Eric Perez is a fighter we’ve featured here on the Filipino Journal. Last fight, he finished off Tony Bibby via rear naked choke, and that got him to the next level in his fight career. A title shot in a larger organization. I got a chance to catch up with Eric as he prepares for his championship fight.
Big Marv: You’ll be fighting for one of Canada’s bigger organizations in Wreck MMA, against “Relentless” Randy Turner? Can you tell us more about Wreck MMA and about your opponent?
Eric Perez: Wreck has a very good reputation in Canadian MMA. Their shows are always well run, they treat the fighters very professionally and I’m really happy to be a part of it. The venue for the event is in Ottawa, the Hotel Lac Leamy, is absolutely gorgeous. I’m really looking forward to getting in there and putting on a great fight.
I know my opponent is just as his nick name says, “Relentless”. He’s in his early 30’s, he has a military background and trains at a good club in Ottawa. From the fights I’ve seen of his, he seems to be very well rounded, durable and tough. Not outstanding in any areas but doesn’t seem to have any glaring holes in his game either. He was very active in the ring last year too.
BM: Without giving away too much of your game plan, have you been preparing for anything specific?
EP: I don’t ever really do anything different or focus on anything specific when I get ready for fights. I feel that if I’m in shape that I can beat anyone. The big difference for this fight is we had to prepare for an extra 2 rounds because it is a title fight. So, this training camp wasn’t a lot of fun and my teammates and coach really pushed me in the gym.
BM: Tell me more about this title fight…. what championship are you fighting for and what have you done to prepare to go Five Rounds?
EP: This is for the Wreck Bantamweight title. This is a pretty important title to hold as 2 previous holders of this belt, Ian Loveland and Nick Denis, are currently in the UFC. Away from the gym, I’ve done a lot more sprints and because I’ve been concerned about his strength I’ve been lifting a lot more as well.
At WAMMA we did more live rounds, I’ve doing 5 x 5 minute rounds for the past 8 weeks and I’m glad we’re done with it.
BM: How do you see yourself finishing this fight? Submission – choke? Armbar? Or Knock out – punches? Head kick?
EP: I have no idea, I know I will finish this fight I’m just not sure how. I think if the fight stays standing long enough I will be able to pick him apart starting with his legs like I do most of my fights. If we go to the ground I’m sure he hasn’t grappled with anyone like me at his club. I like high-risk, high-reward moves on the ground so I’ll definitely test him there. I’ll catch him in something he hasn’t seen or dealt with in the gym and then the fight is mine. He doesn’t seem like one to crack mentally or physically so I’ll really have a task on my hands in finishing this fight. Going 5 rounds isn’t fun in the gym, I’m sure it’s less fun in the cage so I’ll try to get it done in less than 3 rounds.
BM: Ok… now let’s pay the bills. Give a shout out to your sponsors.
EP: I’d like to thank Full Time Fighter, Tapout Canada, Gorilla Jacks and Snap Fitness, specifically the Pembina and St. Anne’s locations.
Eric Perez takes on Randy Turner for the Wreck MMA Bantam Weight Championship, April 20th in Ottawa, ON. To find out more about this event, and the organization, visit www.WreckMMA.com.
