an excited Villasenor. “When you have someone like Jackson in your corner he can really calm you down. When I see their faces it makes me think that we are back in the gym as opposed to fighting in front of thousands of people. Everything else doesn’t seem to matter. I can just focus on what my coaches have to say and that is more valuable than you will ever know.”