UFC 131: Joey Beltran: "I Feel That I'm the Last of a Dying Breed"

After dropping two straight bouts, Joey Beltran, a self-proclaimed realist, realizes that his upcoming match at UFC 131 has major implications on the future of his career in the UFC.

Despite losing his first professional match in February 2007, Beltran would go on to win 10 out of his next 12 fights—including a win over Houston Alexander in early 2010 — en route to being invited to compete at UFC 109 against Rolles Gracie.

After finishing Gracie in the second round of their match, Beltran notched a unanimous decision victory win over Tim Hague at UFC 113 in Montreal.

In his third contest in the UFC, Beltran took to the Octagon to take on Matt Mitrione. In a match that was awarded Fight of the Night honors, Beltran, after three rounds of action, would go on to fall short against Mitrione—dropping a unanimous-decision loss to the man they call “Meathead.”

On Jan. 22 of this year, Beltran, at the UFC’s second Fight for the Troops card, was pitted against Pat Barry—a former K-1 kickboxer and current UFC heavyweight contender. Despite holding his own for the better part of three rounds, Beltran would go on to drop the decision against Barry.

Currently, Beltran, in what will be his fifth bout with the promotion, is set to take on UFC-newcomer Aaron Rosa at UFC 131 on June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Joey Beltran about, among other topics, coaching, staying humble and his future—both inside and outside the sport.  

Were you involved in any martial arts growing up?

I did boxing on and off, but it was mostly just putting on the gloves and fighting with the neighbourhood kids. A lot of times, we would go around the corner and finish it in a street fight [laughs]. I did boxing early on when I was little and then I started wrestling in junior high.

What drew you to wrestling?

From an early age, I liked the one-on-one competition. I liked the feeling that I got from winning.

Was wrestling a way for you to keep out of the street fights, too?

A little bit—a  little bit. The crappy part—well, not the crappy part—but I wanted to wrestle for my team in junior high, but I had bad grades. I would go to practise for the first three weeks and then grades would come out and I’d be kicked off the team—that really motivated me.

When high school came along—and I wasn’t a star by any means—I made sure that I did enough to be eligible.

What inspired you to try your hand at mixed martial arts?

I remember watching the early videos—I had UFC 2 on video and I had one of Tito Ortiz’s first fights on VHS—and I always had it in my mind that I could do this. When I was 19 years old, I said for the first time that I was going to fight for money.

People kind of laughed at me back then. It was always in the back of my head, but I didn’t start thinking that it could be a reality until I was about 25.

Did you believe when you started that you would be capable of achieving what you’ve achieved so far?

Yeah—honestly, I did. I knew that I had the desire, the mentality. I gave myself three years to make it to the UFC—or to make it into a big show—and I actually made to the UFC eight days shy of my three-year limit. That was pretty cool.

So, another eight days and I wouldn’t be talking to you right now?

Pretty much [laughs]. I’d probably be working construction with my relatives.

Do you ever think about how your life may have ended up had you not taken the mixed martial arts route?

Oh, yeah, man—all the time. That’s why I train so hard. I really feel blessed. My late teens and my early 20s were really, really wild, you know? There were a lot of dark days and nights. Sometimes I sit and reflect and thank God that I made it out alive. I know mixed martial arts, training, everything, has really saved my life.

Did you ever think that you would be afforded so many opportunities in your life?

When I got into it, I always said, “Worst case scenario; I’m going to get in shape, lose weight and get healthy.” And then the wins just kept coming, and I started getting better. Training with people in the UFC—I was training with Jason Lambert, Eddie Sanchez—and I was doing okay in practise.

I hooked up with the Alliance MMA team and started training with elite fighters like Brandon Vera, and I was a little starstruck. And after a while, I realized that I could hang with these guys. It became more and more of a reality as I progressed.

I always stay humble; I work hard—clock-in, clock-out—and I’ve treated it as a job. I make sure that I put in six hours, five days a week—and it’s paid off.

Have you always had this workmanlike approach to the sport?

In mixed martial arts, yes. In life [laughs], no, not so much. I’ve had so many jobs growing up over the years — I always had it in my mind that this isn’t what I was supposed to be doing.

I’m not supposed to be a telemarketer or a car salesman or selling perfume out of a box in the mall’s parking lot, you know? If my boss or supervisor—whoever it was—ever got an attitude with me, I would just quit. I was like, “Whatever. I’ll get another minimum wage job tomorrow.”

It wasn’t a big deal to me, but once I found MMA and have started living my passion—I just jumped head-first into it.

Now that you’ve accomplished a fair bit in the sport, how happy are you that you decided to take the MMA route?

