DALLAS, TX, August 13, 2012 – As many of us can attest to, the only constant you can usually rely on in this life is change. In the often volatile world of mixed martial arts, it’s exactly the same thing. One minute you’re up, the next you’re down, then back up again. Like a wise man named Rocky Balboa once said, “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
For Legacy 13 combatant Steve “Ocho” Peterson, it’s that whole moving forward thing that he’s relying on to push him through this next fight against Octagon MMA’s Matt Hobar this Friday night.
A lot has happened for him in the past year-and-a-half.
In his personal life he’s settled down through the blessings and trials of marriage and caring for a young child – his first.
As for his fight career, he went undefeated in 2011, finishing the year off with 4 victories including a title win, subsequent defense and a big win on national TV as part of Legacy 8.
After waiting several months for an expected title shot that never arrived at Legacy, he instead took on another high profile fight on short notice at Bellator 62, losing by split decision to Chris Jones to kick off 2012.
Recently switching camps from NDMMA to Gracie Gym, he’s now looking to get back to his winning way against Hobar, an undefeated prospect looking to make waves of his own.
Here are his thoughts headed into his shot at redemption this Friday at the Dallas Convention Center.
Interview – Steven “Ocho” Peterson (Gracie Gym)
Steven, how are you feeling right now heading into your upcoming Legacy fight on Friday?
Give us a rundown on your MMA career so far and life outside the cage for you.
Well, I’m 6-2 as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Not to make any excuses, but both of my losses are close decisions that I took on short notice and against tough opponents. One at 145 and one at 155. I’ve fought at 135, 145, and 155 as a pro and am undefeated at 135 and hold the XKO Bantamweight title. The proudest moment of my professional career so far is when I defeated (then-undefeated) Alex Russ early in the first round for my (XKO) bantamweight title defense. This validated me as a champion and silenced many critics. Outside of my fighting career, I’d describe myself as a loyal husband, a loving father, and a driven entrepreneur.
You seem pretty motivated right now. What’s driving you to succeed?
My son is my biggest motivation at this point. I bring him to training with me every morning and he just hangs out and watches his dad do what I do best. He pushes me past the breaking point and I just can’t let him down. I need to show him that hard work pays off and I have to win this fight.
Looking at Legacy 13, how do you feel about your matchup with Matt Hobar?
What else have you been doing to get ready for Matt?
In preparation for this fight I’ve completely revamped my training routine. I moved on from North Dallas MMA and am now doing jitz at the new Gracie gym in Frisco with Professor Marcus Neuenschwander. I also added some wrestling and boxing at USA martial arts in Frisco and I continue to practice Muay Thai with Arjan Carlos Moreno.
How you visualize yourself winning this fight?
I’ve envisioned this fight many times in my head and I always come out on top. This time I see me stuffing a few of his takedowns, him getting frustrated and him walking into a hard right hand and taking a nap.
If you had to give last words to Matt Hobar before Friday what would you say to him?
Any last words Steven?
First I’d like to thank you Mike for this interview, you always do a standup job. I’d like to thank my Beautiful wife Amanda Peterson, and my son Keison Peterson for giving me the inspiration to do what I do every day. I want to thank my coaches; Arjan Carlos Moreno, Professor Marcus Neuenschwander, and Dave Masi. And I can’t forget my sponsors; Last round nutrition, Crossfit 380, Gracie Gym Frisco, Granite masters, 360 Chiropractic and wellness, USAA Martial Arts, VIP Mouthguards, Logostars.com and JustBreakIt.com.