In an ongoing series of interviews, I take a real world view of what it takes to make it to the big time in fighting. It's a behind the scenes look at the training, the toil, and the passion. It's the challenge of setbacks and the moments of joy. It's why fighters fight and what makes them keep going. It's the road less traveled
Jose "The Fresh Prince of Kendall" Caceres is an MMA fighter currently training at American Top Team in Kendall Florida and fighting for the CFA. After starting his career with 3 wins, he's dropped his last 3, one buy split decision and one by DQ for an illegal knee to a downed opponent. Some fighters may be frustrated or down about that kind of turn of events. Some fighters, however, are not Jose Caceres. I sat down with him to discuss his career and his fight today at Bank United Center in Coral Gables and found him engaged, crazy passionate, and ready. Check it out!
SWD: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today.
JC: Thank you. It's my pleasure.
SWD: How's this training camp going and what have you been focused on.
JC: This camp is going well. I have a great team around me. My coach, Manolo Lopez, my brother [UFC fighter Alex Caceres], Yoislandy "CUBA" Izquierdo and the other thing is to be at ATT Kendal. The key component is to have a solid game plan, not just go out there and go crazy like I've been doing in my last 3 fights.
SWD: Speaking of that, you have a unique style when fighting. You're very intense, but at the same time, your enthusiasm and movements are almost like you're playing. You're doing some crazy Kata's in the middle of the fight, which also makes you unpredictable. Tell us about that style and what you're trying to do to adapt that energy?
JC: It's just like you said it, energy. I'm just trying to make it as playful as possible. I notice when I take it to series or make it not a game, physically I'm weaker. If I make it a game, I become more powerful. Absorbing hits or hitting back, there's no fear. It's just what it is. It's just a fight.
SWD: Your last fight against Shaun Dillon, you were, in my opinion, winning and then you had the illegal knee. It didn't seem malicious to me, but more like over enthusiastic, as though you were just so pumped up. Is that true and is that the type of thing you're talking about when you speak of managing that energy?
JC: Yes! Yes I am because I get too excited. Everyone wants to see me fight. They say they like my unpredictable style. Then I always hear that you've got really great knees, so I try and please my fans and in this case, I got overzealous and it ended up with a DQ because I wasn't paying attention. I also didn't train right for that fight. I had a soft camp. I was in and out of different gyms and didn't prepare well enough. But now, I'm at a gym with my true family
people like my brother and Manolo. People I started off with in the beginning.
SWD: I know you've been working on your striking with Manolo Lopez and for your last fight, you had trained with some different people for striking. Why are you back with Manolo and why back to ATT.
JC: I was training at Evolution. They kept trying to mold me into a fighter that I wasn't. It was very standard, throw your punch, turn your fist type of training. I have a different body type and a different type of energy. That turned me off from the gym and for that fight. And another thing is I fight at 170 and I took that fight at 180, which is not my weight.
SWD: Yeah, you're kind of light for that. Are you ever that heavy?
JC: When I'm really training hard and on a strict regimen, I'm never close to that weight. 170 is my natural weight when I'm training hard.
SWD: Most guys your size at 6'2" would dread the weight cut to 170. You're walking around at 168 when you're two weeks out from your fight. Are you trying to gain size so that you can cut at fight time and then fight bigger, say at 180 or 185?
JC: I'm trying to do it as natural as possible. I'm cutting the weight where it feels healthy. At 185, I know my neurons are not firing as well, my brain is not as sharp, and my body won't react as quickly. I want to be as close to natural as possible as a fighter. I can gain size, but I could be sacrificing my energy.
SWD: What's better about training your striking with Manolo?
JC: With Manolo, man, he's very basic. He's seen me at my best and worst. He knows that I just need to be me and develop a game plan. If I have full confidence in my kicks, then he wants me to train kicks. Every fight is going to be different, Stuart, so I don't know what I'm going to do with this fight. Actually, I do know what I'm going to do, but I'm not going to tell you.
SWD: Really?
JC: Really.
SWD: (Laughing) I thought we were tight.
JC: Yo, we are tight, but I can't tell you that.
