August 25, 2024, 3:40 PM
August 25, 2024, 3:40 PM
A few hours after making his UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) debut, José Daniel Medina spoke exclusively with EL DEBERin telephone contact from Las Vegas, United States, where on Saturday night he faced local Zachary Reese.
The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Obviously he was not happy with the result, He lost by unanimous decision of the judges, but drew positive conclusions from his fight against Reese.
How does your first UFC fight leave you feeling?
It was a fight like we thought it would be. It was going to be dangerous. I knew my opponent was going to come out with everything from the start, but we weathered the storm. Then my punches came and we connected with him as well. In the third round we came out strong thinking we were going to beat him, but he knocked us down to recover and that is part of the game, it is not prohibited, he did it and I was able to knock him down too.”
Your opponent has a reputation for knocking out his rivals in the first round…
We knew he was going to do that, but I moved well and I felt good. The people at the UFC congratulated me and at the end of the day that’s what matters to me, having your organization and obviously winning is important and I’m close to it, I’m going for it, I don’t think I made my family, my team or my country look bad.
In the third round it seemed like you were close to knocking him out…
I always said that the third round was going to be my round, that we were going to win it, we were very close to victory, I was close to victory, imagine being close to winning in the UFC, I have to keep going.
How many more fights does your UFC contract guarantee you?
For now I will have two or three more fights in the UFC, depending on my performance, but in that sense I am calm, because they did not knock me out, I put on a show in the UFC, I went from initially being my third fight to my fifth, that is a lot to be promoted on the card, that means that they trust in your performance and I showed everyone that I can do well.
What are you going to do now?
I think I’m healthy and if so I’ll do my paperwork, I’ll be in Bolivia for three or four weeks and I’ll improve my wrestling again, because I have wrestling, but it’s a different thing at the level I compete in, I have to keep improving, imagine what I can improve with another six months of work, then we can talk about victory.
Is it clear where you will continue your preparation?
The thing is that I’m still not sure about the situation. I have to travel to Bolivia, rest, and I have to talk to my family to tell them what I think. Maybe a sponsor will appear to support me and with that we can look for something better. We don’t have contracts like soccer players who even get paid for their house. I have to analyze it again and see what will happen. I’m sure it will be something good.
How much can your situation change if you get a sponsor?
If there is a sponsor, I will look for a better department, a better private wrestling teacher and so many things that can be done and that only I am handling internally for now. The important thing is to leave the country to improve.
Did you feel that there was a lot of support for you in Bolivia?
Yes, I felt the support of the people this time. I don’t know how things will be now with the defeat, but nobody has ever supported me, they have never given me anything and whether I have support or not, I still have to keep going. This sport is so raw and ugly, but at the same time it has its nice things, that’s why I like it. I hope you liked the show I gave and how I represented my country.
Not only was there support from afar, despite being a visitor you also had encouragement from the people in Las Vegas…
All the gringos were really crazy from the moment I came in because I did it with the song La Bomba by Azul Azul. From that moment on, the audience went crazy, because they play it at the end of the clubs and people got excited and started dancing.
What happened in Las Vegas must have been an unforgettable moment for you in sports?
Super unforgettable, the best thing would have been the victory, there was nothing that told me I was going to lose, but now it’s time to rethink things and talk to the family, but what is certain is that what is coming is not in Bolivia.
