MMA Worldwide

Joking Around with Mike "The Joker" Guymon

Posted by Marcos Villegas on the 8 December 2009 | No Comments

Over the course of ten years, Michael “Joker” Guymon has had one hell of a ride in his still ongoing MMA career. Beloved and known in various MMA circles, Guymon’s career is rooted back to the early days of the sport. With a professional career starting in May of 1999, Joker has seen action in just about every well known MMA organization in the US. The former 170lbs King of the Cage champion recently signed a five fight deal with the UFC, and is looking to make an impact in a stacked welterweight division. MMA Worldwide had a chance to speak with the veteran about his upcoming bout with Rory Macdonald at UFC Fight Night 20 at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

   

MW: So we’ve heard the news and let me go ahead and say congratulations, you made it on to the UFC, how’s it feel man?

 

Joker: Aww, thanks man. It feels so great, like I have fought so many years. Some guys get in there right away you know, but I guess it was a course I had to go. I went ten, eleven years and I finally get my big deal, a five fight deal and just happy. Happy, ready to go and thankful for everything.

 

MW: Now, you’re in the UFC, what was that day like? Was it a phone call or an email..?

 

Joker: It was a phone call and literally thirty seconds after I hung up the phone I cried like a baby for about (laughs) . . . for a long time. All my emotions came to a head. You think about all the people, all the training, the blood, the sweat, the tears, the sacrifices. Sacrifices on top of sacrifices over that time, you just start to think about that. I took all that to make me cry me eyes out like a baby, what can I say.

 

MW: Now who exactly was it that contacted you, was it Joe Silva?

 

Joker: Joe Silva I actually talked to when I got out of the hospital after my little incident, but it was a friend of mine who runs an underground forum called me up and said, “Hey, are you sitting down? I got some news for you.” I said, “Hey what’s up?” and he told me he just found out I got a four fight deal with the UFC and I was like Hah! It was kind of weird at first but he told me the situation and I was in disbelief. He told me the scenario and told me how it was going to play out and what was going to happen I was like, “Ok, I’ll talk to you later blah blah blah,” I hung up the phone and I was like F****!  I was just so happy and thankful.

 

MW: So who was the first person you called and was like, “Dude I'm in the UFC!”?

 

Joker: I tried calling my wife and she was in a group meeting so she didn’t answer. The next person I tried calling was Mark Munoz..

 

MW: Yea Mark, UFC heavyweight and Cal State Fullerton assistant coach

 

Joker: Yup, NCAA national champ, one of my training partners, a awesome guy and I called him up and I’m crying my eyes out on the phone. I could barely talk and he thought it was a call of maybe I was going to go over the edge again and do something bad. So over the phone you can hear Mark say to his wife, “Give me the keys, Joker is going crazy again,” and I was like (makes sobbing voice) “The UFC, they want me to fight for them”, and he was like, “Oh, that’s great!” He was happy and thankful and everybody I have talked to, they know how much time and effort I have put into fighting, I really do put my heart into it and everybody’s just real happy for me.

 

MW: Your in the big leagues, how are you going to step your game up, what are you going to do training wise?

 

Joker:  I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. The people I have around me with the wrestling, striking and jiu-jitsu I feel fortunate and blessed to have those guys. Everything happens for a reason, I ran into Mark Munoz in this time of life for a reason. But I got wrestlers like him pushing me mentally, physically every which way. I feel like a little kid in Michael Jackson’s bed! Sorry Michael you’re dead! (laughs) I feel blessed to have the people that I have around me and i’m just going to train everyday hard and smart and psychology I will be ready, physically I’ll be ready and if I lose it’s not because of my heart and didn’t do my training right, its MMA, anything can happen. I can run out there and knock the guy out with one punch and he can knock me out with one punch, so that’s the sport.

 

MW: Do you have an opponent for your debut?

 

Joker: Yea, Rory MacDonald at UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Virginia. He’s a tough kid and it’s a good fight for both of us. It’s his first fight in the UFC, it’s my first fight in the UFC, and I know he’s not going to come in there and second guess me. He’s undefeated and I want to give him his first loss, nothing personal against him it’s just business. I’m not in the UFC to lose, I want to win.

 

MW: The welterweight division is a super stacked division

 

Joker: Oh really? (laughs)

 

MW: But if you had to choose one person, like a dream where you were like, “Man, I have always wanted to get in there and bang with this guy,” who would it be?

 

Joker: William Shatter

 

MW: William Shatner?

 

Joker: Yup

 

MW: Ok, Shatter, the shat watch out…

 

Joker: Shatner I’m going to f*** you up! Ah no, you know what I’m not even going to think about matchups, just whoever they give me, they give me. I’m not going to call out one particular guy or say one guy is weaker than the other because every single guy is solid in that division; they’re in the UFC for a reason. When you get to that level, you’re so dominant in all those skills that’s why you’re there. Like King of the Cage, I’m so happy they stuck with me for so long and did so many good things for me and you know I had guys dropping out of my division and in the UFC I’m not going to have that problem so you know here we go.

 

MW: Awesome man, well Mike thank you very much

 

Joker: Thanks for having me and I love you guys!