Josh Wang-Kim: The Twin Dragon Interview

One of those is Josh Wang-Kim, who has been nothing but a pleasure to watch in his first three professional fights. He stands undefeated, with two first-round finishes under his belt. Kim is currently on a ridiculous streak of 11 wins through the amateur and pro ranks, he finished his amateur career with a thrilling record of 15 wins and one defeat.

Not just the debut in Cage Warriors, but fighting in front of his home crowd in San Diego makes the bout even more special for Kim. He faces Jose Hernandez, who is a tough, slightly more experienced fighter in the pro ranks with seven fights to his name, five of those going the distance.

Kim is truly one of the prospects to watch out for not only at the event, but in the whole of martial arts, with his fast pace and power on the feet and the ground.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Kim ahead of his bout at Cage Warriors 130.

The Interview

So, Josh, fight night is just days away, how are you feeling right now?

Josh Wang-Kim – I feel great, like my first fight at 135, I feel good, I’m lean, mean, and ready to rock and roll.

Cage Warriors only announced you’d be on the card 10 days prior to the event, was that when you found out you were competing?

Josh Wang-Kim – I actually found out a couple of weeks prior they just took a long time to announce it, I’m very excited to compete.

How’s training been ahead of the fight, prior to the last question, have you had a full camp?

Josh Wang-Kim – I’m ready, I’ve been ready for a while, I was supposed to be ready at the beginning of September but it just kept getting pushed back, pushed back & pushed back, so this camp has been relatively long, but it is what it is, I always stay ready.

You had an extremely successful amateur career and eventually turned pro in 2020. Did you notice a big difference between being an amateur fighter to being a professional?

Josh Wang-Kim – It is a huge difference, having an extensive amateur career, understanding what it is to become professional, because at the amateur scene I was ready to be a pro, and at the pro scene I’m ready to be at the world level.

As soon as you started your career, the pandemic hit and you had to wait 16 months to find a fight, with your last win over Carlos Figueroa in June. How difficult was it to find a fight, and what’s training been like for you throughout the pandemic?

Josh Wang-Kim – Yeah when the pandemic hit it was rough for everyone, I actually moved out to Arizona and in that first month I moved it, that’s when the pandemic hit, and everything got shut down, I was out there in the desert heat training, but it was on and off due to shutdowns, but I still got on my grind and hustled to where I wanted to go. Carlos was a tough guy for real, he stepped up at the end where not a lot of people did, I’m grateful for him to do that, like I said, toughness only gets you so far.

It’s the second event Cage Warriors have held in San Diego, how delighted are you to be on the main card of one of Europe’s biggest promotions?

Josh Wang-Kim – I’m very excited to perform on Cage Warriors it’s one of the biggest platforms in the UK and Europe. It’s a feeder organisation for the UFC, I’m very excited, especially I’m going to be fighting in my hometown of San Diego, in front of my friends, family, and fans, it’s very, very exciting.

Finally, what are your thoughts on your opponent Jose Hernandez, do you have any predictions for the fight?

Josh Wang-Kim – I’m very grarteful for Jose Hernandez for stepping up, not a lot of people did that, so I’m glad that he did. I’m very excited upon my show with him, we’re going to dance together and like I said before, toughness only gets you so far.

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Featured Image Credits to Cage Warriors