MMAPreview.com’s Martin Smith caught up with Johnathan Ivey for an exclusive interview talking about his preparations for his upcoming fight with Gan McGee, comparing himself to Paris Hilton, thoughts on Brock Lesnar and more…

 

First of all Johnathan, we’ll start with the typical cliche question, how are things going and how is the training coming along?

Johnathan Ivey: Training is going really great right now, man. I want to thank Ryan McDonald, David Powers, and Tyler Dennis – along with a really good up-and-coming fighter named Coty Davis. They’ve been pushing me incredibly hard – never letting me take the easy way out, always forcing me to give absolutely everything I’ve got. They’ve been on me nonstop to get me in the best shape of my life, because they all know how critical my upcoming fight with Gan McGee is for my career. The grappling, sparring, training, and cardio is all going beautifully. Without a doubt, I’m in the greatest shape of my entire career. I’m faster, quicker and stronger than I’ve ever been before.

 

What sort of training have you been doing?

Johnathan Ivey: I’ve been lifting weights three times a week; we alternate between heavy lifting and circuit training. For cardio, we’ve been alternating between interval running – walk, sprint, walk – and long distance running. We also added swimming to enhance my cardio and save my legs from additional wear and tear. And of course, we focus extensively on the actual fight training, getting ready for multiple rounds of high-intensity aggression.

 

We go from shadow boxing to work on the heavy bag to sparring to takedowns to takedown defense. And we cover absolutely everything; working the bottom and the top, as well as the classic ground and pound. And of course, I’ve had to adjust my training to prepare for a giant like Gan McGee who’s a 6 ft 10 inch monster. Fortunately, one of my sparring partners is 6 ft 6, and that’s been extraordinarily helpful.

 

Is there any particular area you have been concentrating on? After all, McGee has a fantastic record at winning by TKO.

Johnathan Ivey: Yeah – but I can’t tell you too much about it! Like playing cards, I don’t wanna show my hand until I’m ready, but I definitely see things with Gan that I can capitalize on. He’s a strong wrestler with a good overall game, but I definitely see aspects I can take advantage of.

 

What are your thoughts on McGee as a fighter?

Johnathan Ivey: My thoughts are this: I’ve lost money on Gan McGee! I put money on him when he fought Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title, and I want my money back! But make no mistake, I have enormous respect for Gan as a fighter. When he fought Josh Barnett, he pummeled the holy hell out of him in that first round. But none of this changes the fact that I want my money back! On September 13 in Tampa, I’m coming to collect!

 

You seem to have spoken out about him a lot over the last few weeks. Should McGee be worried about what you’re going to do to him?

Johnathan Ivey: Absolutely! [Laughs] I’m sure Gan will take this fight seriously… ‘cause if he looks past me, he’s out of his damn mind. Nobody has run through me. Nobody. That doesn’t happen. Ain’t nobody gonna walk through me like I’m nothing. I have no glaring weaknesses. If he’s not worried about his legs, he’s crazy. I have more leg-lock wins than any other professional fighter in the world.

 

The majority of both your fights and Gan’s have ended in round 1. Am I right to assume this fight is going to end quick?

Johnathan Ivey: I think it could very well end quickly. But I guarantee you, it won’t end quickly with me on the losing end. I’ve never been knocked out – or even knocked off my feet – in my entire career, man – and I’ve had over 90 professional fights! I know I’m only credited with about 60 fights by the websites ‘cause in the early days, lots of those fights weren’t reported, but I’ve never even been rocked in a fight.

 

Look, I think Gan has good defensive jujitsu. He’s a top fighter, and I see our September 13 battle as a potential full-fledged war – a Fight of the Year candidate. There’s gonna be hellacious back-and-forth action, and the winner is gonna be the man who can handle the punishment. I know Gan is tough. Now we’re gonna find out how tough he really is.

 

If it does go longer than round 1, will you be ready for that?

Johnathan Ivey: Absolutely! I just went three rounds with Ricco Rodriguez – and Ricco went three rounds, and I thought won against, Bigfoot Antonio Silva. Absolutely.

 

You’ve dropped the people’s elbow on a past opponent, any chance we’ll see you lay it on McGee?

