Those are the words of Brett Ewing ahead of his upcoming fight versus Raynaldo “Ray” Rodriguez June 21st at Pharr’s Pride of the Valley 2.
As a native of Dayton, Ohio transplanted to Austin, TX just within the last couple of years, Brett already has quite the background in Mixed Martial Arts, finishing up with an 8-0 amateur record before moving on to the pro ranks in 2011. His pro record (all contested in PA and OH) currently stands at 3-3 heading into his Texas debut but if it were up to him it might as well say 0-0.
He’s looking at this one with a renewed sense of mind.
“I’ve been eating, sleeping and focusing on this fight since January,” says Brett. Training with Paragon BJJ Austin and Austin Muay Thai as his Texas base, Ewing decided in March to make the move to Coconut Creek, Florida to train with the vaunted American Top Team squad led by Ricardo Liborio and Conan Silveira.
“I’ve lived 2 miles from the gym since March and have spent every waking moment preparing for this fight. I wake up, eat a healthy breakfast, drink liters of water and put my body to the grind stone at one of the best martial arts academies on the planet. I’ve been putting my skills to the test against world class fighters, and getting fine-tuned by top notch coaching in every discipline.”
As for his opponent at Pride of the Valley 2, Ewing seems to have a healthy amount of respect but he’s certainly not lacking in confidence either.
“When I think about this fight I get excited like a kid waiting for Christmas! It has been too long since I’ve stepped in the cage I can’t wait to get in there. Ray is a ‘do or die’ type of fighter with scrappy boxing and some impressive submissions. I like his style – he goes out to finish opponents and put on a performance. I respect his skill set and the passion he brings to the crowd. I would say that I’m probably going to be the bigger, stronger fighter who is able to dictate the pace and range of the fight. Ray has the ability to finish but I will have more powerful strikes and my pace won’t slow a bit from the 1st to the 3rd round. If he isn’t in the best shape of his life, it will be a short fight. I see this fight either ending violently in the 1st round or we put on the Fight of the Night performance.”
Fighter Acknowledgements
“Thanks to my wonderful girlfriend who takes excellent care of me, helps with my training and keeps me on my diet. I have a great family and close friends who support me also so thanks to everyone in Ohio and Texas. I would like to thank Paragon BJJ Austin and Austin Muay Thai for preparing me for this next level in my career. Also huge thanks to American Top Team in Coconut Creek FL for helping that become reality. My sponsors OnnIt.com creators of Alpha Brain, Intimidation fight wear, BJJ Legion, Usanna supplements and Haberanddash.com custom men’s suits and shirts.”- Brett Ewing