MMAOddsBreaker’s Frank Trigg speaks with RFA 37’s feature fighters Rafael Viana, Joey Miolla, Brian Camozzi, John Poppie, Joseph Gigliotti and Logan Storley as they prepare for their main card bouts tonight (Friday, April 15, 2016) on AXS TV at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, North Dakota. Rafael Viana: ‘I’m ready for five rounds’
“I train five rounds, to win five rounds. I’m ready with my gas good for five rounds. I’ll do my shots, control him, and if he gives me some space to knock him out, I’ll do that. If he gives me space to submit him, I’ll do that. You never know. I never change the way I train. I have my gameplan and I always go the same way. Sometimes the opponents change really fast. MMA can be funny.”
Joey Miolla: ‘Leandro Higo is a very dangerous fight for me’
“It’s tough, a very dangerous fight for me, a very tough opponent and I’d have it no other way. He’s finished his last two opponents after taking two years off, but I’ve been staying busy, staying active, no cage rust here. I have a submission game that’s underrated and I haven’t had to use it too much but we’ll see how it plays out.”
Brian Camozzi: ‘I think it’ll take place on the feet’
“From what I can tell, he’s a decent boxer. He’s got clean strikes. I think it’ll take place on the feet for the most part. He’s a lefty so I definitely have to adjust to that but most of my training partners are lefties so not a big deal there. From what I can find, there’s gonna be quite a big height difference.”
John Poppie: ‘My fight IQ’ has gone up’
“This September will be eight years since I started fighting. It’s determined on if Gigliotti has put the time on his technique or if he’s relying on his athleticism. I feel really good coming in. I’ve improved a ton. I feel way better overall and I can tell I’ve gotten better from my weekly sparring. I’m taking less damage, have better head movement. I can see things more, I can analyze better. My fight IQ has gone up.”
Joseph Gigliotti: ‘There’s probably gonna be blood spilled’
“I think it could be a nice stand-up match. I know [John Poppie]’s a tough dude. You never know what could happen but I think it could be a nice stand-up match for sure. I want to get in, get out, establish dominance and show everybody the improvements in my stand-up game. If it goes to the ground, I’m not scared to go there. I know there’s probably gonna be some blood that gets spilled but I’d definitely like to get in, get out and get on to the next one.”
Logan Storley: ‘Being around Brock Lesnar, I had a lot of interest in MMA’
“I’ve always wanted to fight. I’ve always been very interested in MMA. Since I was in 8th grade or a freshman, I’ve watched every pay-per-view. Being around Brock [Lesnar], I had a lot of interest in MMA. You realize that if you become the best in MMA, you can make a lot of money. You can have a contract that changes your life but if you’re the best in wrestling, it’s not change your life money. If I don’t make it to the Olympics, it won’t do much for me financially.”