Johnathan Ivey: [Laughs] I did that just for fun. McGee’s an A-level fighter, but if I get a chance to do something silly like that on September 13 – something that will get the crowd on their feet by doing something completely nuts – then absolutely!

 

In all seriousness though, what was going through your mind when you dropped that elbow?

Johnathan Ivey: Really, we had planned on doing that ahead of time. Me and my corner man Heath Edwards had talked about it on the ride to the fight. I didn’t want to beat the guy in just 10 seconds and leave the crowd bored, so I thought I’d try it. And man, the audience went nuts! The promoter afterwards told me he was worried that it was a worked fight because nobody had ever tried to do something crazy like that before. I had to convince him that everything was on the level.

 

Did you ever feel like you had disrespected your opponent?

Johnathan Ivey: Not intentionally. Well, Ok, maybe that simulated sex act I once did to my opponent was a tad disrespectful, but that was the only time. Against Ricco Rodriguez, the commentators claimed that I was being disrespectful when I showed the crowd that his punches had no impact, but I was just trying to show everyone that I was totally fine. I’ve got to fight as me – having fun – and never being intimidated by anyone. I’m from the Crazy Horse, Prince Naseem Hamed camp where you gotta show some flair. And here’s the bottom line: If you think I’m being disrespectful, then man-up and make me pay the price. Period.

 

If an opponent landed it on you, how would you feel?

Johnathan Ivey: It would’ve never happened. People have their hands full with me as it is.

 

You’ve been dubbed as an “internet sensation” after that elbow and the MMA world is still going crazy about it. My question is, who is a bigger internet sensation – Johnathan Ivey or Paris Hilton?

Johnathan Ivey: That’s a tough call. Obviously, the only fair way to resolve this heated debate is for Paris and me to meet-up and talk about it. [Laughs] I’m a big fan of Paris Hilton. Maybe we could grapple for the title…

 

Surely Ivey wins on looks right?

Johnathan Ivey: Man, I’m good looking! Don’t let the fat fool you! Although I do like that lean, sleek, feminine look Paris has, but my looks haven’t slowed me down with the ladies. At least, not here in Tennessee. I tell you, lots of people don’t like the flat ass look! Fortunately, I got enough ass for both of us…

 

Speaking of looks, you walk to the cage dressed as various horror movie monsters? Anyone we’ll recognise for fans who might not be familiar?

Johnathan Ivey: I’m a major horror movie fanatic, and I’ve walked to the cage as Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Leatherface, and more. After training sessions, we get together and watch horror movies. It’s kind of our routine.

 

Unfortunately, I can only walk to the cage as a character one time each, ‘cause I usually throw the mask out to the crowd. Sometimes who I’ll dress as will depend on how much I can pack for the plane. But I never pick one of those feminine-looking monsters – like the Leprechaun or Candyman. But y’know… against 6 foot 10 inch Gan McGee I’ll sorta look like a Leprechaun, so the outfit might fit…

 

But I’ll never dress up as King Kong again, man! Last time I dressed as King Kong, I got my ass stomped!

 

Any horror movie monsters you’re planning to walk out to in the future?

Johnathan Ivey: Yes. Captain Spaulding [House of 1,000 Corpses]. But right now I only have half of the costume…

 

Apparently it’s true that you’re going to hit the net again after your karate kid crane kick in your last fight? What was it like to land that?

Johnathan Ivey: The crowd jumped up and went completely nuts! Everyone was stunned – including my opponent – and the crowd starting cheering my name big time. My homage to the Karate Kid was already on YouTube by the time I got home – some guy back in the 99th row put the video up. I do things like that all the time – and if you wanna see what I’m gonna do to the Giant in Tampa, go to www.mmaxfc.com and order the fight! It’ll blow your mind!

 

We’ll just switch a little to your early days, how did you get involved with MMA?

Johnathan Ivey: I was going to college to be a high school football coach, and was really into competitive power lifting. In fact, most people don’t know this, but I set the APA Junior world record with a 610 bench press. Anyway, the local HooknShoot champion was showing me a pair of submission moves at his gym on a Wednesday afternoon.

