Heavy weight Josh Copeland visits with us about his upcoming fight this Friday August 12th, at the Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz “Extreme MMA” show…

FF: Are you excited for your fight this Friday?
JC: Yes! Ready to get out there and face some competition.

FF: What’s your record?
JC: It’s 2-1. I had my first fight back in September and lost in an amazing 17 seconds of the first round (laughs), I got caught. Then I fought in January and in March and won both of those.

FF: How did this fight come up for you?
JC: Well, I’ve been training…So, I called Keith (Schmelzer of RMBB promotion) and asked him if he had anything on his card coming up and he said he did so I said let’s do it. All 3 of my fights have been with Keith and Keith has always treated me good.

FF: So, you train at Grudge Training Center, how long have you been there and how did you get introduced?
JC: It will be two years in October. I got introduced through my roommate, Justin Wren. We were roommates in Texas and when he made it onto the show The Ultimate Fighter, Rashad Evans and Trevor Wittman were impressed with him and invited him to come up and train full time. I was Justin’s main training partner in Texas, training at Travis Lutter’s BJJ and Justin came home from the show and said, “We’re moving to Colorado.” So we packed all our stuff and came up here together.

FF: And did you get into MMA through Justin as well?
JC: I did. I was just doing Jiu Jitsu and had never really thought about fighting. But Justin recommended I try it, one thing led to another, I kept training and training and here we are today.

FF: Your fight this Friday, is it about building your record, improving your game and staying in shape, putting experience under your belt…or a higher long term goal even?
JC: I guess it would be all of those. I really don’t know anything about my opponent (Robert Gotcha). I guess he’s a wrestler, but beyond that I don’t know how tall he is, whether he’s a south paw or not…none of that, you know.

FF: Sure. How does that affect your training or does it?
JC: Of course it would help to know some things: you’d pick and choose who you spar with, you’d try to start figuring out the best plan to get take downs, the best way to set up your combinations…especially if you know their size and reach, you know, whether you’re going to need to use a lot of footwork to get inside for punches or stick and move from the outside… So it makes a huge difference but that’s why I’ve really tried to be well rounded. If a guy’s a better striker, let’s get it to the ground. If he’s good at the ground game, let’s keep it standing. You always want to expose their weaknesses. It’s a fight, but these days it’s so much more than just a brawl. The toughest guy doesn’t always win. It’s a lot of game planning and using your head.

FF: Do you have a style then as a fighter?
JC: I would definitely say what I’m best at would be my Jiu Jitsu. However, in my win against Anthony Alirez (first round TKO March, 2011) I knew my best attribute was the fact that I was ready to go 3 rounds and I didn’t think that he was. Conditioning is going to pay off the longer the fight goes on and I try to stay in good condition as well.

FF: How many hours are you training these days?
JC: Well, Monday through Saturday practice at Grudge starts at 10am and we go until 11:30-12:00. Then Monday, Wednesday and Friday I do strength and conditioning with Loren Landow who I would say is the best strength and conditioning coach out there. He’s trained well over 100 NFL athletes, professional hockey players, all kinds of top athletes. He’s the best of the best and athletes from all over come to him so it’s a blessing to have him here in Colorado.

FF: How did you get connected with him?
JC: When Justin and I moved here Brendan Schaub actually came up to us after practice and told us both, “Look, this guy literally is my secret weapon.” Then he gave us his number.

FF: Can you give us an idea of what Loren has to teach and why it’s so exceptional?
JC: You can go to a normal high school football coach and he could teach you how to grind. But simply grinding isn’t the best way to get the most out of the movements you put your body through. Training with Loren, there’s actually science behind the grinding. When I first started with Loren a year and a half ago, I was 300-310 pounds. Now I’m 235-240 and I’ve never felt stronger and never been able to move bodies like I do now. Loren is phenomenal at making you a  better athlete.

FF: What are your highest aspirations in MMA?
JC: People (tell) me when they meet me, because I’m a big nice guy and I love people, that they can’t imagine me fighting. And in no way, shape or form do I train for MMA to hurt people. I literally train just to be the best that I can be. So, if the best Josh Copeland is simply being the RMBB heavyweight champ, then awesome. But if the best Josh Copeland can be in the UFC and compete then that’s what I want too. I like competition. It’s a sport that I can always learn and grow in and there are so many things to work on. So that’s why I train full time and every fight I just try to be a better fighter than I was the last.

FF: We really appreciate it. Any special thanks?
JC: When it comes to coaches, I’d definitely like to thank Brandon Thatch and Paulino. They’re both great guys and have helped me a lot.

FF: Well thanks very much for talking. I’m excited to see your fight!
JC: Yes, thank you too.