Like I said, it changed my life. I couldn’t be happier. I distinctly remember the day when I was 25 and I was wondering if I would graduate college, but I decided to jump right into MMA and I started training.

Do you feel that you’ve really found your calling?

Definitely. I think it led me into my real calling; which I believe is going to be coaching.

How long have you been interested in coaching for?

I’ve been teaching classes for almost three years now.

Do you feel that teaching makes you a more proficient fighter?

Oh, yeah. When you have to break down moves, you see it from a different perspective and you say, “Oh—that’s why I wasn’t getting it.”

I’m pretty unathletic, so I have that workmanlike approach, because that’s what I need to succeed; I have to grind it out. I don’t have that much explosiveness or even that much power; I’ve got to grind people out. I’m a lot better of a coach than I am an athlete.

How often do you teach?

About nine classes a week over five days.

Is that ever too much?

No because that’s what I do; I train. I’m pretty good financially—shout out to Matt Mitrione [laughs]—I was smart with my bonus money and I spread it out, so I have been able to train full-time, make a bit of money as an instructor and live a comfortable life.

What does fighting in the UFC mean to you?

I think that when I get old and look back on it, I’ll think that it’s pretty cool, but I try to not think too much about it. I’m sure it’s really cool for my family and friends, but I try to not let it enter my head too much.

I just think that I’m fighting and it just so happens that 20,000 people are going to be watching it—it’s still a fight. It’s the same as when I was fighting in Indian casinos with the Gladiator Challenge.

I try to not make much out of the fact that I’m in the UFC, but I’m when I’m older, I’ll look back—with the pictures and the videos — and it will probably be pretty cool.

Have you had this outlook since entering the UFC?

Yeah, definitely. It bugs me when people say, “This is Joey—he’s an ultimate fighter and he fights in the UFC.” I don’t like when people say that [laughs]. If you’re going to say that, please say, “This is Joey—he’s a mixed martial artist.” [Laughs]

[Laughs] Do you feel at home in the UFC?

Not so much. If I win this fight, I’ll feel a little better about signing autographs and that type of stuff, but the fact of the matter is I’m a realist. I’ve had two straight losses and I’m pretty close to getting the boot if I don’t get my act together.

I don’t like the whole “UFC fighter” as a title, but maybe if I win this fight and win a couple more than I’ll feel a little more comfortable about going out into the community and signing autographs [laughs]. Like I said, man; I just keep that humble, blue-collar work ethic.

Is it ever difficult to stay humble?

No, not with my family around [laughs]. They’ll constantly remind me that my life is still my old life; I’ll still get yelled at by my mom. I love it, you know?

How are you feeling going into your upcoming fight?

Health-wise; I’m not injured at all. I’m a little bigger and a little stronger, but I feel faster and more explosive than I’ve ever been. My camp has been great; going into a fight camp at the same time as Travis [Browne] has been great.

Being in the gym with Travis, the competitive juices would be flowing and we’d swap hits or he’d beat me up one day and I’d beat me up the next. We were going back and forth, and it just made for an awesome atmosphere in the gym.

How much better do you think you will be this weekend than when we last saw you?

It will be a night-and-day situation; people are going to say that I’m not the same fighter that fought Pat Barry or fought Matt Mitrione. Or—and this is the worst-case scenario—I go out and street fight and win Fight of the Night [laughs].

It’s not that big of an issue if I go out and fight like ‘old Joey,’ but I really feel—with my mentality and where I am in my heart and my spirit—that I’m going to put on a show.

What problems do you feel Aaron poses to you?

I think Aaron Rosa is a little bit like myself; he’s going to be coming forward and he’s going to be ready to fight — it’s almost like fighting myself on Saturday night. I’m just going to have to break him and I know I can do it.

He’s been stopped a couple times and I think that says a lot. I’ve never been stopped and I’ve faced some big, tough, strong dudes and he’s been stopped against 205-pounders.

I’m not disrespecting 205-pounders and I’m certainly not disrespecting Aaron Rosa, but the mathematics are right there. I’m a lot bigger than a 205er — I’m a lot heavier — and I’m going to put it on him.

Do you think you could make it to light-heavyweight?

I could — if I starved myself over a long period of time — but I’m starting to finally grow. I feel like I’ve finally hit puberty [laughs]; I’ve got some more weight in my legs and my ass. I’ve really, really hit the weight room; I hit the strength and conditioning program really hard after my last fight.

That’s another thing; after my last fight, I didn’t go to my room and cry about losing — I was back in the gym on literally the next Monday.

What was it that got you to the gym so soon?

Knowing that I was that close to beating Pat Barry. Getting that close against a high-level striker; a K-1 level striker, was a great feeling. And more than just surviving; going out there and, at times, putting it on Pat Barry — I knew that I was so close.