 

On that Friday – just two days later – he drove me to Indiana for my very first pro MMA fight, and in less than a minute I won with one of those two moves he showed me. After that fight I still had no management, so I took any fight that paid. About a year later, I had a fight with Jeremy Horn. I took some time off to train… and never returned to college again. It’s been 10 years since I first got into MMA and I’ve never once looked back.

 

Was it always a dream to be a fighter?

Johnathan Ivey: I actually thought I was gonna be a professional football player for the Washington Redskins. Defensive lineman. Back in high school, I was making all the all-district and all-conference football teams, but I stopped growing at 5 ft 9. And unfortunately, you can’t be a pro defensive tackle at 5 ft 9. But now with MMA, I can still satisfy my need to compete, and the more I learn about this sport, the more I truly love it. Go Redskins, by the way! The NFC East is looking tough, but the ‘Skins are gonna be good this year.

 

Where did you grow up and was there much chance to become a MMA fighter?

Johnathan Ivey: I grew up in a small town called Coldspring, located in mid-east Texas – home of the fighting Trojans! There were only about 500 people in Coldspring when I was a kid. Naturally, no MMA. I later moved to Tennessee for college, and since the sport has caught on like wildfire, all sorts of gyms are now open here. And I’ve trained at all of ‘em.

 

Today, you’re a single Dad with your four year old daughter Savannah. It’s a lovely name, where did it come from?

Johnathan Ivey: Here’s what happened: Every single time I suggested a baby name to my ex-wife, everyone hated it. [Pretending to be his Ex:] “Ooh, that name is TERRIBLE! How could you name your child something AWFUL like that?!” So I said to my ex, you pick the first name – my Mom picks the middle name – and I’ll pick the last name, which I obviously decided would be Ivey. And that’s how my little girl got the name of Savannah.

 

Whew… getting everyone to agree on a baby name, now that’s a REAL combat sport!

 

Obviously, Savannah means the world to you. How hard is it juggling MMA and time with your daughter?

Johnathan Ivey: Time isn’t a concern; she’s with me constantly. We’re never apart. But I’m also honest with myself: If I didn’t have her, I’d be training fulltime, 100% focused on my career, and I would probably be with one of the top MMA teams in the world right now… but y’know, I wouldn’t trade my current situation with any other alternative.

 

And I’m in a great spot as well. I’ve got a terrific group of guys around me, helping me become the best fighter possible. And my current training camp has gotten me into the best shape of my life. And I get to spend every day with the most wonderful little girl on the planet. We have fun together, go to Chuck E. Cheese, and we’re each other’s best friend.

 

From the 14th August 1998 through to 18th August 2001, you went 4-7, did you get into the sport too quick?

Johnathan Ivey: Maybe, maybe not. There are no redo’s in life or MMA. Look, there are guys who train a very long time and still end up on the short end of the stick. With my background, upbringing and family situation, I tried to do the best I could with what I had. There were advantages, though: Getting thrown to the wolves early on forced me to grow-up quickly; I was never given the easy way out.

 

Most guys in my situation might’ve gotten discouraged and quit… but I toughed up, got better and better, and now I’ve got more fighting experience than practically anyone else in the heavyweight division. I’ve paid my dues; now it’s my time to shine.

 

Your MMA record since the beginning of 2005 is 11-4, is it a case now where experience is getting the better for you and you’re finishing off opponents much easier?

Johnathan Ivey: Yeah, man. I’m still improving. Every single aspect of my game keeps getting better and better. The Internet has me at 27-33 overall, but I’ve had at least 30 more fights than that! Because so many small-venue promoters would put together one fight card, go broke, and move on to something else, many of my fights were never reported to sites like Sherdog – and as you can imagine, my record against that lower-level competition was extremely favorable.

 

Unfortunately, I don’t get credit for any of those victories, and people who don’t know me take shots at me when they only look at my “official” record. But you’ve gotta keep in mind that I’ve literally fought a “Who’s Who” in the MMA heavyweight division. I’ve never no-showed an event, never backed out of a fight, and I’ve never failed to give the fans their money’s worth. And since 2005, the only people who’ve beaten me are some of the most well-known fighters in the game. I’m one of the best heavyweights in the world right now, and if you don’t believe me, just watch me fight. You’ll see.

 

How is your training coming along today outside of fight practice and who are your coaches?

