HOUSTON, TX, April 9, 2012 – The last time undefeated Gracie Barra flyweight Ricky Turcios (3-0) walked into the cage at the Legacy Amateur Series, he walked in as a young man looking to realize the dream of becoming an MMA champion. He did just that by beating Ryan Hollis in a spirited contest this past January to make him the promotion’s 125 lbs. champ. Three months later and he’ll be defending that title for the very first time against Garcia Promotions’ former 125 lbs. champ Jacob Silva (4-2).
Both fighters are sure to be hungry for a win when they hit the cage this Saturday night. Silva will be looking for his third win in a row after beating James DeHerrera and Hugo De la Fuente while Turcios will be looking to solidify his status as champ after three straight victories of his own.
We recently caught up with Ricky to discuss this title defense and everything else leading up to this fight.
Legacy Amateur Series 8 – Ricky Turcios (Gracie Barra – The Woodlands)
Ricky, start off by introduce yourself to the newer fans. Tell them a little bit of your history in this sport.
My name is Ricky Turcios, I’m 18 years old, and I’ve loved fighting ever since I was a little kid. As a little boy I grew up playing a lot of Street Fighter, watching a lot of Dragonball Z, and even watching a lot of the old school UFC fights from back in the day. I guess those are some of the things that really sparked my interests into fighting. My journey in this sport is barely getting started. I’ve only been fighting in the cage since May of last year. My most recent fight was in January against Ryan Hollis. It was a long, hard fought battle. I was able to use my wrestling to take Ryan down and attack from top position. Ryan was a tough guy though & very active off his back. I wasn’t expecting him to be as good as he was off of his back. He wasn’t able to submit me though and I was able to secure the victory and become the new Legacy Amateur Series Flyweight Champion that night. When I compete in anything I don’t like to be in second place and I don’t like to lose period. So when I made the transition into MMA I set it as one of my goals that I would eventually become champion and be #1. That night I had reached that goal and got the belt that I had been wanting for so long. Now that I’m champion it motivates me even more because I know that I have what everyone else in my weight class wants.
Besides fighting, what other things are going on in your life at the moment?
Most of my day I spend it in the gym to be honest. When I’m not training I’ll usually just be relaxing and enjoying life as a young teenager. Hanging out with friends, playing video games, taking my girlfriend out on dates, stuff like that. I just graduated from high school last year. So I decided to take a year off before I start college in the fall to just focus on what I love to do and that’s fight. Honestly, the majority of my time I spend training. I don’t like to dilly dally and waste my time if I’m not doing anything else important.
What influences do you think mattered the most in helping you become who you are in life?
I think the biggest influence in my life that has made me into the person I am today is my dad. He is definitely the biggest motivation in my life. He’s the one who introduced me into martial arts when I was still young. I remember growing up as a kid my dad and I use to hit pads in the garage together. He would call out combos and I’d follow them. I’m very glad he got me into fighting at such a young age. My dad is also one of the greatest motivational speakers I know. His words never fail, and they always tell the truth. Growing up my dad was very very tough on me, but in the end it helped give me the champion attitude I have today. He taught me to always be smart, humble, be strong mentally & physically, and to never ever give up. I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do today without the influence of my dad.
What are some of your goals in the future – both with fighting and outside of MMA?
Here are some of my goals for this year; beat Jacob Silva in devastating fashion this Saturday and keep MY belt. After this fight I might take a few months off to put on some more mass and make a move up to the 135lbs weight class. I want to win the 135lbs belt by the end of this year then remain undefeated and win the Legacy contract at the end of the year so I can make my pro debut in 2013. As for goals outside of the cage – I want to start college in the fall, and major in something with computers and also philosophy.
Rewinding back a bit, tell us about that fight to win your title. What was it like?
