Matt Embree talks about winning the Journey Fight Series tournament as well as his future

Matt Embree recently defeated Josh Palmer in the finals of the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament. In addition to winning the tournament he also won the first ever WMC North American title. Embree took some time to talk to Muay Thai Authority about the win and what is next for him.

MTA: Matt you just defeated Josh Palmer this past weekend to win the first WMC North American title and the Journey Fight Series tourney, how are you feeling?

Matt: Feeling good. Glad that I won, a lot of hard work to get there. Not too happy with the way I fought, but it wasn't easy so I'm just going back to training and trying to keep improving.

MTA: Josh had quite a bit of size over you in that fight, did that present any issues in the fight for you?

Matt: It didn't really bother me too much in the fight. Josh is tall, southpaw and very good at using his advantages, so I tried to keep the fight at a range where I felt I would do better and avoid his weapons.

MTA: Going into the last round the fight was very close, you seemed to still be fresh in the final round while it seemed Josh slowed down in the later rounds. How were you feeling in the final round?

Matt: I was feeling tired haha but I just tried to press through it. I knew it was close, so I wanted to land solid shots, and try not to make any mistakes.

MTA: Once the fight ended were you pretty confident the judges were going to give you the decision or were you not sure who the fight would go to?

Matt: I thought I did enough to win, but I knew it was close. My trainer told me he thought it was mine, and I trust their judgment but you can never be sure with the judges.

MTA: What is your next move, you beat a great field of competitors, do you have your next fight lined up?

Matt: I might be fighting in China in December. I have plans to go back to Thailand now and stay for a while, but I'm not sure when.

MTA: You are one of the best North American fighters out there and your fighting above your normal fighting weight as of late, has that adjustment been difficult and do you plan on returning to the lower weight class or is 140 gonna be your permanent home?

Matt: I haven't really found it hard to adjust to 140 , I felt fresh when I fought and didn't really have to cut any weight either. I'm probably going to bulk up a bit and be a solid 140, or fight at a bigger weight class. If opportunity is there to fight at a lower weight class and I can make the weight then I'll fight there too.

MTA: Anyone in particular you would like to fight?

Matt: I just want to keep on fighting against solid fighters and work my way up to be one of the best.

MTA: Thanks a lot for the time and once again congratulations.

Matt: Thanks for the interview, and helping Muay Thai to get more exposure in North America.