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Posted by Mika Frankl
The Knuxx family headed down to the Jackson’s/Winklejohn’s Mixed Martial Arts to talk with Matt Leyva as he prepares to headline Jackson’s MMA Series X against Anthony Birchak on December 1, 2012 at the Tingley Coliseum in Albquqerque, New Mexico.
Thank you for the time Matt, how are you doing?
Good, good thank you guys for having me.
How you feeling and how is the camp going?
Feeling good feeling great it a good camp everything is going smoothly, no complaints so far.
So it’s about a six week notice for this fight?
Roughly yeah and it’s actually pretty decent, you know a lot of times guys get fights a couple day in advance.
With you, it’s kind of a special situation though you know you’re working on a movie right now, so you got some hectic hours going on, how is that coinciding with the training?
It’s crazy man, but I’m a family man and I’ll do whatever it takes for my family. If that means getting up at 4 O’clock in the morning to get a run in before I take off, so be it. In between takes and sets I’m running around. Movie stars looking at me like ‘what the heck is this guy doing,’ but I do what I need to do and hit it hard at night.
How is the movie experience going, are you going to leave MMA and become a Hollywood guy?
No. I’ll always have the MMA heart, It was the reason I got out of the Marines in the first place, to start fighting. I going to keep doing that, I’m always up for anything.
You brought it up you’re a former Marine, we got to thank you for everything you’ve done for the country, especially coming off Veterans Day here acknowledge and all that. Thank you.
Talking bout the upcoming fight now you and Anthony, how do you see this fight playing out how do you see his game?
I think of it just like any other fight. We both have our styles. We both techniques and were going to go in there and try to implement them. We both have that wrestling background I think his is a little more extensive then mine and we both like to be on the ground. He has 5 submission wins and I have several wins based off of ground and pound. Just like some of the write ups there out their were both going to try and get the fight there and implement our games see what happens.
Do you think this is the kind of fight that’s going to go everywhere or do you see it really for the clinch getting to the ground because of that similarity?
No I think we both have that same kind of heart and mentality where we go in there and don’t mind swinging and trading and just like the majority of fights somehow someway it ends up on the ground and so I think were both going to be hard nosed fighters in each others faced going at it.
December 1st what makes the difference in the fight between you and Anthony?
It will come down to heart and will I don’t think either one of us will come in out of shape will be at about that same level and it will come down to heart and will. Who will break first. In my eyes I don’t even know what that means, there no chance of that happening.
Matt would like to thank: All my friends, family fans you guys are awesome and amazing. My sponsors Max Muscle Rio Rancho, Quick Bonding, and my newest sponsor Knuxx you guys are awesome. Thank you.
Play the video below to see the entire interview with even more questions.
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