Knuckle Down Episode 2: Joey Beltran
Hello and welcome to the second edition of ‘Knuckle Down’! I’m your host Josh and today we have a massive guest as our guest today is the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion, Joey Beltran! Joey, how you doing?
Joey: I’m doing well just chilling.
Josh: So my first question is, how does it feel to be the BKFC Heavyweight Champion?
Joey: Honestly not much has changed in my day to day life but it was an awesome experience bringing the titles home to my Mom’s house and taking photos with her and seeing her face light up. However to me, I’m just the same dude I was before I need to continue to get better because the opponents are going to be on a higher level now. So I’ll be ready for whoever I fight next.
Joey: I’m doing well just chilling.
Josh: So my first question is, how does it feel to be the BKFC Heavyweight Champion?
Joey: Honestly not much has changed in my day to day life but it was an awesome experience bringing the titles home to my Mom’s house and taking photos with her and seeing her face light up. However to me, I’m just the same dude I was before I need to continue to get better because the opponents are going to be on a higher level now. So I’ll be ready for whoever I fight next.
Josh: Sounds awesome, in your last fight you became heavyweight champion, what can we expect from your next fight?
Joey: Just continuing to improve my style regardless of who is in front of me. I haven’t heard anything as far as opponent. I’ve been told tentatively the April 11th show is my return but I haven’t received any form of bout agreement.
Josh: I never even knew there was a card on April 11th but I’d imagine that would be your first title defence? Do you know who that would be against or is it too early to know?
Joey: I haven’t heard anything yet.
Joey: Just continuing to improve my style regardless of who is in front of me. I haven’t heard anything as far as opponent. I’ve been told tentatively the April 11th show is my return but I haven’t received any form of bout agreement.
Josh: I never even knew there was a card on April 11th but I’d imagine that would be your first title defence? Do you know who that would be against or is it too early to know?
Joey: I haven’t heard anything yet.
Josh: Do you have a preference of opponent? The Sherman rematch? Gabriel Gonzaga? Or somebody else entirely?
Joey: I’d like Gonzaga but I’m unsure of his status with the company. At this point I don’t care who it is I’ll smash them!
Joey: I’d like Gonzaga but I’m unsure of his status with the company. At this point I don’t care who it is I’ll smash them!
Josh: That would be a great fight if it could happen. I want to spend a little time about your MMA career, is a return to the cage something you’ve got planned for 2020?
Joey: I definitely expect to make at least one return to the cage/ring in Russia. I went out last year and had a great experience, won impressively so they want me to come back. I’m not sure of the promotion, but both times I made the trip out there were good experiences.
Josh; Looking forward to it, how did you end up doing bare knuckle fighting and what got you into it?
Joey: I thought I was done fighting back in 2016. Then was going through rough times and took a last minute fight in Russia VS Sergei Kharitonov for some really good money and I actually ended up having a really great fight and I lost a decision but it let me know that I definitely still had gas left in the tank so I started training full-time again or trying to at least. For whatever reason I was not having any luck finding a fight on the regional seen in Southern California so I was stuck in a hard place I had a record that was barely above 17 wins and 15 losses so I was obviously going to be a tough fight for any local talent but the big promotions were basically through with me. Then one of my old coaches, Eric Delfierro from ALLIANCE MMA asked me if I would consider doing bare knuckle because they were in the process of signing rowdy Bec and they could use another heavyweight fight on the card. So I took a chance and did it and I won the first fight and it rejuvenated my career and I’m happy I took a chance.
Joey: I definitely expect to make at least one return to the cage/ring in Russia. I went out last year and had a great experience, won impressively so they want me to come back. I’m not sure of the promotion, but both times I made the trip out there were good experiences.
Josh; Looking forward to it, how did you end up doing bare knuckle fighting and what got you into it?
Joey: I thought I was done fighting back in 2016. Then was going through rough times and took a last minute fight in Russia VS Sergei Kharitonov for some really good money and I actually ended up having a really great fight and I lost a decision but it let me know that I definitely still had gas left in the tank so I started training full-time again or trying to at least. For whatever reason I was not having any luck finding a fight on the regional seen in Southern California so I was stuck in a hard place I had a record that was barely above 17 wins and 15 losses so I was obviously going to be a tough fight for any local talent but the big promotions were basically through with me. Then one of my old coaches, Eric Delfierro from ALLIANCE MMA asked me if I would consider doing bare knuckle because they were in the process of signing rowdy Bec and they could use another heavyweight fight on the card. So I took a chance and did it and I won the first fight and it rejuvenated my career and I’m happy I took a chance.
Josh: What was your thoughts when you were asked? Did you view it as a ‘last chance’ type thing or just an opportunity?
Joey: It was an opportunity to be a part of something historical.
Josh: And how do you train for Bare Knuckle fighting? How do you condition the knuckles before a fight?
Joey: I just train like a normal boxing match, and I go opposite of conditioning I baby [powder] my hands so that the night of the fight is the first time they collide with hard surfaces and they are strong and rested.
Josh: You were street fighting at a young age, would you say that experience helped you in BKFC? I’m not saying a street fight 20 years ago helped you prepare for Tony Lopez but were your fights in the street beneficial to the ring?
Joey: Honestly I would say so. Just the prior experience of the impact of bone on bone and having done it so much really helped.
Josh: Yeah from an outsider, it seems like you have to have the experience of being punched in the face to be able to compete. My final question for you is what’s your goals for 2020?
Joey: Go undefeated 4-0 , with 3 title defenses and 1 MMA victory.
Josh: I wish you the best in achieving those goals. Thank you very much for being the second ever guest on ‘Knuckle Down’! It’s been an honor talking to you champ and hopefully we can do it again some time!
Joey: It was an opportunity to be a part of something historical.
Josh: And how do you train for Bare Knuckle fighting? How do you condition the knuckles before a fight?
Joey: I just train like a normal boxing match, and I go opposite of conditioning I baby [powder] my hands so that the night of the fight is the first time they collide with hard surfaces and they are strong and rested.
Josh: You were street fighting at a young age, would you say that experience helped you in BKFC? I’m not saying a street fight 20 years ago helped you prepare for Tony Lopez but were your fights in the street beneficial to the ring?
Joey: Honestly I would say so. Just the prior experience of the impact of bone on bone and having done it so much really helped.
Josh: Yeah from an outsider, it seems like you have to have the experience of being punched in the face to be able to compete. My final question for you is what’s your goals for 2020?
Joey: Go undefeated 4-0 , with 3 title defenses and 1 MMA victory.
Josh: I wish you the best in achieving those goals. Thank you very much for being the second ever guest on ‘Knuckle Down’! It’s been an honor talking to you champ and hopefully we can do it again some time!
