Photo Credit: David Block (website)

BOSSIER CITY, LA, March 17, 2012 – We recently had a chance to catch up with Lake Charles, Louisiana’s Josh Quayhagen prior to his fight on the Bellator 61 undercard tonight in Bossier City, LA. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Josh, he is a veteran of both the Louisiana and South Texas fight scenes, fighting several times in Beaumont’s Texas Rage in the Cage promotion. He made his Bellator debut against highly-hyped striker Cosmo Alexandre in November and hasn’t looked back since, bringing his streak to 2 wins in a row versus Tyler, TX fighter Brenton Taylor this past November. Now he’ll try to make it 3 in row once again against Taylor after his original opponent Quaint Kempf had to pull out of the event due to injury.

Here’s what Josh had to say about this rematch on the eve of his second Bellator fight.

Bellator 61 Interview – Josh Quayhagen

Hey Josh. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us during fight week. How does it feel to be fighting for Bellator for the second time?

I haven’t fought in 4 months so I am pumped to be back in cage at all and especially to be back in the Bellator cage. My first fight for them was definitely the highlight of my MMA career and can’t wait to see how I have progressed since then. 

So you’re currently 2-0 afer a long amateur careeer. What would it mean for you to get this win against Brenton Taylor?

This fight is huge for many reasons but most importantly because it is the next one. It is my first fight as a contracted Bellator fighter so I plan to make as big of a splash as I can. I am fighting a tough opponent and it should be a great war, but I plan to keep gaining momentum in my career as I have continued to learn and improve at an even faster rate. The more I learn the more I want to learn. 

Speaking of learning, you learned about this fight when? How long have you had to prepare for this opportunity and how has camp been?

I have known I was fighting for about 7 weeks now. Though my opponent has recently changed I have focused my energy simply on improving myself in all areas. My camp has been tremendous, I opened my own Martial arts, fitness and athletic training gym about 9 months ago and since then have evolved all my training exponentially. I have a sports and fitness professional who concentrates primarily on developing things like punching power and stamina, closing the distance speed and explosion, and developing an extensive physical and mental sharpening regimen targeted around all aspects of MMA. I have also spent a lot of time improving my wrestling and BJJ skills. 

You were originally set to fight Quaint Kempf out of Dallas. What do you think of your new opponent?

My opponent is now Brent Taylor, who is a very good tough fighter who a great striker with some impressive take-down and ground-and-pound skills. I know this because he was my last opponent as well. I fought him back in November and he gave me a great war. I finished him late in the first round at about 4:40 mark I believe, but he landed some strong shots on the feet and ground after taking me down 3-4 times effectively. I have since worked on the holes in my game that I thought he capitalized on and I am excited to see how this match will go. 

Without giving away your game plan, is there a way you envision winning this fight again for the second time?

I try not to envision a certain outcome of a fight and instead take what my opponent gives me and attack accordingly. I have gotten into trouble as an amateur and at times against Brent the first time with using my weapons because I had them instead of using my eyes and just take what was given to me. Everyone makes mistakes so I plan find his and pinpoint it for a finish. 

What else do you have to say about Brent in particular?

Me and Brent have become friends since our last fight so I am excited to see him get an opportunity like this. I hate that is against me, but regardless I would wish him luck and safety and tell him “Let’s have some fun.” Knowing a little about the fighter Brent is, I’m sure he would smile and nod then get ready to battle.

Any last words for the Texas and Louisiana fight fans out there?

My last words to fans and friends around TX and LA would be thank you for your continued support, I have fought a number of times in TX and southwest LA and met some awesome people that have all taken part in getting me to where I am and plan to go. So I would just want show my appreciation for them. 

Anything else you want to add?

First and last always I would like to thank God and my savior Jesus Christ for guiding me through my down times in life and giving me an opportunity to share my passion and love with others through the gym and my MMA training and career. I get to do a lot of events talking to kids about being a “Peaceful Warrior” (our youth program) focusing on the truly meaningful things in life like caring, love and Faith in God, so I just want to give all the glory to Him and show my appreciation. If anyone is in or around lake Charles, LA, I would just like to invite them to come check our gym we have there. We are primarily fitness and have a number of awesome classes and about the friendliest staff and members you will find. It is an 8000 sq. ft facility and we have something for the whole family from kids’ karate to women’s body toning circuits to all sorts of Martial arts and MMA classes. It is Performance Evolution or PE as we call it, at 2015 Ryan St. #337.304.8227.

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