HOUSTON, TX, July 25, 2012 – Up next for our Cage Combat 10 pre-fight interview is Chris Rivera of American Combative Systems (ACS) down in Webster.
The lifelong wrestler turned mixed martial artist made his debut this past May at Cage Combat 9 with a convincing first round TKO over Victor Lomax. Now after several opponent changes, he’ll look to continue showing the Houston MMA fight scene that he’s a force to content with in the flyweight division with one caveat – he’ll actually look to do so fighting up in weight against College Station’s Dat Nguyen.
No matter about the weight, he says. It’s time to bring the funk.
Interview – Christopher Rivera (ACS)
Well, I’m feeling pretty good heading into this fight. I’ve been boxing pretty much non-stop since my last fight. So I guess we’ll just see how everything goes come Friday.
What were you doing athletically before you decided to become a fighter?
I’ve been wrestling my whole life. My dad has been coaching for about 20 plus years now and he has pretty much lead me on a straight path to success MMA-wise. Besides wrestling; as cliché as this may sound for a fighter to say…. I grew up watching Bruce Lee. I inspired to kick and be just as fast as him one day, so that’s what I’m doing now. That’s kind of what led me here.
Wrestling is a tough sport. Did you have any rough moments?
I tore my LCL my junior year in high school when I just so happened to be ranked number 2 in the state for wrestling. It threw me back to square one after recovery. That was tough.
Who’s helped you transition into MMA?
My brother as well as Drew Ratichek have been huge mentors for me these last few years. They are the ones who have believed in me the most. My brother knows how I work existentially, and Drew knows how to push me physically. I’d say that’s all you need to be success in this sport.
Well I run probably more then what a normal human being should. I try to keep up with a collegiate cross country regiment with an average of about 65-80 miles a week. I’m not saying i hit 80 every week, but I get pretty darn close. During grind time for my fights I run in the morning, I run to practice, i run home, and then I run again.
What type of thoughts drive you in a fight?
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.” – Khalil Gibran
I think about this quote every time i have to put my game face on. I’m going to think about every human being who has tried to put me down these past years. I also like to think about those who have ever done me wrong. This is my opportunity to rid those people away from memory and thought.
Tell us more about your Cage Combat debut this past May. What did you learn from it?
I felt a little sluggish and slow to tell you the truth. I blame first fight jitters but iI think I’m over that. I’ve been competing my whole life and seen and competed on every level of competition from local to world-class. I made some mistakes in that fight that I’m not going to allow myself to make this fight. Other than that, I won my first fight the way I dreamt of winning it.
How have you improved since then?
I’m always working on my wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu but my striking is getting close to where i want it to be. Watch out now!
My opponent has changed a few times but I believe I’m fighting Dat Nguyen. Honestly I don’t want to know anything about him. I’m simply going to go into that cage next Friday and fight the fight I want to fight.
How does that end? Any predictions?
I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I honestly don’t like being in that cage so I make it my job to get out of there as soon as humanly possible. I’ll take the win any way I can get it. I give the fans my word that I’ll put on a show they can enjoy. After this I’m going to improve and improve. I want a belt more than anything. Fans should look out for Fabian Galvez coming out of the ACS camp too on this card too. That man is an animal.
Any last words before fight night?
Can’t wait. Time to bring the funk. OW!