Cynthia Calvillo (35, USA) is a teammate with Kim Ji-yeon (33). She always accompanies each other in syndicated MMA, Las Vegas, USA, as partners who complement each other.
Calvillo smiles when he thinks of Kim Ji-yeon. In an interview with Spotify News on the 5th, he said, “I like to spar with Kim Ji-yeon. He is one of my favorite people.” That’s why it’s nice to be able to help Kim Ji-yeon supplement other areas. Kim Ji-yeon does the same for me. It keeps me focused.”
Calvillo joined the UFC in 2017 and worked at strawweight. He had a decent record with 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. The problem was weight loss. He failed the weigh-in three times. He was forced to move up to flyweight. The problem was that his competitors were too big and too strong. He stepped up to flyweight in 2020 and won one before falling into a four-fight losing streak.
Calvillo returned to strawweight after a hiatus of three years. He will face Lupita Godines at UFC 287, which will be held on the 9th at the Caseya Center in Miami, Florida.
“I think I’m between strawweight and flyweight,” Calvillo said. “At strawweight, I’m on the big side, but I can fit in. But if something goes wrong at camp or something, it’s really hard to lose weight. At flyweight, I’m pushed for size. I feel small. For example, when I train with Kim Ji-yeon, he weighs a lot more than I do. A lot of fighters, especially those in the top 15, are not only really good, but they lose a lot of weight, so for the past two years, I’ve been in flyweight. When I challenged myself, I suffered a lot because of the size problem.”
The solution was to hire a professional nutritionist. “I hired a nutritionist to help my athletes, which is really good. I think every athlete should invest in a nutritionist. Because after months of hard training, what’s the point if you can’t lose weight and fight well? “I made the decision and hired the best nutritionist in the field. I think it’s a really good decision.”
Calvillo plans to help Kim Ji-yeon fight Mandy Böhm again at UFC On ABC 4 on the 21st of next month after ending her four-fight losing streak in this match. He revealed that he would give strength to Kim Ji-yeon, who, like himself, is in a 4-game losing streak.
Calvillo’s UFC 287 will be held on the 9th. In the main event, champion Alex Pereira and challenger Israel Adesanya return for the middleweight title. Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal face off in a co-main event at welterweight.
Below is the full interview with Cynthia Calvillo.
– About a year has passed since you moved your team to syndicated MMA. Why?
“Syndicated MMA is a great team. They’re building a good team, including the women’s team. It feels like family. And being in Las Vegas, UFC PI is two minutes away. You can train with quality partners, and you can train with UFC PI. “I can get physical therapy at. I can do strength and conditioning training and even nutrition problems. It’s perfect. I couldn’t be happier.”
– I heard that Joan Wood, whom you faced in the UFC in 2017, will serve as the captain of the syndicated MMA women’s team.
“It’s really fun, because Joanne and I fought a couple of years ago when we first came to the UFC. We’ve become friends. We’re teammates now. It’s great to have such a great group of women in syndicated MMA. Ramona Pascual and , There’s also Kim Ji-yeon. I love sparring with Kim Ji-yeon. He’s one of my favorite people, and I’m sure he’s one of the nicest people in the world. Because he’s really nice at heart. But he’s also a fire fist. .I like it because my fists are really strong. I like training with various female players, including Kim Ji-yeon, in our team.”
– On February 5th, I was supposed to take on Kim Ji-yeon’s corner. What was Kim Ji-yeon’s reaction when she heard the news that the match had been canceled?
“I was really upset because he was well prepared. He was originally really nice, but at that time the game was canceled and I was really upset. Rest, so I can go back to camp and prepare for the game.’ But he just stayed motivated. It’s good that Kim Ji-yeon is full of energy. I’ll go back to the gym and help him when my game is over. In May, he wins. I will do my best to do it.”
– How was training with Kim Ji-yeon? I think we helped each other while training together.
“I’m more of a grappler type. Kim Ji-yeon is a very powerful striker. So we help each other a lot. Kim Ji-yeon can improve her weaknesses, and I can improve mine. Kim Ji-yeon is a natural slugger. I train. “He’s probably one of the most punchy fighters I’ve ever played. That’s why it’s nice to be able to help Jiyeon Kim complement other areas. Jiyeon Kim does the same for me. It keeps me focused.”
– Back at strawweight. He seems to have paid a lot of attention to his usual weight control.
“I started my UFC career at strawweight. I think I’m between strawweight and flyweight. At flyweight, I think I’m pushed for size. I feel small. For example, when I train with Kim Ji-yeon, he weighs a lot more than I do. A lot of fighters, especially those in the top 15, are not only really good at it, but also lose weight. “I do a lot. So I think I’ve been struggling with size issues for the last two years when I tried flyweight. That’s why I wanted to go back to strawweight. I hired a nutritionist to help my fighters, which is great. I think all fighters are on the nutritionist side.” I think you need to invest, because after training hard for months, what’s the point if you can’t fight well because you can’t lose weight properly, so this time I made the right decision and hired the best nutritionist in the field. I think it’s a really good decision. I think this would be so much better. At flyweight, I could eat whatever I wanted. That’s why I don’t think the aggression came out properly. Women get angry when they can’t eat. I want to be angry and I want to be aggressive. “I think I’m more aggressive at weightweight. At flyweight, I’m comfortable. I eat what I want and I’m happy all the time. That’s why I want ‘Naughty Cynthia’ back at strawweight.” 안전놀이터
– Your opponent, Lupita, is also from Mexico.
“When I see Lupita, I kind of think of myself. He’s from Mexico, and he loves wrestling and grappling. When he first came to the UFC, he was ready to fight anywhere, anytime. He fought a lot, and when I first came to the UFC, he was ready to fight. “I was ready to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. I love that. I think this fight is going to be a good one. In the last few fights I’ve been fighting strikers. Nobody wanted to wrestle or grapple with me.” “Everyone used a poke and move strategy. So I think Lupita and I will clash. Both want to wrestle, and both want to fight. So I think it’s going to be an exciting match. Two Latino Mexicans.” You’ll see fighters wrestle and punch each other in the face. It’s going to be a really exciting match. I’m really looking forward to this one.”
-Many Korean fighters are thinking about training in Las Vegas. What are the pros and cons of living in Las Vegas?
“The advantage of training in Las Vegas is that there is UFC PI. There are unlimited training partners. And there are many gyms. That’s really important, especially since fighters are constantly getting punches in the face, so it’s nice to have a team that helps us stay healthy and ready for fights. It’s hot. And because there are so many fighters, you might not get that much attention from the coaches. When a fight is set, the coaches have to focus on that fighter. But once you’re in place, I think there are more advantages than disadvantages. “