Top heavyweight prospect Greg “Ribz” Rebello hunts for his 14th career KO at CES 44, May 12 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., LIVE on AXS TV Fights. Before that, the heavy-handed New England contender checked in with your home for MMA News, MMA Newsline.
If someone told you while you were growing up that you’d one day be fighting for a living, would you believe them?
Going by all of the Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies I watched as a kid, I guess it wouldn’t be out of ordinary – I could believe it. I thought I was like a fat JCVD as a kid.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before embarking on your professional career, what would that piece of advice be?
If I could go back to the very beginning, I would tell myself to start wrestling before going into college. I think that’s the best base to start with, to build on. Get into a wrestling room and make that the main focus of your training.
Are you satisfied with your accomplishments so far?
Yeah, I’m happy. I’ve had a good career, I’ve got a good record with over 20 wins, a lot of knockouts on national TV. So, obviously the main goal is to get to the UFC. If I made it to the UFC and lost and that was it, I could be satisfied with that – getting there is my main goal.
What can fans expect this next fight?
They can expect me to go out and try a single-leg takeout and lay around for three rounds. It’s going to be me going out there, using my striking and throwing down. Putting this guy away. Every time I go out and fight – every time I look across the cage - I just think the easiest way for me to win is to get out and get in. Use my boxing and my footwork. But I’m good everywhere, a lot of people don’t know my jiu-jitsu is good I practice shooting at their legs all the time. I don’t use it because I like exciting fights and I like to be an exciting fighter because that’s what fans want to see. At the end of the day, I don’t sell a whole lot of tickets, so I better be exciting or somebody’s going to can me.
What would you like to accomplish in the next twelve months?
UFC. One-hundred percent. That’s the biggest accomplishment I’m after.
