Author: Garrett Derr

We’ve all dreamed of making it big at some point in our lives.

Whether it is imitating Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot in the 1998 NBA Finals in the driveway or simply daydreaming about making millions—we all have dreams. Many times, these dreams never become reality, no matter how hard we try.

This isn’t the case for UFC newcomer Joey Gambino, who saw his dream come true when his phone rang at midnight on May 22nd. Minutes later, Gambino was bouncing around on his living room couch, having received the news that he is now employed by one of the world’s fastest growing promotions in the UFC.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Gambino discussed that memorable night and more.

Garrett Derr: Joey, you’ve had a ton of success so far in your career. At what moment did you know this is what you wanted to do for the rest of your life, or at least for a while?

Joey Gambino: When I was growing up, I always loved MMA. I used to watch it with my brother all the time. I loved watching Shamrock and Gracie and so forth and so on. But, I was the captain of the football team and the captain of the wrestling team. I was always active and doing something.

I use Matt Hughes as an example. He was a wrestler who still had a lot of success inside the Octagon. Being able to see him make it as far as he did, sold me. I’m a wrestler, I’m a competitor, I love competition, and I love contact. I said I’d definitely be able to do that. I always wanted to do it and here I am.

GD: You’re off to a perfect 9-0 start to your professional career. What has been the key to your perfection inside the cage up until this point in your career?

JG: I’d definitely say my cardio has been the game-changer. I’d also say my ground-and-pound. My standup has improved tremendously, but my cardio is great. I’ve always pushed the pace of my fights hard and outlasted my opponent and put them on the ground. When I put them on the ground, I put on as much damage as possible.

As you’ve seen in a lot of my fights, I do that early on. I want to get in there and get the fight over with. I never want to give my opponent the chance for a comeback or give them any chance of catching me in a submission.

GD: So, Jimy Hettes was set to take on Steven Siler at UFC on FX 4. As we know, Hettes got bounced because of an injury and you get the call. When did you actually find out you’d be fighting in the UFC and what was this moment like for you? 

JG: It was actually 12:00 one night, I believe the 22nd. That’s when I found out that I was going to be fighting. I was ecstatic and I was pumped man. My manager called me and the first thing out of my mouth was yes. I didn’t know who I was fighting and I didn’t know when the fight was.

I started saying yes right away. Then we started going over the details and my answer was still yes. I started walking around on the couch in circles and I was sweating. My time was finally coming and now it’s my chance.

GD: I’m sure your focus is now on Siler, so breaking down his game, what areas do you see that you’ll be able to pick apart when your big fight finally comes?

JG: I’ll be more effective on the ground, but I believe in my standup just as much as my wrestling too. Having that background in wrestling will really help me. He’s a taller opponent and he’s lengthier. I’m going to work the standup and take it from there. If it goes to the ground, then it does. But, my mentality has always been, do whatever it takes to win the fight.

GD: You’ve had just four weeks to train for this fight. How much can you really prepare for someone in such a small amount of time?

JG: In four weeks there’s not that much you can do or really changed. I’ve just trained the same way I’ve always trained. When I got the phone call that night at midnight, it was the next morning that I was all packed up and in my car, heading to Montreal to start training at Tri-Star. We started developing a game plan and pushed my cardio, because that’s been one of my strongest points, so I’m always prepared to go the distance.

Obviously just like every other fighter, no one wants to go to the judge’s scorecards. So, I’m going in looking for the finish. In the same sense, so is he though. I’m brand new in the UFC and he’s fairly new as well. We’re both at the bottom of the barrel. We need to prove ourselves. We’re both going hard. I’m ready for one round, two rounds, or three rounds.

GD: You have a nickname that I’ve never heard before. Where did the nickname, “The Raging Warrior” originate from? 

JG: In high school football, I would always be screaming at my guys and pumping them up. I always hit people as hard as I could and I played with a different type of rage that people noticed. The same thing was said about me in wrestling.

I got hit in the eye and my eye got all swelled up. I wrestled with one eye and still managed to win the fight. The only problem was that I still had three fights to win the tournament. I kept on wrestling and I ended up winning all three matches.

I finished the first fight and then they put a mask on my left eye. I got seven stitches in that eye. From that moment moving forward, they called me a warrior. The guys from football and wrestling called me warrior. I liked the sound of it, so going into MMA, that nickname seemed obvious for my career and my personality.

GD: The world is slowing become aware of who Joey Gambino is. Tell me something that the normal fan wouldn’t know about you? 

JG: I’m definitely with friends and family all the time. I love water and I love being anywhere near the pool. I also love to fish. Another one of my professions is tree climbing. I guess you could say that I’m a lumberjack. That’s how I grew up. So that’s another thing, a lot of guys can’t deal with my strength inside the cage.

GD: Who would you like to thank?

JG: My older brothers for pushing me the way they did. Teaching me to never come home with my a– beat or I would have my a– beat by them. Definitely my parents as well.

My wrestling coach in high school was a huge influence on my life. They were all a huge motivation. One thing he said to me that still sticks with me is, “to be the best, you have to beat the best.” I’ve always trained with that mentality.

Garrett Derr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Sometimes giving things up isn’t easy. Other times, well, it is.

For UFC bantamweight Ken Stone, giving up soccer was easy. After dedicating years to the sport he once loved, Stone quickly grew tired of the constant complaints that come along with the sport.

As a result, Stone made the transition from the soccer field to the cage, where he’s spent the last five years of his life. Stone, who doesn’t regret the decision at all, is coming off his first win inside the UFC Octagon where he made quick work of Donny Walker via rear-naked choke less than a year ago.

