Next MMA Fighter

As he prepares with his huge fight at the Battle of Rome this weekend on January 23rd. We spoke with Byron Bloodworth about his future in MMA and how he wants to progress as a fighter.

Photography by Nelson Bigles

NextMMAFighter : Byron, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Tell us how your final week of training is going as you prepare for your main event fight in Rome.

Byron Bloodworth : My training has been going really well. I have been working extra hard on my wrestling and my conditioning because I know John is going to push the pace and he is a strong wrestler.

NextMMAFighter : What do you know about your opponent John Queiroz who is also an undefeated fighter.

Byron Bloodworth : I know that John is a hard worker. He has a great wrestling background but is an extremely well rounded fighter. I know that he knows how to compete and he will come to fight. John and I trained together at Knuckle-Up and we always pushed each other in class, I don’t expect the fight to be any different. John and I are not enemies at all, we are just two hard working fighters ready to showcase our skills and put on a show for the fans, I just want to come out with the WIN!

NextMMAFighter : What do you feel is the strongest part of your fight game and what are you looking to improve on in your young career?

Byron Bloodworth : I focus my training to be a well rounded fighter. I am comfortable in all aspects of the fight. Whether I am working off my back due to him taking me down or if I am pushing the pace and take him down or on our feet I have trained for every scenario.

The one thing I’ve really been working on for this fight is my speed and agility training with Coach Mike Klinefelder at The Speed School. I’ve really been focused on my footwork, speed and agility which I think will be more of a factor in this fight than strength.

NextMMAFighter : As it is every pro-fighters goal to make it to the big time, if you had your choice and they all came calling, what is the top organization you would want to fight for.

Byron Bloodworth : I would like to compete in the WEC.

NextMMAFighter : How do you prepare yourself mentally for a big fight and was it difficult to stay focused training through the holiday season?

Byron Bloodworth : I’ve competed in sports since I was a young kid so the mental aspect of preparing for a fight comes pretty natural to me. I seclude myself during my 6-8 week camp and really focus on my training.

Training during the holidays wasn’t tough this year because I had several guys who were also training for a fight that trained with me. Guys like Freddy Assuncao who is fighting in Virginia on the 30th and John Cofer who is fighting on February 5th at Wild Bills. We all stuck together and made sure we trained through the holidays.

NextMMAFighter : We noticed on your official record that you have many impressive wins by submission but have yet to win by KO. Is this something you are looking to add to your resume in the future?

Byron Bloodworth : Absolutely I want to win by KO. It would show that I am a versatile fighter and would look good on my resume, however I am not going to force it. I always try to stick to my game plans and my game plans in the past due to the people I have fought have lead me to win the fights in other ways.

NextMMAFighter : Tell us about your school Hard Knox Gym and why you chose to train there?

Byron Bloodworth : Mateo Cutbill has been my stand up coach for a couple of years now and I wanted to train with him at his school.

NextMMAFighter : Outside of the cage, how do you keep yourself busy besides training?

Byron Bloodworth : I spend a lot of time with my family who live locally and just hangout with friends. The typical stuff, go see movies, watch football on Saturday and Sunday. Most of the time though when I am not training I am resting up for the next training day!

NextMMAFighter : Who are some of your favorite past or present MMA fighters and what fight are you looking forward to most in 2010?

Byron Bloodworth : I have always been a fan of the well rounded fighters. It just so happens the most well rounded fighters are the champs in their divisions: BJ Penn, St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. I look forward to seeing all those guys fight. I am really interested in seeing the return of Brock Lesnar and see the fight between him and Carwin, that is going to be awesome! I guess I’m also interested in seeing Miguel Torres in his come back fight. Should be a great year of fights!

NextMMAFighter : Thanks again for your time and best of luck on Saturday, in closing is there anyone you would like to thank?

I would like to take a minute to thank all my training partners and coaches who helped me get ready for this fight. I want to thank Sponsored Fan for all they do for me and all of my sponsors: Wicked-Jitsu, Toe 2 Toe, Brawl Nutrition, Fitness Depot of Douglasville, VPX, Omega Attire and Born 2 Bang Athletics

Thank you for the exposure on Nextmmafighter and all the work you do to promote MMA Athletes.

If you live anywhere in Georgia, get your ass out to the Battle of Rome event this weekend. Its jam packed with great fights top to bottom!