In an exclusive interview with BJPenn.com’s Pedro Carrasco, Strikeforce middleweight contender Joey Villasenor took the time to express the focus he has locked in on his upcoming opponent in Ronaldo “Jacarae” Souza”. When asked about his pre-fight conditioning and weight cut Villasenor replied..

“I’m in great shape and I feel great man. I will cut anywhere between 11 and 13 pounds. I fluctuate pretty easily but I’m usually waking up about 97 or 98.”
When asked about his opponent and Jacare’s legendary grappling skills, Villasenor showed great respect for his fellow combatant.

“I have nothing but respect for Jacare for him and what he has done for MMA and grappling. It’s a great opportunity for me to compete against one of the best in the world and it’s one of those tests that you don’t get as often as you’d like. I’m very excited about it.”

Historically known as a slugger and toe to toe tradesman, Joey knows that there are dangerous waters when treading with the likes of Jacare. When asked about his gameplan, the Jackson Team middleweight had this to say.

“There is no doubt about it that I love to stand up and exchange punches. Jacare is one of the best on the ground so it’s one of those classic matchups. He has shown improvement on his feet and it’s just one of those fights where it’s going to be a war wherever it goes. I’m going to fight my kind of fight and that’s my game plan.”

Futher more insight to his strategy, Villasenor revealed he has invested his time on the mat to prepare for all facets of Jacare’s game.

“We have done the best we can to try to practice working back to our feet. When you go into a fight like this with someone who has the credentials he has and you don’t have a gameplan you don’t deserve to be competing in MMA. It’s really hard to mimmick someone who is that good but we have done our best and we’ll have to see what happens on Saturday.”

A win over Jacare should place Joey Villasenor right into center focus for a title shot. He has long been considered one of the best in his weight class but with a recent 11 month layoff due, Joey knows that win in this situation will open the doors he so badly wants to open.

“A win over Jacare puts me right in the title line. This should be the contender fight as far as I’m concerned. Robbie is coming off a win over Manhoeff and before that he lost to Jake. On the otherside of the coin if Jacare wins this fight he should be fighting for the title. I’m not apart of the business end…I’m just a blue-collar fighter but I think it’s a no brainer that this fight should determine the number 1 contender.”

One of Villasenor’s classic matchups came against Robbie Lawler. In that fight Villasenor found himself on the short end of Lawler’s famous power as he suffered a knockout defeat. The two men were scheduled to meet in the now defunct Elite XC but the fight never materialized in the post-Kimbo aftermath. When asked how he felt about the possibility of facing the Midwestern slugger down the road, Villansenor replied…

“I would love to face Lawler again. Robbie is someone that I totally respect and I call him a friend. When you fight as long as I have you are run across some bad days. I’m focusing on this fight with Jacare but I’m always thinking about my fight with Lawler. You want to fight the best and when you look back at your career you don’t want to think that you didn’t give it all you had, didn’t push it, didn’t pursue fighting the best or laid low. I want to compete against the best of all time and I know in this division there is not going to be any easy fights.”

When asked about the afore mentioned layoff and the potential of ring rust setting in Joey had other thoughts.

“Ring rust is not a concern for me. I’m not concerned about that. I have not taken any time off and I train with great fighters. I’m not worried about physical ring rust, it’s mental preparation for the fight that matters. You have to focus on how you are going to perform and going out there and executing your game plan. I feel prepared and my game has come a long way and I’m excited to perform”

Joey Villasenor trains at the premier camp in all of MMA at Greg Jackson’s in Albuquerque New Mexico. When asked if the famous mentor and guru would be in his corner for the fight Joey said…

“Greg and Mike will be there and it’s another day at the office. I fell like I’m right back at home. With the two captains right there it is going to make it that much easier to keep focused to go out there and play hard.”

One of the biggest assets that makes Greg Jackson’s team so noteworthy is the star-studded line-up of MMA’s elite who compile a roster that is a veritable “who’s who” in MMA. With names like Evans, Jardine, Marquardt and Carwin it isn’t hard to understand why some of the best fighters are churned out of this gym.

“It’s very humbling and it’s great to train with these guys. Some kid grow up on the poor streets of Albuquerque and east L.A. What a dream come true. To have a great team, a great coaching staff and to be where I’m at compared to some of the things I’ve seen is nothing short of a miracle. To me they are my brothers, they are my teammates and I realize how awesome it is to train with the best in the world. Bottom line it’s just incredible.”

When asked if Villasenor had a prediction about the fight he continued to show respect to his opponent.

“The only prediction I can give is that two guys that want to win, who don’t want to lose and have trained very hard are going to war. I’m honored and I’m excited to face such a formidable opponent. “
Before parting ways, Joey Villasenor took the time to thank BJPenn.com and send a heart felt shout-out to his friends, family and fans.

“First off I want to thank my family…they are always closest to my heart and in my thoughts always. My friends, my teammates, Jackson’s, my sponsors Lethalperformance.com. Kelly Tekin’s conditioning in Albuquerque, Tapout and Fairtex. These guys have always stood behind me, I really appreciate them, God Bless and thanks for your support!”

- By Duane Finley, MMA News contributor for BJPENN.COM.