In a recent interview, Stone sat down with Bleacher Report to discuss his transition and more.

Garrett Derr: If I’m not mistaken, you grew up playing soccer. Why did you choose to give up soccer and pursue a career in mixed martial arts?

Ken Stone: I gave up soccer because as I grew older, small things about the sport started to drive me nuts. I could no longer stand the players who were arguing with the referees on every single call that was made.

No matter how much you sit there and argue with them, they are never going to change their call, so why even bother? Small things like that. I eventually decided to wrestle in college instead of playing soccer, as I enjoyed the daily grind and loved to stay in shape. 

GD: You fell short in your UFC debut, but you bounced back in impressive fashion with your win over Donny Walker. What did it mean to capture your first win inside the Octagon?

KS: It was great to get my first official UFC victory. The whole experience was pretty fantastic. That really sums it up. After having that experience and witnessing what it meant to win, I hope to have many more similar to it.

GD: You were originally set to meet Edwin Figueroa at UFC on FX 4, then Francisco Rivera, and now Dustin Pague. You have to be somewhat disappointed or thrown off with all these changes.

KS: You know, I’m really not that disappointed to be honest. I do a lot of the same training regardless of who my opponent is. So, I have not had to change my training too much heading into this fight on Friday.

GD: When breaking down Pague’s game, what areas do you feel you’ll be able to exploit come fight night? Where do you believe his biggest strength lies?

KS: When I examine his game, I don’t see too many weak areas. He is definitely a pretty well-rounded fighter. When you face a well-rounded fighter much like himself, you need to find mistakes. I am going to exploit any mistakes he makes.

GD: You train with American Top Team. What has your experience been like?

KS: The experience training down here with American Top Team has been fantastic. One of the things that has allowed me to progress as a fighter, is being around a group of top notch guys. They push me and allow me to get better. I couldn’t be happier with where I am at today.

GD: You reside in the bantamweight division. With Cruz out, who do you believe becomes the new interim champion, Urijah Faber or Renan Barao?

KS: Well, let it be known that both Faber and Barao are great fighters. This is going to be an extremely close fight. If we have a coin, Urijah is heads and Renan is tails. Flip that coin and that right there is my prediction.

GD: What is your main goal moving forward?

KS: My main goal as a fighter is to simply keep on my winning ways. If I continue to win, I’ll eventually move up the rankings and crack the top 10. Cracking the top 10 is a goal of mine. Once I do that, then I’ll begin to re-evaluate things.

GD: Fighting is obvious your go-to. But, outside of fighting, what are some of the things you enjoy doing?

KS: When I’m not fighting, I enjoy computers in general. Other things I like to do are watch movies and stay in shape. I’m interested in anything health related. And of course, I always enjoy spending time with friends and family.

Garrett Derr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

We all live by some type of standard.

And within those standards are a set of rules by which we all live our lives. We’ve all heard of the golden rule: Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

It may be that our attention has been so focused on obeying that golden rule, that we somehow lost sight of another golden rule: Never date your coach’s daughter.

Well, UFC welterweight T.J. Waldburger lost sight and broke that golden rule.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Waldburger discussed the humorous issue, along with other topics.

Garrett Derr: Congrats on your latest win. I recently spoke with Jake Hecht and he classified you as one of the best submission artists in the entire UFC, hands down. What does it mean to know you’re highly respected by other fighters in the UFC?

T.J. Waldburger: It definitely means a lot to me. Jake was a huge win for me and I respect him and his game a lot. I consider it just another win in the UFC, and that’s all it really is. I take pride in my wins, but also learn from the mistakes I made as well. I’m always trying to improve as a fighter.

GD: You’re now set to take on Brian Ebersole at UFC on FX 4, who’s won 14 of his last 15 bouts. This guy is pushing 70 fights in his career. How do you train for an opponent like him?

TW: I really haven’t trained any differently for Brian Ebersole than I have for any of my other opponents. I’m ready for anything and everything. He’s a well-rounded opponent and I expect the fight to be up, down and all around.

 
GD: He has double-digit knockout, submission and decision victories. Where do you see a weak point in his game that you’ll be able to pick apart?

TW: You know, that’s something that I’ll just have to figure out within the fight. I’ll be testing his entire MMA game until I find a weakness.

I’ve been around this sport for a long time and started when I was 17. My motivation comes purely out of the love for the sport. I fall more in love each and every day. That’s what drives me to compete.  

GD: You seem to have a lot of respect for the military, armed forces, etc. Share a little bit about what these individuals mean to you.

TW: Wow. You know, it’s really hard to describe the amount of respect that I have towards those who put their lives on the line for this country.

I can only imagine the amount of stress going into a fight of that caliber. Unlike fighting inside the Octagon, it’s life or death for them. I am thankful and God bless each and every one.

GD: For someone who doesn’t know T.J. Waldburger. What would you want them to know?

TW: Well, I’m married to my coach’s daughter and have a six-month-old son with her. I give my son most of my time, too. When I’m not spending time with my son or training for a fight, I also like to hunt, fish, camp and go out on the lake.

 
GD: Married your coach’s daughter? Isn’t that breaking the golden rule?

TW: [Laughing] Yes, and it’s a rule for a reason. But she’s amazing, and I couldn’t do it without her.

GD: Who would you like to thank?

TW: I’d like to give a big shout to my gym Grapplers Lair and my management company, Paradigm MMA. I’d also like to thank my sponsors in Vitrustream, RYU Apparel, Hoist, Havyk, Venum, Lexani Wheels, Incandescent Photography, Peak Performance with Brian Cain and, last but not least, Perfecting Athletes Nutrition. Thank you to all who have supported me.

Garrett Derr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com