He’s just raw and very real. He speaks matter-of-factly without prefacing his thoughts as they are vocalized. And he doesn’t care what anybody thinks about it.
“I’ve been a fighter all my life,” he says about days past when he trained as a boxer and kickboxer before naturally progressing into MMA. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I just love it.”
Fighting since 2006,
Sam won his first two in Saul Soliz’s Renegades Extreme Fighting shows before going on a three fight losing streak and taking a three year hiatus from the sport.
“You know how it is, we were all young, dumb, and full of *** at one point. That was just it. I was working in night clubs, partying, and not really worried about it (fighting) at all. I wasn’t doing it right back then. I was training for like a week before fights and just out there on pure balls. It’s a different level now. It’s a lot more professional nowadays.”
Still training with the same camp that he’s been with since those early days, Sam has maintained his loyalty but evolved in his training methods all while maintaining that same raw intensity he’s always tried to bring with him into competition.
“My camp is called ONE MMA Blood Lines. We were one of the first fight clubs here in Houston and we’re just like our name man, we’re just one. We’rea family, we take care of each other, and we whoop each other’s ass, let me tell you. We’ve got some good guys over here throwing down. Also I think Armando De Leon is one of the best coaches ever. Anybody can say what they want to say but I wouldn’t trade this guy for anyone in the world. We’re a good camp. We want real people, we don’t want no fake people. We’re all real over here.”
As for himself, Sam fights for the same reason he’s always fought.
“It’s for the love of the sport,” he says. “I look at Anderson Silva every day and would just love to get in there and beat the —- out of him one day.”
“I’m a striker. I love to stand and bang. Whoever wants to stand up and and bang with me… We can trade shots. If they want to take it to the ground, the fine, we can do that but we’ll eventually stand back up.”
As for his fight with Noel Ligon tonight at Immortal Kombat 2, he’s walking in without too much in the way of film study or research. He’s just focused on what he has to do.
“I don’t know anything about the guy (Ligon), you know. I just know he’s a fighter and he’s willing to get in there with me so I give him much props and good luck. That’s I have to say about him. I’m not God so I can’t say what’s going to happen but I know I’m going to get in there and fight, that’s for sure. Thank God for making me do this and my coaches for being there and supporting me all the way through both in and out of the cage. Thank you for the interview also. It’s going to be a good fight and I can’t wait.”
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