“It’s the first time I’ve ever taken a fight on short notice so I think it’s a good challenge for me. Short notice is never the right time but I’m glad as I was going to be in Houston anyways so I get this opportunity to see if I have what it takes. Besides, this is what we fighters do. Back in the old times in another age, somebody would call you to go to war and you couldn’t just say you weren’t ready. I’m pretty sure nobody cared about that. They might have even called you a coward or put you to the gallows if you refused to go so you went when you were called. I kind of feel the same way about this sport. I’m a fighter, they called my name, and now I’m ready for duty and to do what I have to do.”
Perhaps even more impressive than this testimony of courage (fighting a dangerous opponent like Harris on one-week notice) is the fact that Talavera has chosen to do this fight for FREE.
Inspired by the effort of longtime Elite MMA teammate Frost Murphy and his own Legacy FC 9 opponent Chop Rucker, Ricardo has decided to jump on board by donating his own fight purse to non-profit HeartGift.org. “Providing funds so that a kid can get the surgery he needs so he can go on living is much more important that some extra money in my pocket,” he says about the gesture. “I do this for the fight. Having the opportunity to also contribute to something good with good people is an added bonus.”
“Adding to that, my wife is kind of excited about it. My last two fights she was very pregnant at home in Pittsburgh so she wasn’t able to come down and watch me fight. I’m excited that she’ll be here because for me, she’s kind of like my lucky charm. Last time when she wasn’t there I ended up losing the decision so I’m glad she’ll be there at the Arena Theater to give me some good luck. I truly feel stronger anytime she’s with me so that will help a lot.’
Rebounding from Controversial Split Decision Loss
“The more I watched the fight afterwards, the more and more I got disappointed in myself. Of course a loss isn’t the way you ever want to go and the decision was what it is but I was disappointed in my performance anyways. I fell short of what I was supposed to do because I wasn’t able to submit Rashon like I wanted to. I couldn’t capitalize and that was the main thing. Then at the end of the fight when they read the decision and the 30-27 score, it was kind of like a slap in the face but hey, what are you going to do? I just had to put it behind me and keep on fighting. That’s done now.”
Moving on to his next opponent, Ricardo will be entering the cage with the admonition of knowing he’s going to be in there for the fight of his life.
“Jonathan Harris is a tough fighter,” he says matter of frankly about his upcoming opponent. “He goes out there and swings. I think he’s definitely a fighter with KO power so you have to respect that. On the other hand, I have my own strengths so if he’s going to try and knock me out then he better do it quickly because I’ll go down to the ground and put him to sleep if I have to. Unfortunately, my coach Rodrigo Junqueira is out in Brazil right now for Christmas and it’s the holiday season so I couldn’t exactly just tell everyone to pick up and travel down here but I’m fortunate to have the guys at Elite MMA here to support me. This is where I started so I know I’ll have a good corner.I really appreciate all the support the fans in Houston have given me. It’s not just my fight but a lot of great fights going down on Friday night with Legacy Fighting Championship 9 so tune in and enjoy the show.”
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