Ernie Perea pre-Friday the 13th KOTC
Submitted by: D. Lopez & A. Smith
Ernie Perea is preparing for his return to KOTC on October Friday the 13th where he will be fighting Albert Hill. Perea is the Law Enforcement Officer , and Hill is an Ex-Con who just completed a term behind bars, (Does the Law vs. the Parolee sound familiar?). For the first time in sports history a “real life” grudge match is upon the mma world.
Perea the silent / calm fighter, the one who serves and protects. Hill the brawler / street fighter who brings toughness and will to the cage every time out. Perea took some time out of his day to talk with us regarding this fight with Hill and preparation.
DL : How do you feel about fighting on Friday the 13th?
Ernie Perea: Friday the 13th, sounds like it could be a bad day for one of us. Every time I get to fight in KOTC, I want to entertain the fans. Due to the fact its on Friday the 13th, I’ll try not to get my blood on anyone and freak them out….. I hope to win, put on a great show.
DL: You are fighting Albert Hill, a KOTC & G.C. cage fighting veteran.
Ernie Perea: Yes. He is a very tough opponent. Man this is going to be war! He is a strong, tough kid. He is really not to technical, I’ve seen him power out of submissions. It’s a super fight, and we both agreed to a no weight limit fight. I heard he has a match the very next day in Gladiator Challenge, so I can see him trying to shut my crowd up and going all out for the knockout within the first few moments of the fight. The Parolee vs. the Officer, from an entertainment and curiosity standpoint this will put people in the seats. I just want to end it quick, with my eye balls still attached!
DL: Are you doing anything different in preparing for Hill?
Ernie Perea: I’m working on keeping my blood to myself, and not getting the mat dirty with it. Just Kidding. It’s going to be my mental approach that will be different for this fight. I trained my butt off for Hill “the parolee”, last year, just to be told 2 days before our fight that he got picked up on a violation. I give George Adkins all the respect for jumping in on 1 day notice, but it was Hill that 400+ fans that I brought with me wanted to see.
DL: Does the fact that he is on the other side of the law play on your mind at all?
Ernie Perea: Im human, of course it does. I had just won my last fight, I was back stage hugging my family, and there was Hill telling me he is out, no longer on parole, and ready to get it on! I had not even taken my gloves off yet, and Hill was in my ear challenging me in front of my family and friends. Once the cage closes I’m sure he’s not gonna care what I do for a living, cause I sure am not going to care about his criminal history. But I sure will use the whole Officer vs. The Crime thing to get me to run 7 miles instead of 6. Maybe I’ll even hang his rap sheet (criminal history) on my wall as a way to push me that extra mile. Just kidding, I could get in trouble for doing that.
Ernie Perea: Make sure you don’t put that last part in our interview ok?
DL: Uh, OK……
DL: Who are you training with to prepare for this battle with Hill?
Ernie Perea: Lets see… Guys & girls from the Riverside Sheriffs Department, LAPD, LA County Sheriffs Department, San Bernardino Sheriffs, some Federal and State Agents. They all want to help out in one way or another, as you can tell I will have a huge law enforcement crowd out there on the 13th. I share time training with Tyson Johnson Universal Grappling Academy and Umar Loves Evolved Martial Arts School. Surrounded by a bunch of good training partners, and both instructors are so talented and respected. Oh, before I forget my cousin Frankie Guerrero is also fighting on the under card October 13th. He had taken a year off from fighting after our cousin Joseph Wyatt died, and now he’s back training his ass off.
DL: Tyson Johnson is a strong wrestler and Umar Love is a strong kickboxer right?
Ernie Perea: Tyson breaks his fighters down to the point of throwing up and quitting. Since I am in the business of chasing bad guys, I can not afford to quit. I much rather have my teammates see me broken in the gym, then to read about me in the paper because I didn’t have the will to survive that Tyson instills in all his guys & girls. Umar, is a great teacher, as well as a world class kickboxer. What I take from him is his mental approach and how to breakdown each fighter. He knows the other guys weakness, and puts together a game plan to follow. They compliment each other real well. Mentally and physically, I get the training needed for the demands of my job, and for MMA with the UGA and EMA teams.
DL: Sounds like you have a good supporting cast helping you. Prediction for the fight?
Ernie Perea: I said this last year, when we were “supposed” to fight, so I’ll say it again. I predict I will be there ready to do battle one more time. Hopefully Hill will make this appointment this time around with the law, and we’ll put on a battle for the crowd.
DL: Thanks for taking the time to speak to us and good luck on Friday the 13th in October. Anything you would like to add?
Ernie Perea: (Psalm 91) I want to give praise to the Lord for my health, my family, all my cousins, co-workers, friends. Stay Safe. Thanks to my sponsors; B&L Backhoe 760-241-6704, Global-LegacyLlc.com, Green Valley Landscape 760-403-5930, Arrowglen.com, Sonny @ VictorValley Chiropractic, and Lesionclothing.com.
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