MCKINNEY, TX, March 22, 2012 – Rounding off our interviews for the Bellator 62 event being co-promoted by BFC and Ultimate Warrior MMA, we speak to XKO 135 champion and Legacy FC veteran Steven Peterson about his upcoming fight with Chris “Lionheart” Jones.

Coming into this fight with a 6-1 record, “Ocho” has long been regarded as one of the top prospects in the state ever since he started fighting as an amateur in 2008. Turning pro just two years ago, Steven has risen up the ranks but has found it a challenge finding fights as of late with his most recently scheduled bout in DFW being cancelled just earlier this month. For him, that may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he now gets the opportunity to fight Jones down in Laredo, TX after picking up this fight on short notice just two weeks ago. Texas MMA fans can count on this clash between the two DFW prospects to be a ‘fight of the night’ candidate when they hit the cage tomorrow night, he says.

See what else he has to say about the fight and his future in this, his TXMMA pre-fight interview.

Bellator 62 Pre-Fight Interview – Steven “Ocho” Peterson (NDMMA)

Thanks for talking to us so soon before your fight Steven. I know you’ve had a couple of potential fights not come to pass in the past few months. How does it feel knowing you’ll finally be fighting again this Friday?

It’s such a relief to be getting back in the cage! I’ve been busting my ass for the past 6 months and I’ve had multiple fights cancelled on me. I’m just happy to get back in there, and the fact that it’s for Bellator just makes it that much sweeter.

What’s the deal with that? I know this is your second fight for them. Is this where you’ll be for the foreseeable future provided you win this one?

Bellator is one of the top promotions in the world! I’d love to stay with them for a while, but the ultimate goal and my dream is to fight for the UFC and I plan on making that happen as soon as possible. I do not want to fight in the Bellator tournament due to the fact that elbows are illegal until the finals… but I’d be happy to stick around and fight in their non-tournament bouts.

You’re taking this fight against Chris Jones on short notice, is that right?

I’ve known about this fight for the past 2 weeks but I’ve been training hard for the past six months so you can count on me being in “fight shape” and more than ready for a war!

What else have you been doing in your downtime? How’s that kid of yours?

Man, great question. I’ve got a ton going on right now. Aside from the most important fight of my career thus far, my fiancée and I will be closing on our new home near the end of this month and we are getting married on June 16th. My son Keison is doing great! He is now almost 7 months old and he’s been coming to the gym with me every day. He’s been watching me train since he was 6 weeks old! I want him to see what hard work is all about, and he being there helps me push myself harder than ever!

Back to this fight with Chris, what do you think of him as an opponent? How does it feel to fight another DFW guy all the way down in Laredo?

Chris Jones is a tough opponent and should be a good test for me. That being said, I think I will be a good test for him as well. We are both 6-1 and we are both Champions for XKO. Him at 155 and me at 135. I think it’s perfect that we are meeting in the middle at 145; I’ve seen this fight coming for a long time. Each of us has the tools to finish the other; it’s just a matter of who can impose their game plan on the other come Friday. I do think this is going to be an awesome fight for the fans though. You can count on this one being Fight of the Night!

How do you envision this fight playing out?

I always envision me finishing the fight! I play it in my head hundreds of times in the weeks prior to the fight. Every time is different, but for this fight I see a lot of KO’s and TKO’s. We are gonna go in there and bang! And I see someone getting knocked out!

Any last words for your opponent?

It’s been a long time coming…Let’s do this!

Anything else you want to add?

2012 is the year Steven “Ocho” Peterson blows up on the national scene! It won’t be long until my dream becomes reality and you see me on PPV in the UFC! I want to thank my coaches, J.D. Shelley, Arjan Carlos Moreno, Dave Masi, and John Lawson. Also I’d like to thank my sponsors: 5 Star Grills, Last Round Nutrition, Fear Tapping Out, Mr. Sweets, Granite Masters, JustBreakIt.com, MMAfanfair.com, Crossfit 380, and Lewisville Boxing.

Don’t miss this fight! Watch Live on Spike.com 6pm Friday March 23rd! That’s this Friday!