By TXMMA Staff // Felix Rodriguez
Texas State student and burgeoning MMA fighter seeks to test skills at Legacy Amateur Series 17
‘The Spider Monkey’ is barely beginning his fighting career and martial arts journey altogether having less than three years of training under his belt. The Austin resident will be representing Gravity Fight Club and Team Ronny Lis when he faces Jason Hawkins (1-2) at Legacy Amateur Series 17 on July 16th, at the Austin Convention Center.
Moore doesn’t know much about his opponent and is focusing on “fixing the holes” in his own game. He described Hawkins as a fighter with a “boxing background [and] some wrestling thrown in there.” If that is the case, ‘The Spider Monkey” would be wise to use his long reach and lanky 6’2 frame to stay away from his shorter opponent’s strikes, in order to close the distance and bring things to the ground where he can use jiu-jitsu, his bread and butter.
Moore is a young prospect who is still developing a full skill set. His style remains a work in progress, “I definitely have my go-to moves and ways, but I really feel like I am still molding my style. I do not want to be a one-style fighter or even a two-style fighter. I want to learn as much as possible and be well rounded in each style,” said Moore.
He views this fight as an opportunity to get more cage time and acquire some much needed experience. “Right now I just want to learn. I took this fight because I wanted to compete again. My last fight ended really quickly and I did not get to experience much of what being in the cage feels like. I am really focused on completing college so after this fight I will be taking a hiatus and focusing on my studies, [but] I will still be active on the Jiu-Jitsu circuit.”
Win or lose this will be the last time fight fans get to see Moore step into the cage for a while because once school begins his focus will shift towards earning a college degree. Dez wants to fight because he likes to, not because he has to. He sees a college education as a means to attain a “well paying job,” but believes that he’ll “most likely have already returned to MMA fighting by that time.”
If the saying “hard work pays off” is true then Dezmond Moore is putting in the hours to reap life’s rewards for both him and his family. ‘The Spider Monkey’ wants to make his parents proud and help provide a future for his siblings. “I really want to provide them with the easiest childhood as possible that allows them to grow up into successful human beings.” For a “big kid” it is safe to say that Moore is already wise beyond his years.
Fighter Acknowledgments
I have tons of people to thank. First, I want to thank my teammates and coaches at Gravity FC. We have six fighters fighting this weekend, five at Legacy so it has been an active camp, but those are the best. I cannot forget all the guys at Team Ronny Lis either. I would like to thank my family, friends and supporters. It is cliché, but I could not do it without any of the members of #TeamDez. I would like to thank my sponsors Wu-MMA, TXMMA.com, Dent Busters, BiJou Studio, Pathway to Fitness, Hill-Bert’s Burgers, and ASLChoice. I have to thank my teammate and brother, Joe Karnavas. He has done so much for me these past two months and I am definitely grateful for that. He is fighting this weekend as well. Keep a lookout for him; his fight will definitely end in exciting fashion. A big thank-you to all the people at Legacy that gave me the opportunity to fight. I am definitely excited. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my girlfriend for being my biggest support system this camp. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram too, @DezWeNeedMoore.