UFC on Fox 2: Joey Beltran and The Blaxicans enter the Windy City

UFC heavyweight Joey Beltran. (Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

Move over Blackzilians, Joey Beltran and his compadres have formed their own crew.

Beltran (Twitter: @mexicutioner760), a UFC heavyweight with charisma larger than himself, is set to do battle on short notice at UFC on Fox 2.  “The Mexicutioner” will meet former Strikeforce fighter Lavar Johnson on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.

Beltran is known for his toughness and durability.  He will trade punches with anyone in the sport, including a knockout artist like Johnson, who has recorded a knockout or TKO in all but two of his 15 victories. No matter what the game plan is against Beltran, “The Mexicutioner” is prepared for Johnson.

“I’m ready for whatever Lavar wants to do,” Beltran said on Darce Side Radio on the MMA DieHards Radio Network.  “If he wants to bang it out like everybody thinks, I’m ready for that.  If for some weird reason he wants to wrestle, I’m ready for that.  Honestly, it really doesn’t matter.  I’m coming to win this fight, everything went perfect for this camp and I have a supreme level of confidence that I haven’t had for a couple of years.”

Beltran’s new-found confidence, along with some other adjustments, will assist him in rebounding from his most recent bout, in which he was defeated by Stipe Miocic at UFC 136.

Beltran has always been a hard worker in the gym and trains alongside formidable partners.  He strategizes and never backs down from a fight inside the cage, even if that means losing sometimes.  However, Beltran hopes his newest improvement in training will garner him more victories.

“The biggest thing I addressed was my diet,” Beltran confessed, “getting on track with that and being on any kind of diet in general.  I was training my ass off and then eating whatever I want, so I think I found the missing link to the puzzle.  On top of feeling better, my energy levels are sky high, my mood is a lot better, I sleep better, I feel a lot better just not eating fast food.”

With his diet in check and his skills constantly evolving, Beltran appears less likely to be finished by Johnson’s heavy hands.

More Latino than Latin, Beltran’s nickname is a derivative of “Mexican executioner.”  Beltran said his good friend Eddie Sanchez created the moniker and it is fitting, seeing as “The Mexicutioner” has shown UFC spectators that it is nearly impossible to hurt him.  His threshold for pain is unsurpassed in the sport, and Pat Barry can vouch for that after he blasted Beltran for 15 minutes without putting him away at UFC Fight For The Troops 2.

Punishing your opponent and not getting a reaction can mess with a fighter’s mindset in the cage. Therefore, Beltran encourages Johnson to come at him with all he’s got.

“If Lavar Johnson’s only plan of action is to knock me out, he’s going to have a long night ahead of him because that’s not going to happen,” Beltran stated.  “After he hits me with his best stuff and I turn around and look at him and smile, he’s going to know he’s in a bad place.

“Lavar Johnson may be the man who finally knocks me out, but I’ve been punched by a lot of big, strong guys in my life. I’ve been hit with various objects in my street-fighting days and I’ve never been knocked out.  And you know what?  I don’t think Saturday night is going to be the first time it happens.”

Preparations for Johnson took place at Alliance MMA in Chula Vista, Calif.

The gym is home to the likes of headliner Phil Davis, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, Brandon Vera, and many more professional combatants.  Fortunately, Beltran was assisting his teammates for battle when the UFC offered him Johnson just five weeks away from fight night.

“Having Phil Davis in this camp was awesome,” Beltran admitted.  “Before that we had Alexander (Gustafsson) in camp and I was basically playing the role of Vladimir Matyushenko for five weeks.  I went through that whole camp with him and just rocking and rolling right into Phil’s camp.  Technically I had a short camp for this fight — they gave me five weeks’ notice — but I was already in shape so I took it without hesitation.”

Beltran and his team of misfits have labeled themselves with a suitable title.  As he enters Chicago for UFC on Fox 2, “The Mexicutioner” is accompanied by Bellator Spanish commentator Manny Rodriguez, Davis, Eric Del Fierro, Adrian Melendez, Lloyd Irvin, Ruben Rowell, and Cruz, their newest member.

“I’m with a lot of ethnic people right now,” Beltran said.  “A couple of Mexicans and Phil, so we’re legally a gang.  Rashad (Evans) has the Blackzilians, we’re the Blaxicans right now.”