Juan Tatum ready for SWC 11
interview by Matt Little
- What gym are you currently training and fighting out of?
– Peak Performance under Paul Halme. Travis Lutter also helps out with my BJJ and MMA training.
- How long have you been training/fighting?
-About 6-1/2 years of BJJ, MMA, and stand-up striking.
- What initially got you into the sport of MMA?
-Someone sent me a video of a Kazushi Sakuraba fight over the Internet and from then on I was instantly hooked. The Gracies as well had an influence on my interest in the sport of MMA.
- What is your current rank in BJJ?
-Purple belt (4 stripe)
- What is your occupation outside of fighting?
-Actually, I teach BJJ and kickboxing among the four Peak Performance locations: Keller, Weatherford, North Richland Hills, & Decatur. It is a full-time job, 7 days a week. I enjoy doing it as teaching keeps me sharp in the BJJ & MMA game.
- This is your first Pro fight, tell us how you expect this to be different than amateur MMA.
-Actually, this will be my 2nd pro fight. I fought a few amateur fights in New Mexico. I won the EFC Featherweight title winning 2 out of 3 fights via submission. My pro debut was last year at Mano a Mano and won via triangle choke in the first round.
- Tell us about your opponent, Alden Herbert.
-He is a really tough and dangerous opponent. From what I understand he has a very good amateur MMA record.
- What are your long-term goals?
-I would really like to go as far as I can in MMA. Outside of that, I would also like to focus on sport Jiu-Jitsu and win a world championship. I’d like to get back in the gi as I feel I’ve neglected this aspect of my game for the last year or so.
- Anything else you’d like to say?
-I am really excited to fight someone like Alden that has his kind of reputation. I am glad that we are both healthy going into this fight and expect him to be my toughest challenge so far.