My camp leading into my last fight last January was definitely the best training camp I had ever gotten before a fight. I was getting 2 to 3 sessions in everyday. Working with the best wrestlers in Houston at Klein Oak, and working with my great training partners here at Gracie Barra North Houston. I didn’t ignore any aspect of my game last camp and I feel like it really showed in my fight. I beat Ryan standing up and on the ground. I didn’t feel in danger really during any of the fight except for a few submission attempts Ryan had. He was extremely active off of his back which was surprising. But in the end it was my wrestling that did the trick and what ultimately won me the fight. After the fight I felt great and definitely could have gone 2 or 3 more rounds if I wanted. My cardio was not an issue last fight and it won’t be an issue this fight. Heading into my title defense in April against Jacob Silva I feel very confident. I’ve had a great camp preparing for this fight and I feel more ready than I’ll ever be. I know Jacob is training hard, but so am I.
Tell us about camp for this one. Any high or low points?
This camp in particular has been great and I feel great. But it didn’t start out great. I usually do an 8 week training camp leading into a fight. But at the very beginning of camp I suffered an abductor injury in my leg that put me out for a few weeks. I had also gotten really sick. I had lost a lot of time in the beginning of camp; it was actually very very discouraging. I was actually beginning to think that I wasn’t going to be able to fight in April anymore. But… it’s not my style to give up. After my abductor finally healed and I wasn’t sick anymore I was right back into training. I knew I had already lost a lot of time, so it was now or never. I had to go balls to wall and train my butt off for the last 5 weeks I had left. Which is exactly what I did. Losing all that time from the injury did scare me at first, but then I realized that it only fueled my fire even more and gave me that motivation to push harder for the last few weeks that I had left to train. I’m 2 weeks out from fight time and I feel amazing. Everything is feeling sharp. My technique is on point, my cardio is great, and my mind is in the right place. Anyone can take the easy road out and say “no I don’t want to fight”. But I chose to challenge myself and do what any true warrior would do. Never retreat, never surrender. Come April 14th, I will remain the Legacy Amateur Series Flyweight Champion and I’m keeping MY belt.
Any thoughts on your opponent?
I’ve seen Jacob fight quite a few times, and I’ve also seen a lot of tape on him. He’s a good fighter and he brings a lot of dangerous attributes to the cage. He’s very quick, active, athletic, and has great cardio. I feel my skills are a lot better than his though. I feel that my striking will be cleaner, my wrestling will be crisper, and my jiu-jitsu will be sharper. He is definitely my toughest opponent yet, and the biggest test of my young career. But I like a challenge and I’m looking forward to locking horns with Jacob Silva come April 14th. It’s funny; I’ve actually been asking Legacy to give me a fight with Jacob ever since my first fight last year. I remember asking them to give me Jacob when I was making my MMA debut but that didn’t happen. Then I asked Legacy to give me Jacob after he beat Manny Lozoya but that didn’t happen. Then finally Cage Combat matched me up with him…. but I got a title shot with Legacy against Ryan so I had to turn the fight against Jacob down. Now finally after a year I’m getting the fight that I’ve been asking for and I’m really excited. The two best flyweights in Houston are going to square off in a few weeks and I can’t wait to take this challenge on.
How do you predict the outcome?
I plan on finishing this fight. I had a lot of critics talking a lot of noise about my last fight. I don’t like that. This time I can’t leave any doubt in anybody’s mind that I am the best. That’s what this fight is about. This is to see who really is the best flyweight in Houston and I take that very seriously. Come April 14th I need to leave no doubt in the people’s minds that I am the best. I have to beat Jacob in devastating fashion. I know he’ll probably take that I said that very personally. It’s nothing personal; I just want to be #1.
Those are some strong statements. Do you have any for Jacob specifically?
You want my belt….come try and take it.
Any last words before Saturday?
First I want to thank God for all that he has blessed me with. I want to thank my mom, dad, little brother Ryu, my girlfriend Anna, and the rest of my family. I want to thank all my friends who have been there for me and supported me through everything. I have way too many to name but you all know who you are. You guys motivate me so much and give me so much strength and I couldn’t do this without ya’ll. I want to thank all my coaches and training partners. I want to especially give a special thanks to my friend and coach Alex Morono. He helped me so much during this camp by motivating me, setting up all of our team MMA sessions, and making sure everyone is doing what they are suppose to be doing. He’s a great team leader and none of us from the MMA team could do what we do without him. So thanks again Alex. Last, thanks again TXMMA.com for taking the time to give me this interview. Much love.
