Interview: Anthony Cruz Looking to Test Durability of Opponent at Cage Combat 23

Friday night at the Humble Civic Center, Cage Combat 23 will be taking place with the top three fights being title fights. Also stepping into the cage that night for his third MMA fight, will be Anthony Cruz Veimau out of College Station, TX.

It doesn’t take long after meeting Anthony to see that he is that loud, high energized guy at the gym, who seems to absolutely enjoy every second he spends there. After taking more than two years off, he is stepping back into the cage a completely different fighter than he once was.

Mark Carrillo: Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Where do you train? How long have you been into MMA?

Anthony Cruz Veimau: I am from the island of Guam. My mother is native to Guam, and my father is from the South Polynesian island of Tonga. I train at Windy Sports & Fitness located in College Station, TX under Bobby Powers and Jermaine Anugwom, and I train “TreJJ” (Jiu-Jitsu) at Ground Dwellers located in Spring, TX under Tre Herrera and Eddie Avelar. I have been training at Windy for 3 years now and have been training Jiu Jitsu for about 5 months now.

Carrillo: With so many other phone apps and hobbies out there to keep people occupied, why fight? It’s not the easiest hobby to have.

Cruz Veimau: I am a lover, not a fighter… but I love fighting. Fighting is in my blood, there are many hobbies and sports. However, none can feed my primitive hunger the way MMA does. It simply feels natural to me.

Carrillo: What has changed about you as a fighter since your last fight?

Cruz Veimau: My last fight was Dec 14th 2013, over 2 years ago. I suffered my first defeat by unanimous decision. It was an amazing performance by Josh Palacios. Much has changed since then. My ground fighting has improved tremendously. The identity of my striking has evolved into something much less aggressive, but much more lucrative.

Carrillo: What do you know about your opponent, Jared Clark?

Cruz Veimau: I know that he has the capability to win. He has the potential to beat me, otherwise, we would not be fighting. I know that he is training hard, and he is coming off of his first victory. He has momentum. I look forward to competing against him.

Carrillo: There was a change of opponent for you. Does that change the way you prepare for this fight at all?

Cruz Veimau: No. We train to better ourselves. My goal is always to strengthen my weaknesses, as opposed to targeting my opponent’s weakness. It never matters who I am fighting. I am just lucky to compete.

Carrillo: Where do you feel more comfortable in this fight, standing or on the ground?

Cruz Veimau: Coming from Windy, I will always feel stronger on my feet. However, training with the Ground Dwellers, aka the shark tank, I feel much more comfortable on the ground as well.

Carrillo: You recently stopped a man from breaking into a truck and held him until the cops came. Tell us about this incident. Any pressure now to give up fighting and become a superhero?

Cruz Veimau: This is hilarious! A man identified as John Patrick Forrest and an unidentified accomplice were raiding a vehicle that belonged to my cousin. My brother in law wakes me up at 3:30 in the morning alerting me of the situation. My brother and I race downstairs. He rushed them into an ambush, I tackled the man earlier mentioned and took his back. As he tried to resist he might have bumped his face a little bit. We detained him in the mail room until police could arrive with the legal procedure, we used the island procedure. Superhero? Hilarious suggestion! When the opportunities present themselves. We must do what must be done.

Carrillo: Outside of fighting and training, what other interests do you have?

Cruz Veimau: Other interests include precious time with my Queen, influencing young men since they are the future of our nation, and of course, learning how to become a better person.

Carrillo: How do you predict this fight with Clark ending?

Cruz Veimau: I predict that I get the ‘W’. If he has the defense to last the whole 3 rounds, then so be it. But I am going to give him my best. I am pretty convinced that the leg kicks will pose the biggest threat to his durability. I know that he will give me a hard time, though.

Carrillo: Who all would you like to thank for helping you prepare for this fight?

Cruz Veimau: First of all, my Queen, Jema. My coaches: Bobby, Tre, and Jermaine. My Teammates at Windy and my teammates at Ground Dwellers.

Get your tickets for Cage Combat 23 here at MikeTheTruth.com.

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