5 Questions with “Smokin Joe” Joey Villasenor

Joey Villasenor was in the ProElite.com forums today and I had a chance to ask him a few questions.

"Smokin Joe" recently stepped in as a replacement to take on Phil Baroni at the upcoming Debut of "EliteXC CBS Saturday Night Fights" after Murilo "Ninja" Rua was forced to withdrawal from the bout. Joey’s bout will appear on the televised portion of the May 31 fight card.

Villasenor is coming off of a brutal first round knockout over Ryan Jensen at the March 29 StrikeForce event.

Joey is part of an amazing team at Greg Jackson’s Training Camp which includes the likes of Keith Jardine, Nate Marquardt and Rashad Evans to name a few. He always comes prepared and May 31st at EliteXC should be no different.

5 Questions with Smokin Joe:

RedSweat: Can you explain what your very first MMA bout was like for you?

Joey: My very first bout, is like euphoria and disbelief, you live in the moment. All athletes have a sense of what I’m talking about.

RedSweat: What is your training regimen when you are not preparing for a fight?

Joey: I usually take 2 weeks off after a fight. I usually do heavy lifting to put on some size. And I train 5 times a week.

RedSweat: Who was your toughest opponent ever?

Joey: Toughest opponent? I would like to say Ninja. He brought a lot of heart. You don’t have to be technically the best fighter, but if you got a lot of heart, you make a tough fighter.

RedSweat: In your opinion, who is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?

Joey: Pound for pound fighter in the world? A draw between St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. Right behind them would be WEC Miguel Torres.

RedSweat: Where do you see yourself in 10 years, explain?

Joey: 10 years, that makes me 42, hopefully retired and looking back and appreciate what I’ve done. I hope to be an assistant coach. I would love to be still fighting, but I know if my body can handle that. Randy Couture is a great athlete.