Johnathan Ivey: Training is going great. The Clarksville Fight Club helps me out with everything. Ryan McDonald, David Powers, and Tyler Dennis are with me every single day, along with a slew of others. We’re sweating and bleeding daily to get me ready to be a real Giant Killer!

 

Let’s switch to the UFC Heavyweight division now – do you think you could contribute?

Johnathan Ivey: There’s several guys in that division I’d love to fight, and I’ve been told that I was close several times to being invited to the UFC. I definitely think I’d produce some incredibly exciting matchups with some of the new guys they’ve recently brought in. Lots of today’s heavyweight matchups are so boring, man.

 

They have the fans ready to fall asleep – when they should be getting the crowd’s blood boiling, getting ‘em pumped up to watch someone like B.J. Penn later on the card. I’m telling you, put me in UFC and you’ll see that audience throw away their pillows, get on their feet, and scream their heads off! You’ll see what I mean on September 13 in Tampa.

 

Brock Lesnar went in with a 1-0 record, do you think you could beat the big man now that he’s 2-1?

Johnathan Ivey: Absolutely. Yes, I think I could beat him. He’s a good wrestler and holds position very well, but that’s all I’ve seen from him. I’d have a great chance at catching him with a lower body submission, or a strong kick or punch. If he just wanted to hold position on me, I could get to his legs pretty quickly.

 

There was also talk about me fighting Kimbo Slice in Miami. Man, I’d love to have a chance to prove to the world that Kimbo hasn’t been fighting the level of competition that I’ve been facing. Let’s do it!

 

What about a guy like Frank Mir? Submission wise, would you fancy your chances?

Johnathan Ivey: Absolutely. He’s a great submission expert, but I know I could take him. Want to hear something funny about Mir? He actually fought a former roommate of mine, a guy by the name of Jerome Smith. Me and Jerome didn’t train for two months because we had a conflict with the local gym owner. Instead of taking care of our bodies and developing our craft, we were watching horror movies all day long, downing Ding Dongs and eating Taco Bell on the couch.

 

Anyway, after going months without any serious training, my roommie was asked at the last minute to fight Frank Mir in Evansville, Indiana for HooknShoot. Well, Jerome took the fight and gave Mir hell – really gave him a hard time throughout the entire fight. Mir was given credit for the decision win, but I honestly thought Jerome did enough to deserve the victory. And let me tell you, when me and Jerome sparred, I’d get the better of him far more often than not. So I’d love to battle Frank Mir!

 

Any chance we could see you on an Affliction PPV event – maybe a rematch against Ben Rothwell?

Johnathan Ivey: I’d love a rematch! I don’t know if everyone has seen that fight – I know there are versions of it floating around on YouTube – but I was winning the contest until I cut my eye going in for a takedown. Tell Affliction to call me!

 

Anyone you would like to thank or anything you would like to give a bit of publicity to?

Johnathan Ivey: Of course, I’d love to thank the Clarksville Fight Club, Ryan McDonald, David Powers, Tyler Dennis, Coty Davis, and all my trainers and sparring partners… and my Mom! A gentleman by the name of Mike Merriman has also been a huge help, and I want to thank my longstanding supporter, Dennis Concrete out of Clarksville. Thanks, guys!

 

Thank you so much for your time Johnathan and we’d like to wish you all the best for your fight.

 

Johnathan Ivey: Hey, thanks for taking the time to speak with me – and a special thanks to MMAPreview.com and all the great MMA fans across the Atlantic! Y’know, growing up in a small Texas town, I never dreamt I’d be talking MMA to a European audience, comparing my looks with Paris Hilton, or explaining how I plan on beating a 6 foot 10 giant!

 

And look, I’m not naïve. I know most of your audience knows much more about Gan McGee than they do about me – and lots of ‘em think he’s gonna walk all over me. And I know people are naturally skeptical when it comes to the fight game, and they’re gonna take what I say with a grain of salt. To those people I simply say this: My name is Johnathan Ivey, I’m one of the best heavyweight fighters on this planet, and when you watch me trade haymakers with Gan “The Giant” McGee on Saturday, September 13 – live on www.mmaxfc.com – you’ll be a believer, too.

 

I’ve paid my dues… and then some. Now it’s time to collect.