Joseph Valtellini (@BazookaJoeV) defeated Mehdi Baghdad last weekend at Muay Thai in America "In Honor of the King" by unanimous decision. It was an exciting fight from start to finish that displayed Valtellini's crisp combinations and toughness. Vatlellini took some time to answer some questions for Muay Thai Authority about his victory over Baghdad.
MTA: Big win this past weekend against Mehdi Baghdad at MTIA: In Honor of the King. How are you feeling after that fight?
Joseph: Thanks MTA. I feel really good after this win. With all the media and attention surrounding the MTiA event, and having other top fighters from around the world there, I really wanted to put on a great performance. Mehdi is an experienced opponent, and this was a great win to keep pushing my career forward. I really wanted to end 2012 on a high note and carry that momentum in to the new year.
MTA: You really attacked Mehdi's legs, was that the game plan all along or something you saw was available during the fight and just kept taking advantage of the opening?
Joseph: I don’t really like creating game plans. Fighters are constantly evolving and improving, so you never know what to predict. My coach trains me to let things unfold in the ring. I had a general idea that the leg kick would be there, but when I found my timing with it early, I kept taking advantage of it.
MTA: It seemed you were ahead on points when in the 4th round he landed an elbow that opened you up. You started bleeding quite a bit, what was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw the blood?
Joseph: I knew I was winning all the rounds when I got cut. I just had to block out the bleeding and stay focused on what I had to do to keep winning the rounds and the fight.
MTA: The fight was stopped so the doctor could take a look at the cut, did you think it was going to be stopped?
Joseph: I really didn’t know how bad the cut was. Even the smallest of cuts can bleed a lot. But I didn’t think the fight was going to be stopped. It wasn’t really affecting my vision and I was still landing my combinations. I have a great corner, that stopped the bleeding, and I was able to come out and win the 5th round.
MTA: You always want to improve as a fighter, when you are done with a fight how much time do you spend dissecting a fight to see where improvements can be made?
Joseph: It’s actually hard to remember details after the fight. When I receive the footage, I will sit down with my team and see what I did right and what I could have done differently. I train all year long, so I’m constantly improving all aspects of my game.
MTA: What's next for you now?
MTA: You really attacked Mehdi's legs, was that the game plan all along or something you saw was available during the fight and just kept taking advantage of the opening?
Joseph: I don’t really like creating game plans. Fighters are constantly evolving and improving, so you never know what to predict. My coach trains me to let things unfold in the ring. I had a general idea that the leg kick would be there, but when I found my timing with it early, I kept taking advantage of it.
MTA: It seemed you were ahead on points when in the 4th round he landed an elbow that opened you up. You started bleeding quite a bit, what was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw the blood?
Joseph: I knew I was winning all the rounds when I got cut. I just had to block out the bleeding and stay focused on what I had to do to keep winning the rounds and the fight.
MTA: The fight was stopped so the doctor could take a look at the cut, did you think it was going to be stopped?
Joseph: I really didn’t know how bad the cut was. Even the smallest of cuts can bleed a lot. But I didn’t think the fight was going to be stopped. It wasn’t really affecting my vision and I was still landing my combinations. I have a great corner, that stopped the bleeding, and I was able to come out and win the 5th round.
MTA: You always want to improve as a fighter, when you are done with a fight how much time do you spend dissecting a fight to see where improvements can be made?
Joseph: It’s actually hard to remember details after the fight. When I receive the footage, I will sit down with my team and see what I did right and what I could have done differently. I train all year long, so I’m constantly improving all aspects of my game.
MTA: What's next for you now?
Joseph: This was my last fight for 2012, so I’m excited for the new year and the new challenges ahead. I don’t have anything booked as of now.
MTA: Is there anyone in particular you would like to fight?
Joseph: There is no one in particular that I would like to fight. I want to continue taking fights with opponents with more experience and keep working my way up to the top. It has motivated me and my team to keep training hard and to keep improving. I would like to keep fighting international opponents and continue representing Canada and North America.
MTA: Any words for your supporters?
Joseph: The support that I have received for this fight and the entire year has really been amazing and I can’t thank everyone enough for it. I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing, positive and supportive people. I’d like to especially thank my coach Paul Minhas, my main teammates Troy Sheridan and Matt Speciale, my strength & conditioning coach Costa Kladianos at Tempus Performance, my family, friends, and my entire team at Ultimate Martial Arts (Team Ultimate). I’d also like to thank Nathan and Muay Thai Authority for the interview and their dedication to helping promote North American Muay Thai.
Keep up to date about my career and what’s next by adding me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (@BazookaJoeV).
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