I said to myself, “If I get another chance, I’ve got to destroy whoever they put in front of me — I have to.” And I will.

What did you take away from your last performance?

Before the Pat Barry fight, I had the mentality that I had to respect my opponents; these are UFC fighters — they’re the best in the world — and I can’t go in there and just walk through people like I used to on the regional circuit.

After the Pat Barry fight, I’m convinced that I can; if I go out there and put my fists on my opponent’s chin, it’s going to hurt — I will have success.

Overall, would you say that your last bout was a positive experience?

Oh, yeah, man — yeah. The coverage, the fans, fighting on the main card for such a huge card and the respect that was gained from that performance — even with a loss.

That’s the great thing about MMA; if you lose in boxing then you lose, but in MMA, if you lose — but lose in a good fighting-spirit — then you’ll still get a lot of love from the fans. It’s been awesome so far.

Do you have a prediction for how next weekend’s bout is going to play out?

I don’t have a prediction, but I’m going to win; whether it be by knockout, submission or decision — I’m going to win. There’s not a doubt in my mind.

What would a win at UFC 131 mean to you?

It would mean a huge sense of relief for me and I’d be able to sit back, take a deep breath, and be able to go back into the gym and just continue to work to get better.

I want to win for my fans and my family and my friends and my students and everyone that’s stood by me — they all deserve a win. We all deserve a win and I’m going to go out and get it for us.

Assuming you win, where do you see yourself in the division?

[Laughs] I’m at the bottom of the barrel, man —I  know that. Everybody always asks me, “Why aren’t you fighting those guys?” I’m like, “Man, I’m just lucky that I have a fight.”

I’ve got to get back in their good graces. I’m working on putting together a nice little win streak. I’ll be better prepared to answer that question after two or three more fights and we’ll see where I’m at in the rankings.

What do you feel you can accomplish in this sport?

If I keep getting better — with my work ethic and my ability to avoid taking punishment — the sky is the limit for me.

How does that feel?

It feels awesome, knowing that I can take a shot and keep coming back; but I don’t want to keep proving that point [laughs] — I can take your best shot.

It opens up opportunities; if you’re not afraid of getting knocked out, you can be more aggressive and let your hands go. But, like I said; it’s not my goal to prove to everyone that I can take your best shot, you know?

What would you be satisfied with when you’re done with fighting?

I’d be satisfied with 20 wins — 20 solid wins — with the majority of them coming under the UFC banner. That would be great.

Have you thought about what you might like to do when you’re done fighting?

Yeah, I definitely want to continue coaching. But I don’t want to coach professional — or even amateur — fighters; I want to coach kids. I feel that MMA is going to be the biggest sport in the world, so I think that there’s definitely going to be a market for that — an all-kids gym.

I think there will eventually be all-kids leagues; like youth baseball or Pop Warner for football — there are going to be kids MMA leagues. I don’t know if they will be kicking and punching each other in the face, but some form of it; like pankration-style. I would rather give someone a solid foundation — impact them in their early years — than try to deal with, sometimes, the drama and head-cases that are involved in MMA [laughs].

How big do you think the sport can get?

It’s going to be the biggest sport in the world — it’s only a matter of time. It’s grown so much in the last five years, and I can’t imagine how much it’s going to grow in the next five.

How does it feel to be a part of this sport?

I feel very lucky that I came up at the same time that the sport was growing, so I could get in there. Realistically, I feel that I’m the last of a dying breed [laughs]; the last of the tough guys. I feel that the super-athletic kids — and I can see it in my classes — are really going to take over in the sport.

These kids are ridiculous athletes that may have been playing football or baseball in the past, but they're into MMA so much that that’s their main sport right now. We’re going to have a generation of kids that grew up learning MMA as a sport, and those kids are going to be the ones that are freaky.

Like I said, within five, six, seven years, it’s just going to be a whole new breed; there’s going to be a bunch of little GSPs running around.

How exciting is that for you?

Well, as a fan it’s exciting, but as a fighter, I hope that I’m done in there by the time those kids get in there [laughs].

[Laughs] Have you thought about how you’d like to be remembered when your fighting days are behind you?

I just want to be remembered as, maybe not the guy with the best technique or the best style, but someone that was willing to stand and bang with whoever it was in front of me and someone that always fought with my heart and left it all out there for the fans.

Why do you fight the way you do?

I don’t know, man. It just comes from the inside. I just feel, once again, that I’ve got so many people that I’m fighting for and I feel like I’m fighting with them on that night and I just can’t let them down. I would never lay down for them. I just feel like I’m fighting with so many people on my back.