Josh Woods Intends to Prove He Can Back Up His MMA Talk, Discusses ROH Title Goals

– Josh Woods spoke with Ring of Honor for a new interview discussing his upcoming Brazilian jiu-jitsu match against Michael Paredes and more. Highlights are below:

On training for his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu match in a while: “If I’m talking about how I’m an MMA badass, if I’m not out there doing competitions and winning then I’m just a windbag. I’m just like everybody else that says they can do stuff but they’re sitting in their room not doing [anything].”

On what his typical day is like: “I wake up and go to the gym and do some MMA stuff — jiu-jitsu, striking and things like that — and then class, and then maybe a second or third session at night, and then I also have to do homework and things like that. My training partner and best friend, Seth Petruzelli, is a really skilled black belt and he just beats the dog [crap] out of me every day. My training partner is one of the best in the world. I would equate it to training for pro wrestling with Jay Lethal or the Briscoes.”

On his championship goals in ROH: “Everybody wants to be a champion. I’ve never been happy with just making it to the big show. That’s not me. I want to make my mark. I want people to be like, ‘Hey, I want to be the next Josh Woods.’”

On his MMA experience benefiting his wrestling career: “We don’t have guys in ROH that can do what I can do, and they’re definitely not living the same lifestyle where they’re constantly fighting every day. I get hit in the face every day. I’m having my joints manipulated every day. I’m suffering doing what I’m doing, and when I’m in the ring I’m trying to do the same thing. I know that my skill set is completely different than everybody else’s on our roster.”