Fresh off a spectacular 0:24 TKO over Quaint Kempf at XKO’s last event, our next interviewee Steven “Ocho” Peterson takes on his toughest challenge yet as he looks to step into the cage against Douglas Frey for the bantamweight title on April 9th.
Having over three times as many professional fights as “Ocho” and with an overall 9-4 professional record, Doug Frey is nothing to scoff at. He is seasoned, he is experienced, and he is hungry for the title.
Frey is also a welcome challenge to look forward to, according to Steve Peterson.
Holding a Bellator victory in only his second professional bout and with four amateur wins to go along with his professional record, NDBJJ’s “Ocho” thrives within the pressure and certainly doesn’t consider himself your average twenty-year-old kid as he looks forward to a long road ahead in his fight career.
Read on and get to know more about Steven Peterson through this conversation prior to his bantamweight title fight at XKO 10.
Steve, thanks for taking the interview prior to your XKO title fight against Doug Frey. How does it feel to be going up for your first pro title?
Take us through your career so far. What has been the high point? Low point? What else can you tell us about your experiences in MMA?
The high point in my career so far was fighting for Bellator. I fought a very game opponent, Ernest De La Cruz. We both went to war for all three rounds and I Broke his will to win, and came out on top. The low point was definitely my loss against Brad Mitchell. I took the fight on a weeks’ notice, and went up to 153. I wasn’t in what you would call fighting shape. I gave it all I could, in the last thirty seconds I was convinced that if I took him down and ended on top I’d steal that close round and win the decision. I picked him up and put him down hard and ended in side control and thought I had won the decision, but they gave it to him…It was so close I can’t really complain, It could have gone either way. I learned a few lessons from that fight, and I don’t plan on making the same mistakes again.
What motivates you to fight? Why do you do this?
I’ve always loved fighting…Watching it, Talking about it, and the thrill of the battle! Two men step in that cage, and one comes out on top…It all comes down to who has the most heart, and who does their homework and prepares the best for their opponent. I feel I was made for this sport and plan on one day being the best in the world. I know I have a long road ahead of me and a lot of hard work to do, but that’s what I love about it. If it was easy any average Joe could do it. I’m not your average 20 year old kid…
You’re coming off a huge (and exclamatory) win over Quaint Kempf at XKO 9. Did that fight go as expected?
What do you think has prepared you most for this title shot? Any insight you can give our readers in terms of how you prepare over at NDBJJ with J.D. and crew?
The hardest part of fighting 5-5 minute rounds is training for it. J.D. and Carlos are great about pushing me as far as my body can go…and then pushing me some more. No doubt I will be ready for a 25 minute war, but I am more than capable of finishing it at any point in the fight.
What do you think about your upcoming opponent, Doug Frey? How do you picture him as a fighter in terms of strengths and weaknesses?
Doug is an experienced fighter with well rounded skills…This will be a fun and exciting test for me.
Without giving away your game plan, how do you plan on beating this guy and winning your first title?
I plan on breaking him down mentally first, once I do that Braking him physically won’t be hard.
Where do you go after XKO 10?
After Winning this belt, I plan on defending it first, then I want to claim the 145 title belt (145 is my favorite weight to fight at)
Any last words for your friends, fans, and sponsors?
Anything else you’d like to add?
Sponsors? We’re not getting paid tons of money for these fights. It is not easy to train full time and make a comfortable living at the same time. Sponsoring good fighters can be beneficial to both the company advertising, and the fighter getting recognized. Contact me if you are interested on working something out. spidizle@hotmail.com.