Thoughts on upcoming opponent, Gray Maynard? I’m super excited for this fight. I’m not concerned about anything else past this fight and this is my one and only focus. I feel like I wasn’t one hundred percent focused when I fought Florian, so for this fight, I want to have one focus, and I feel like I’m in better shape and in a better state of mind than I’ve been in a long time.

When and why did you start training for fighting? When I first saw Ultimate Fighting I was really, really into it, and it was just amazing how these amazing athletes could just take their bodies to the limit.  I wanted to be one of those guys and I said ‘I can be one of those guys, I can do it.’  The mind can make your body do anything.  So I started training three years ago after wrestling my first year in college.  I thought that wrestling wasn’t for me anymore, I started doing some amateur MMA events and realized that this is what I want to do.

Specific accomplishments in pro competition? Two time world champion for the IFC in the 155lb weight class and 170lb weight class.

Favorite grappling technique: Wrestling and jiu-jitsu

Favorite Striking technique: Muay Thai, boxing

Do you have any heroes? Outside the fight world, it’s my mom, Jo Ramirez.  I’m adopted and she’s my guardian angel.  She does a lot for me.  In the fight world, Dave Menne has been one of my heroes as a person and as a trainer for the longest time.  He’s the one who got me to where I’m at today, training-wise.

What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It means the world and it’s a dream come true.  It’s been a crazy ride for me, and I’m living a dream.  It’s one of the goals I set that I thought I’d never accomplish, and now it’s here and I want to make the best of it and conquer it.

Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I have one more year left in Augsburg college and I’m majoring in Business Management.

What was your job before you started fighting? I’m a full-time student but I also did construction work, and I used to be a bouncer.