Fighting to the Beat of His Own Drum

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Joe Stevenson’s arrival for a fight camp in New Mexico is always accompanied by an unmistakable melody.

The customary hip-hop and rock that usually emanates from the speakers inside of Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts is replaced by the thumping, pulsing sound of the Victorville, Calif., native’s training music of choice.

“I hate Joe’s dance mix,” says teammate and WEC veteran Frank Gomez. “It’s the worst; every morning, every morning.”

The subject elicits a chuckle from trainer Greg Jackson, who seems not to care who plays dojo DJ as long as his charges perform consistently on fight night.

“Everybody always moans and cries and gives him a hard time,” Jackson says. “He’ll come in, and he’s like, ‘Coach, can I change the music?’ And I’m like, ‘Of course, Joe Daddy.’ So he puts on this crazy European techno stuff, and everybody teases him. It’s hilarious, every day.”

There are reasons behind the preference that extends beyond the simple enjoyment of antagonizing sparring partners.

“I like upbeat music,” Stevenson says. “The words to the dance music don’t mean anything to me. It’s the rhythm and the beat and the fluidity of going forward and faster and harder and never stopping, which really does it for me. Some people turn over to the dark side and start liking it.”

Whether that’s true or not, Stevenson’s positive influence on the tight-knit Jackson’s outfit is undeniable. As wrestling practice is conducted inside the renowned Albuquerque gym, his voice is audible above the rest of the eight to 10 fighters drilling inside the cage, constantly prodding, pushing and encouraging. Stevenson has also been known to instruct evening classes at Jackson’s, when a majority of the non-professionals congregate to learn the finer points of mixed martial arts.

“Joe helps out a lot,” Gomez says. “One, he has experience. He’s fought B.J. Penn, Spencer Fisher; he’s fought a lot of guys. He’s fought at [170]. Just his experience and his grappling; his grappling is kind of on another level than most of the people on our team.”

“Him and Clay Guida are like these positive energy poles that just radiate positive happiness about fighting, about training, about camaraderie,” Jackson says. “We have such a great esprit de corps. Morale is so high right now. It’s really refreshing.”

The perpetually upbeat Stevenson has reason to be in high spirits. The knee injury that forced him to pull out of a potential bout with Takanori Gomi in August has fully healed. On Saturday, he will face Mac Danzig at UFC 124 “St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2” at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

“It feels great right now. It feels like 100 percent. I’ve never had any knee injuries my whole life. Right before Gomi, I had a small back injury and then, bam, a knee [injury] where I couldn’t walk on it for a couple days. I had taken a significant amount of time off before I got my MRI, and they said it was 100 percent.”

Stevenson has not fought since February, when he lost a unanimous decision to George Sotiropoulos in the UFC’s first-ever venture to Australia. The Aussie was a considerable underdog going in against Stevenson, but Joe “Daddy” eventually became win number six of an ongoing eight-fight winning streak for the lightweight title contender. Stevenson would like to have a mulligan for that February fight in Sydney.

“I really want to fight Sotiropoulos again. George is a great fighter. He’s sponsored by some of the same people right now. I’ve gotten to joke with him a couple of times,” he says. “But it’s the competitor in me that’s not satisfied with that. It’s cool. I’ve fought you over in your backyard. Come fight me in my backyard. I’ll probably call him out after this fight in Montreal.”

Losing to Danzig would undoubtedly put a serious crimp in those plans. Stevenson might have overlooked Sotiropoulos -- “I don’t think he took him seriously,” Jackson says -- but he says he has respect for the experience that “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 winner brings to the Octagon.

“Danzig is always dangerous,” says Stevenson. “You're talking about a guy that has well over the average of fights for most people. He had a bad stint, but he fought some tough guys. He doesn’t duck anyone.”

Danzig, the former King of the Cage lightweight champion, has lost four of his last five fights, most recently to Matt Wiman at UFC 115. Although the Los Angeles resident has earned 10 of his 19 victories via submission, Jackson does not expect him to engage with Stevenson on the ground for any significant amount of time.

“I think he’s going to stick and move a lot on us,” he says. “I think he’s [going to] try to hit Joe two and three times with good boxing and then get away. We’re gonna really have to try to find him in this fight with good footwork. I think we’re gonna have to look for him a little bit. If he shoots in on Joe, I feel pretty confident.”

Still just 28 years old, Stevenson, who turned pro at 16, has accumulated what seems like a lifetime of professional bouts. It would come as little surprise if the father of four had lost some of his zest for the daily grind of training, but the exact opposite appears true.

“I’ve always been a stickler for training hard,” he says. “Now I’m just happy while I do it.”

Perhaps that is why having a camp that intersects with a national eating holiday did not seem to affect Stevenson. The day before Thanksgiving, he could be overheard making plans with some of his Jackson’s MMA teammates for a two-a-day workout session on the holiday.

“… You don’t see my wife and kids here,” he says. “I want to give it everything. I want the fans to respect the fact [that], at the end, when it’s all said and done, no matter what the outcome is, I did not hold anything back.”