In this exclusive interview with James Lynch of Fightful, Justine Kish (6-1) discusses her upcoming fight against Ji Yeon Kim (6-1-2) at UFC on FOX 27 on Jan. 27. Justine also explains why she hasn't fought since June, appearing on a reality show for Discovery Channel, her training camp and making the move up to flyweight for this matchup.
Kish is currently in North Carolina preparing for her upcoming bout, but despite the snowstorm that hit the area, a focused Kish is keeping away from all the fun right now.
“It is in the back of my head, I see these kids on the big hills and they're going off ramps. It's taking every bit of me to not go off those ramps. I’m so close to competing that I can’t do those crazy things as bad as I want to. I still have fun, but I just have to be careful and consider the risks and I’m just trying to keep it as simple as possible. Of course, I went down the hill a couple of times, just basic sledding. I would go through the extremes if I could, but I can’t. I gotta think about my career right now, I wants to be healthy and strong for this fight. I don’t want a silly accident, so it would probably be really irresponsible if I did something crazy and hurt myself. Its not worth it right now, but I do give myself time (to have fun), especially after the fights, after competing, to have all the fun I want,” says Kish.
The female competitor is also making her flyweight division debut at UFC On Fox 27, having previously fought at strawweight.
UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City was the last time Kish competed in the Octagon, but she didn’t want to wait so long to fight again after a loss.
“I wish I could compete, especially after a loss. I want to compete right away, like I just want to…it's fresh in my head. I’m not sure what the delay was, but I guess that was UFC timing. I even asked how frequently I can compete and I heard (Donald) Cerrone did (compete) five times in one year, but I mean I would like to do that, but more. In Thailand, I was competing almost every weekend. So it's harder to like hang onto all the mistakes, especially a loss and waiting for just so many months instead of competing ASAP. I know my mistakes and I want to be able to shake it off right away. You know, there’s a roster and people have got to have the spotlight. I have to wait my turn, that’s all it is, I know there’s a promotional strategy…I don’t know how the bracketing really works, but when I get the call, it's yes,” says Kish.
UFC On Fox 27 takes place on Saturday, January 27 from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina with Ronald Souza and Derek Brunson headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox.
