Josh Palmer defeated Mark DeLuca this past weekend to earn his spot in the semi-finals of the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament. Josh was kind enough to answer a few questions for Muay Thai Authority about his win, the semi-finals, and what he has coming up.
Josh: Yes, once I got the cut 1st cut and the 8 count on him, I knew he couldn't win, all I had to do was stay on my feet pretty much. That's why I backed off in the last round , I didn't want to hurt him anymore or risk making a silly mistake.
MTA: Knowing who you will be fighting in the second round in advance as opposed to the tournaments opening round, does your training change at all, and does it make it easier?
Josh: I will train hard for the semi finals and get stronger , its nice to know who I am fighting as it gives me something ( or someone ) to aim for.
MTA: In the second round you're facing Justin Greskiewicz, what do you know about him as an opponent?
Josh: I have seen a couple fights of Justin's, but only know what I have seen. I will just train hard and do what i do.
MTA: Across the board Coke Chunhawat and Matt Embree are fighting, either of them you would rather meet if you make it to the finals?
Josh: Like I said before, I don't look past the opponent in front of me, that would be foolish, one step at a time. Matt and Coke have there own fight to deal with , as do I.
MTA: Do you have any fights planned before the next round of the tournament?
Josh: I am scheduled to fight for a title in Ireland in April against Bad Company fighter James France form the UK. It's at 67kg (147lbs) which will be a much more comfortable weight to fight at.
MTA: As far as taking fights in-between the tournament are there any restrictions by the Journey Fight Series contract in order to protect their tournament?
Josh: I wont fight a month before the journey series , that is fair. They don't pay enough to restrict fights more than a month out.
MTA: You mentioned 67kg is a lot more comfortable weight. What is the major difference you notice when fighting at 67kg as opposed to 63.5kgs? Do you feel stronger, or is it just because the weight is a lot easier to make?
Josh: I walk around between 150 and 154 lbs, I can enjoy my training and life in general cutting to 147lbs which is easy. To get down to 140 I have to diet and restrict my food for a month to do it safely and have a strong fight. For now, I am not getting paid enough to make that sacrifice all the time. It's not a easy existence dieting all the time, but I do feel strong at 140 and have a big height advantage. If it wasn't Trevor Smandych and somebody else was organizing the tournament , I wouldn't have taken it, but because he is organizing it, and he is a good guy and knows Muay Thai, I agreed to it. I have had a lot of fights where my opponent was MUCH bigger than me, like 90 kg (198lbs) French fighters or a lot of the time a Thai that was more than 15 lbs heavier so I know what its like to fight bigger guys. So I don't see a problem is with me as long as I make weight . If you agree to take a fight, then don't complain, just do your job and fight.
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