Dallas-born Randy Villarreal is on Chapter 1 of his MMA journey. He’s just 1-1, obtaining his very first pro win last May in a South Texas Fighting Championship event. Despite just one win on his professional fight record, the 23-year-old mixed martial artist makes no bones about it. His goal is to be a world champ in the WEC, and soon.
“I see myself in the WEC next year and a world champ in a few years,” Villarreal says. “If you are not fighting to be the world champ, then why are you fighting? I see myself in their flyweight division if they ever open that up.”
Courtesy of Texas Fighting SyndicateRandy Villarreal, who will fight at Steel Cage 3 next month, hopes to become a WEC world champion someday.Before Villarreal, owner and head instructor of Texas Fighting Syndicate out of Burleson, can conquer the WEC, he first has to face another DFW up-and-comer, Ryan Benoit.
The 135-pound Villarreal faces fellow bantamweight Benoit at Steele Cage 3 in Frisco on Aug. 6.
Villarreal, who will also be representing Genesis Jiu-Jitsu at his upcoming bout, is certainly not overlooking the dangerous Benoit, who sports a 2-1 record. It’s quite the opposite. He seems to realize the difficulty of his upcoming challenge, and that is what drives his motivation.
“He’s from Saekson’s camp,” Villarreal says. “He’s got good Muay Thai and wrestling. I respect him and I respect his camp. I know he’ll be my toughest fight. That’s what excites me about it.”
Despite just one victory as a pro, Villarreal feels he learned a lot from that win that will prepare him for Benoit and, for that matter, all of his upcoming opponents. All MMA fighters get the last-minute promoter calls at one time or another; it’s just something that fighters grow accustomed to dealing with, at least early on in their careers. Even vets, like the UFC’s Chris Leben, have to embrace quick turnaround times every once in a while. Villarreal was introduced to that unavoidable reality in just his second professional fight. Although taking on a fight at the last minute makes it more difficult to properly prepare for your opponent, Villarreal feels that his recent experience has truly equipped him to deal with whatever comes his way.
“I took that fight on about two weeks' notice,” Villarreal states. “I trained hard in those two weeks. I got ready pretty fast. That’s just what happens in local MMA. Promoters will ask you to take fights in the last minute, and you have to be ready to step up. My win taught me to get ready for a fight very quickly. I’ll never turn down a fight. I train non-stop, so I’m always ready for a fight.”
His fight on the Steele Cage 3 card is likely the biggest fight of his career. But despite that fact, he’s a fan of the sport at heart and is eager to fight for Steele Cage and to meet up with the “Iceman.”
“Steele Cage is a great, well-run organization,” Villarreal says. “And I’m very excited that Chuck Liddell will be there. It’s going to be a great show for the fighters and the fans.”
Villarreal, who considers himself a well-rounded fighter with a jiu-jitsu base, doesn’t mince words when he describes how his fight with Benoit will end.
“I see my hand raised, winning via submission,” he said.
“I see myself in the WEC next year and a world champ in a few years,” Villarreal says. “If you are not fighting to be the world champ, then why are you fighting? I see myself in their flyweight division if they ever open that up.”
Courtesy of Texas Fighting SyndicateRandy Villarreal, who will fight at Steel Cage 3 next month, hopes to become a WEC world champion someday.The 135-pound Villarreal faces fellow bantamweight Benoit at Steele Cage 3 in Frisco on Aug. 6.
Villarreal, who will also be representing Genesis Jiu-Jitsu at his upcoming bout, is certainly not overlooking the dangerous Benoit, who sports a 2-1 record. It’s quite the opposite. He seems to realize the difficulty of his upcoming challenge, and that is what drives his motivation.
“He’s from Saekson’s camp,” Villarreal says. “He’s got good Muay Thai and wrestling. I respect him and I respect his camp. I know he’ll be my toughest fight. That’s what excites me about it.”
Despite just one victory as a pro, Villarreal feels he learned a lot from that win that will prepare him for Benoit and, for that matter, all of his upcoming opponents. All MMA fighters get the last-minute promoter calls at one time or another; it’s just something that fighters grow accustomed to dealing with, at least early on in their careers. Even vets, like the UFC’s Chris Leben, have to embrace quick turnaround times every once in a while. Villarreal was introduced to that unavoidable reality in just his second professional fight. Although taking on a fight at the last minute makes it more difficult to properly prepare for your opponent, Villarreal feels that his recent experience has truly equipped him to deal with whatever comes his way.
“I took that fight on about two weeks' notice,” Villarreal states. “I trained hard in those two weeks. I got ready pretty fast. That’s just what happens in local MMA. Promoters will ask you to take fights in the last minute, and you have to be ready to step up. My win taught me to get ready for a fight very quickly. I’ll never turn down a fight. I train non-stop, so I’m always ready for a fight.”
His fight on the Steele Cage 3 card is likely the biggest fight of his career. But despite that fact, he’s a fan of the sport at heart and is eager to fight for Steele Cage and to meet up with the “Iceman.”
“Steele Cage is a great, well-run organization,” Villarreal says. “And I’m very excited that Chuck Liddell will be there. It’s going to be a great show for the fighters and the fans.”
Villarreal, who considers himself a well-rounded fighter with a jiu-jitsu base, doesn’t mince words when he describes how his fight with Benoit will end.
“I see my hand raised, winning via submission,” he said.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrew Plante
Andrew Plante began writing for 103.3 FM ESPN in July 2008. He now covers mixed martial arts for ESPNDallas.com.
Michael Wolman
Michael Wolman is a mixed martial arts trainer who lives in Dallas. He has been reporting on the local MMA scene since Sept. 2010. Wolman will apply his MMA background to cover some of the more technical aspects of the sport.
Anthony Njokuani
Anthony Njokuani, a DFW native, is a professional mixed martial artist fighting for the UFC. The lightweight contender began writing for ESPNDallas.com in March of 2010. Njokuani, blogs from a fighters point of view, covering all aspects of MMA.
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