FORT HOOD, TX, November 28, 2011 – Known as “The Judge” to his friends and teammates, Johnny Ray Rodriguez is an active duty soldier in the United States Army and a Modern Army Combatives Instructor at Fort Hood here in Texas. He’s also an up-and-coming Mixed Martial Arts fighter who likes to “get in and get out” without leaving his bouts to be decided on the judges’ scorecards. According to him, that’s how he got his nickame. “I control where my fights go and how they end,” he says about dictating the tempo of his fights.

He’ll get a chance to do that along with showcase his skills gained through training and mental toughness gained through service this Friday night when he takes on Aaron Croon at Elite Amateur Combat 1 in Houston for the new promotion’s inaugural featherweight title. It’s a fight where he hopes to not only be the judge, but the jury and executioner as well.

Here are his pre-fight thoughts prior to this title fight.

Interview – Fort Hood’s Johnny Ray Rodriguez

Tell us a little about yourself and why you do this.

I first got exposed to this (MMA) through the Modern Army Combatives program. I’m now an instructor and this basically my job now – training soldiers all day at Fort Hood. My responsibility  is to make sure soldiers are ready to defend themselves and fight at short-distance when they find themselves in that type of hand-to-hand combat situation. That’s really how I got exposed to fighting myself also.

Tell us a little more about that work and your experience in service.

I really feel like I do the coolest job on earth. I get to help people 24 hours a day and get to know that they’re well protected when they’re down range and have a way to defend themselves when they have to. It’s very fulfilling for me. As far as my own career, I’ve been active in the U.S. Army  for six years now and I’m completed my service July of next year and get to figure out the next step in my life. That’ll be an interesting phase, I’m sure, but for now, getting to help my fellow soldiers all-day, every-day, is unbelievable.

What type of crossover is there between your life as serviceman and your training as a mixed martial artist? How do the two compare?

I think just being mentally strong is something that is important in both. As a soldier you have to go through all types of mental tests so to speak while you’re in basic training because that’s important when you’re doing your actual job. It’s important to develop that same type of strength as a fighter also because to me, being in the cage is like 90% mental / 10% physical. It all comes down to how you react in the heat of battle.

How would you describe yourself as a fighter? What can fans expect to see out of you this Friday?

I’m 3-0 right now and I haven’t been out of the first round yet in any of my fights. I’m a go-getter and definitely fashion myself as a crowd-pleaser first. Don’t get me wrong, I’m comfortable if the fight turns into a wrestling match or goes to the ground but I definitely like to bang. Even in my fights in the army, the majority of my fights haven’t gotten out of the first round. Once I’m in, I just like to go.

Your nickname, “The Judge,” where does it come from and what does it mean?

I was training at Fighter’s Forge, which is a good gym up here in Copper’s Cove near Fort Hood. After my first couple of training sessions, one of the instructors over there said they could tell I was the type of fighter that wasn’t going to let my fights go to the judges (scorecards). He said, “you be the judge – you dictate where the fight goes and how it ends.” After that, it just kind of stuck.

Nice. So let’s talk about your fight this Friday at Elite Combat 1 where you’ll be taking on Aaron Croon for a title. What can you tell us about your opponent and how you’re getting ready?

Well, I think it’s definitely going to be a quick one. Like I said, I like getting in and getting out. I know he’s a jiu-jitsu guy because the majority of his wins have been by submission. I’ve seen all of his fights but one so I feel like I’ve done my studying and know what I need to do. I just need to expose his weaknesses on the ground. I’ve seen a few of them and now I just need to bring them out there if it goes there. Other than that, it’s a no-brainer. I just want to stand and bang.

He’s a tall lengthy fighter. Does that play into your game plan at all as far as how you approach him versus other opponents?

Yes, definitely. Him being 6’2” at 145 would give problems to anybody but I think I’ve game-planned enough where his height will become irrelevant man.

Any last words before the fight?

I just hope everyone comes out and supports the show, Elite Amateur Combat. Big thanks to all my teammates, coaches, and the Fort Hood Combatives training facility. I look forward to putting on a show and letting people know we have talent out there in Fort Hood too. Also before we go, I want to give a special thanks to my wife. She is an awesome woman and has been with me through every training camp and always has encouraging words to say when I’m down. She diets with me and I’m pretty sure if she could be in the sauna with me for this weight cut she would. She is pregnant and has still managed to make every practice. She’s such an amazing partner and I love her for it. I couldn’t do this without her.

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