Interview with Joe “The Hitman” Elmore

Joe Elmore is an up and coming fighter with a 3-1 record. Elmore trains in Atlanta with team Hard Knox. I talked to Elmore about how he started fighting, girls, and god. I added some of his fights at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

Erich: Talk about your camp you trained with before your fight with John Cofer.

Elmore: I do a lot of cross training. I train with Sonny South and Mateo Cutbill for Muay Thai. For my wrestling I have been training a lot with John Hanrahand and Harry Lester at the Cooler. Jeff Merrett from Guerrilla Fitness in Montgomery, Alabama. I have always been know for my cross training. Right now I have been really focused on wrestling.

Erich: What was it like traveling throughout the Southeast? Was it difficult?

Elmore: As for time management for training it was stressful. I went from Panama City to Crestview, FL back to Panama City to Montgomery, AL to Birmingham back to Montgomery and then I finally settled down here in Georgia. It has be an awesome experience though, I have taken different techniques from so many different camps. I think learning these different techniques from differnt trainers help me more than other guys training at just one camp. Plus it has lead me to better more prestigious camps. I have found a home down here.

Erich: What made you want to cross train instead of training at just one gym?

Elmore: Sonny South was the first person that truly challenged me in my career. He trained with Mateo Cutbill and I had been seeing Matio and Sherri Thomson on the Internet before I came to Georgia. I thought it was a good decision to train with them, I just wish I could make it over there more often. I am a really independent guy, I pretty much just keep to myself. Atlanta has so much to offer. We have Ascension gym which is owned by the Assunc?o brothers, X3, Hard Knox, Hardcore. Atlanta has some amazing camps.

Erich: You said you trained with Sonny South, wasn’t he your first professional fight?

Elmore: Actually that was my first sanctioned fight here in Atlanta, GA. I took a controversial loss to him and he showed a lot of class. I gave him my back he took the position, my fault for being there. I wound up making a great friendship and he showed me around to some gym’s up here and we train hard together. He differently lives up to his name the “Pitbull.”

Erich: Do you compete in any other Martial Arts?

Elmore: No, I have been wanting to get into some grappling tournaments. NAGA inparticular. I used to be a collegiate wrestler, but right now I have put all my focus on MMA. But I will definitely get some tournaments under my belt this year.

Erich: What keeps you motivated to keep training everyday and being on this grind?

Elmore: I have been watching MMA since Kimo fought Gracie in the UFC. Since then I got into wrestling and my friends and family came out to watch me wrestle. MMA has given me the opportunity to be in the lime light. I like to work with kids in the gym and train them. I like being looked up to. Being a wrestling coach is something I have always wanted to do. What drives me is the people that come to watch me fight, I don’t wanna get my ass beat infront of a whole bunch of people.

Erich: What made you want to commit yourself to MMA?

Elmore: I went on vacation in Panama City, FL. I kept seeing this gym Ultimate Boxing. I did a great job training with Rob Dickerson and Alex Young and they offered me a place to stay, and told me I was good enough to fight. They worked with me for a while and since then it has been a wild 2 years. I never looked back.

Erich: So does fighting get you the girls?

Elmore: There is always chicks and perks, and yeah I get beefheaded. I mean yeah I love the girls, but I try not to get focused on them to much. I definitely have fun with the situations I get put in, but I can’t focus on them. I gotta stick with MMA. I want live breath and sleep it. I have had girls laying in bed with me saying I’m punching in my sleep. So it is kind of dangerous. I don’t know if I can keep them around all night. (laughs)

Erich: Talk about the culture and the atmosphere of the regional scene. And what I mean by that is opponents pulling out, not knowing who you are going to fight.

Elmore: In my amateur career I had people that thought they were ready to fight and they wouldn’t because of the lack of or bad commission. I have had to find replacement fighters 4 out of my 10 amateur fights. Here in Georgia, I’ll be honest I didn’t want the commission, but I do respect the commission. They help us get our money, make sure we are medically taken care of. It is a little bit of a pain in the butt sometimes. Good comes with bad I don’t want to get hurt and I don’t want people backing out. The commission does a great job and I love having them around. I think there needs to be a commission everywhere for the fighters sake.

Erich: Talk about what you did before fighting.

Elmore: MMA to me was a way out. I was raised in a really good home but things got real rough and things started to fall apart with my family. I did time in jail and I had a 5 year old son… When I got out I knew what life was like wrestling on a national level and the competition. I wanted the spotlight again. It gives you something to fight for. Through MMA I am able to change my life. MMA is something that people love, and I want to be apart of that love. MMA has an amazing infulence over people, it is the fastest growing sport in the world. If that is not influence I don’t know what is. Before fighting, I guess I was just preparing for MMA.   

Erich: You said that you had a rough patch in your life, but right now you seem to be very upbeat and positive. What keeps you so positive?

Elmore: I am a really religious and spritual person. I believe that through Christ anything is possible. I feel that God has been there for me and sometimes when I am fighting, it feels like Angels are out there with me. I know it sounds crazy to some people but I know he is giving me a purpose through MMA. MMA is not something I do, it is my life. A saying I post on my blogs is ” I used to fight to live, now I live to fight.” I fight with a purpose. It’s for the kids, it’s for the fans, it’s for the drunk guys in the bar slinging it, it’s for the hot girls, it’s for everybody. It just thrills me, I can’t help but to be excited.  

Erich: When did you hook up with Sponsored Fan? And since then what opportunities have come your way?

Elmore: Sponsored Fan has been great. I have had sponsors for a long time, since I was an amateur fighter I have had 6 or 7 sponsors. Sponsored Fan has come in and they have helped me manage all the stuff outside of training. They do my blogs post stuff for me, it gives me more time to focus on MMA and where I want to take myself. They call the promoters to make sure I am getting the correct amount of money, supplements for me, I love Sponsored Fan, I love the fact that they let me keep some of my sponsors I had before signing with them, and I love that they are getting me more sponsors.

Erich: Any sponsors or shoutouts you wanna give?

Elmore: Born2Bang, Houston Murphy I appreciate you being there throughout my career. Sonny South, Sponsored Fan, Wild Bill’s and all the people in Atlanta supporting me. My Facebook and Myspace. I am always postin’ what I’m doing where and who I am training with and when my next fight is.

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