LONGVIEW, TX, November 28, 2011 – According to the initial presser for the event, Team Jorge Gurgel fighter Josh Lee will be “looking to stop the current most dominating fighter in XKO” this Saturday night in Arlington’s Xtreme Combat 13. That much may be true considering the run Roy Spoon has been on this year with two wins in the organization but it’s also a fact that doesn’t faze the Longview-based fighter in the least considering everything else he’s had to deal with leading up to this fight.
“I grew up without a father and always was roughhousing with my brothers,” says Josh. “They never cut any slack with beating up on me or that type of thing. I was also kind of a wild kid who made a lot of mistakes and paid for them but that helped me learn how to deal with things and face tough situations.”
At 23 years old, Josh has certainly faced tough situations aplenty already. That much is for sure. Aside from a tough childhood, he was forced to learn how to mature as a young man having a kid at the ripe old age of eighteen. It was then that he had to figure out quickly what he wanted to do with his life. According to him, that direction is something he found when he first stepped into an MMA gym for the first time back in Lufkin. Now a five-year veteran of the sport (same age as his daughter), Josh continues to mature and balance life as a fighter/father.
“Man, I’m not going to exaggerate about this at all but it’s the toughest thing ever,” he says about the task. “I work a full-time job, see my daughter on the weekends, have my baby and fiancée at home, and in the midst of all that, I have to find time to train. It’s extremely difficult but it’s worth it because I want to do this and succeed so I can support my family and have the means to give them a good life. At the end of the day, that’s really all I want.”
“I want it all the way (with MMA). I want to go as far as I can do because I’ve put so much into it already that now for me, there’s no turning back. To turn back would be crazy. Even though people don’t give me the respect I feel I deserve right now, I still think I’m right on the brink of doing something big. I think I can compete will all these guys and eventually, I believe I’m going to get a belt on the big show.”
In order to do that, he’ll have to win more than a few fights to get his record on the right track, starting with the challenge of facing Roy Spoon at XKO 13. Yet another tough challenge in a series of rough challenges in the life of the East Texas native.
“I haven’t underestimated Roy at all. I’ve trained my butt off for December 3rd and planned on getting the W no matter who it was (his opponent). That’s how hard I’ve been training. As far as Roy Spoon, I know he’s going to be a big guy, real athletic, and he’s going to be really aggressive but I think I can beat him technically everywhere the fight goes. You can let him know that I’m going to come out and I’m going to stand with him right off the bat. When the bell rings, I’m going to looking for the finish wherever the fight goes. He’s going to make a mistake and I’m going to catch him. I’m going to prove myself to everybody.”
Fighter Acknowledgements
“Thanks for all the support to my family, fiancée, and my whole team. Thanks also to Mark Watson and 5 Star Grills for being a great sponsor. He puts time and money into us and without him, it’d be hard to do what we’ve been able to do.” – Josh Lee
LIKE TXMMA on Facebook for more in-depth news and coverage of the MMA & grappling scene along with fan contests to win great prizes courtesy of TXMMA.com and much more. Also feel free to check us out on Twitter and Google+ for even more in the world combat sports!