SWD: You have a strong wrestling background, but you're more focused on submission grappling now. Compare that to a typical wrestler.
JC: I really don't have a definition of that. It's just my style, although I've heard that term before. I started off doing wrestling and Jiu Jitsu at that same time as a sophomore in high school. I would be in a wrestling match and I would pull guard and I might lose the match, but I would learn from it. To me, it's like being aware of what a wrestler can do too, but being able to apply a submission at that moment.
SWD: So it's a hybrid of wrestling and Jiu Jitsu.
JC: Yeah.
SWD: You started your career with 3 submission victories and then 3 losses in a row. But still, one of those was a split decision and the other was the DQ. What do you need to do different right now to get back on track?
JC: My first loss, I got arm-barred and I'll never forget that. I was too cocky for that fight. I underestimated him and I didn't train. A big part of this sport is conditioning. You've got to train. You have to push your body to the point where you're crawling out of that cage or off that matt.
SWD Are you there with this camp?
JC: Yes, I am. It's the best camp I've had. But I've also had the opportunity to teach twice a week and it's been a refresher for me. Take for example an arm bar. I know how to do an arm bar, but when you teach, you start to pay attention to detail more. I go over things that I might normally miss as far as the little tweaks and techniques. Being able to teach is a huge plus in helping me to grow into a bigger and better fighter.
SWD: Like many fighters trying to make into a bigger stage, you still have to work full time, you have a daughter on the way, and a lot more responsibility now because of that. How hard is it to train, work, and have a family? How big is that challenge?
JC: Like you said, it's a challenge, but I'm living it right now and so I can't tell you how hard it is. I'll tell you right now it's easy because I think positive. I work full time, I do my training camp, and I train other people.
SWD: Why do you fight? What got you into it and why are you still doing it?
JC: It's an art, man. What got me into it is basically it's a mixture of things. It's from my brother starting to fight and I watched it on video and that hit some emotions that I didn't know I had. He made it look so artistic. I'm an artist. I play guitar and I paint. I like the fact that it's an art. It's not just fighting, it's a beautiful thing.
SWD: What are your goals with fighting? Is it just to do it while you can and as long as it's fun or is it more than that?
JC: The truth is I want to be a master. I want to be known henceforth as Shifu Jose Caceres. I want to teach and share it with everyone. To be able to step into the cage and translate the art is just a bonus.
SWD: Let's talk about your opponent, Kamaru Usman. He's 1-0 with a strong wrestling background as well. However, his victory was a KO, so you know that he's got some skills there and you also have to respect the fact that he trains with the Blackzillions. How do you match up with him and how much do you know about him?
JC: It's a great matchup for me. We're about the same age. He's got a wrestling background. What I know about him is not much. I've seen some video. I know he's strong. I can't wait to toss him in the cage. But it's not going to be with words, it's going to be with our art. So were going to see who's more beautiful at that time.
SWD: Are you looking to come out and impose your will or see what he gives you and capitalize from there?
JC: I don't know. I don't know, man
depending on the presence. It depends on my emotion at that time. It could depend on the song I came out to.
SWD: How much is your reach and flexibility an advantage and have you learned to truly use it?
JC: I definitely do have an edge in the striking zone against Kamaru, I believe. Me and my Lord knows that I throw straight punches and I throw from the heart. I've got some secrets and some stuff in my head. My Lord will not let me go down. I'm not going to get knocked out by this dude for he does not have the power. He does not have the truth.
SWD: Any predictions for the fight?
JC: My prediction for this fight is I'm gonna patty smash his face.
SWD: Say that again?
JC: I'm going to patty smash his face. I flip burgers at Five Guys. I smash ground meat all day and I've got that form, that wonderful beautiful form.
SWD: Oh my god, you aint right. Is there anything else that you would like to share with our FightHype.com readers?
JC: I heard they call him Kush. You know what I think about Kush?
SWD: Tell me.
JC: I break it up, I roll it up, and then I smoke it up until it's a little roach. Then I get that little roach and I break it up and I put it in my bowl and I make it disappear.
SWD: Can I print that?
JC: You got it, man.
SWD: Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
JC: You got it Stuart.