Trevor Peek on upcoming UFC Vegas 90 clash against Charlie Campbell, Dream Opponents, 2024 Goals, MMA Mount Rushmore & More

Trevor Peek is an American Professional Mixed martial Artist, who is currently fighting in UFC Lightweight division under the contendership contract. Peek has an MMA record of nine wins and one loss. He is better known for his lightning fast and loaded punches.

Most of his wins are through knockouts. He is all set to face Charlie Campbell on April 6, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 240: Allen vs Curtis 2. Ahead of his opening match Trevor Peek discussed a lot of stuff with Khel Now in an exclusive interview. Here is the entire discussion between us and Trevor Peek.

How excited are you to open the main card at UFC Fight Night?

“This is absolutely the most exciting side I have ever been for in any fight in the entirety of my career. I feel better than I have ever been, this is the best camp I ever had, the healthiest I’ve ever been. I am excited and grateful for this opportunity.”

What motivated you to enter Mixed Martial Arts [MMA]?

“I was a wild kid, I was pretty main, I just went around fighting an entire bunch. I had a good friend back in my teenage years, he likes UFC a whole lot. He told me whenever the brawl was around, I think when I was 15 years old he said that, ‘If I ever want to make a lot of money, I could do fighting’.

It always kind of stuck with me and then after I got a lot together, time to know Jesus Christ, I really started to focus on MMA and started training and stuff, Jesus has blessed me for it.”

You mentioned that MMA saved your life, can you explain something about that?

“MMA has given me a purpose, goals, dreams and stuff, but ultimately at the end of the day, the soul raising that I am loved and saved is only because of Jesus. He’s blessed me and brought me through so much. I put myself in so many bad circumstances, I’ve lived a wild lifestyle.

He put me on a path to success, gave me hope, helped me accomplish my dreams and gave me a vision and purpose. MMA has given me goals, keeps me disciplined and stuff, but at the end of the day everything I am going on in my life is because of Jesus Christ.”

We saw you training Muay Thai with Bang in Colorado, share your experience training with some of the best.

“It just has been one of the biggest blessings I’ve ever had so far. Just in general, Dwayne Ludwig and his whole entire crew up in Colorado, they have been just a wonderful addition to my training and felt a lot like a whole. I feel like I have known Dwayne my entire life, I love that guy to the death.

I can’t tell you much enough, I appreciate him and everything he’s done for me in the last eight weeks. The Colorado training, its an open elevation, it’s been crazy, it’s very very different from where I am from, in the north east corner of Alabama. The elevation there is nothing like this in Colorado, it’s been crazy. The athletes that have been able, you know, fortune enough to train with are some of the absolute best in the world. I feel like I have leveled up extremely well, from where I was at.”

As soon as your match with Campbell is announced, you posted on Twitter that it’s going to be a Standing Hammer Fist Knockout. How are you so confident?

“I feel confident in my abilities, I’ve dialed everything in, I really really worked hard in this camp. No one is gonna go in there and no one is gonna get this job done, so I have just worked so hard, entirely too hard to get any other result.”

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‘You load a lot of power in your hands, every punch you throw is loaded, how do you generate that much power?

It’s just a gift from god. I mean even before I started training and learning body mechanics and technique, I had thrown a proper punch, I was always able to throw hard… I could swing with the best and it’s one of the greatest gifts the god has given me. You know in my past too, as far as the cage goes. My dad told me a long time ago, when he was talking about our strength, how it’s our great strength, but it is also our greatest weakness at times.

It feels like a lot of times I have been in the Octagon, I have known that I have this crazy power and stuff and I have tried to put it hard on somebody’s chin, I’ve loaded up on my shots, I swung as hard as I could, where I really don’t have to throw a punch that hard to put somebody else. So I have really been focusing on keeping the technique there a little bit more and just trying to get the punches more accurately.”

Who is the one guy you are always excited to fight with?

“I like to get that title, whoever gets the title obviously. I always wanted to fight Justin Gaethje, just because of the respect level. I always watch that guy fight. I always feel like I’ve related to him so much because he’s the same as he has always had trouble like, not always but he’s kind of struggled with controlling his power. Controlling the chaos is getting the best out of him, I always related to that.

I only wanted to fight him out of respect. But this last camp in Colorado, I was fortunate enough to train over Trevor Wittman, who’s on a sport with Justin Gaethje and stuff. So, if that fight ever does come about, it’ll be cool but, I have so much respect for all the guys, they opened up doors for me.

I don’t know if that’s necessarily my dream fight anymore, just because they have been wonderful to me these last few weeks. They really welcomed me and really helped me out. I relate a lot to that guy. I like to knock out Paddy Pimblett… I think that will be pretty cool.”

You asked who’s next after your last fight on your Instagram, So I’m asking you Who’s next?

“Whoever, it doesn’t really matter to me. Somebody who’s going to be exciting, I just want exciting fights. I want to get paid for the fights that are worth it. I want to fight the absolute best in the world for more money. I’ll fight the best in the world any day in the week, I just want to get paid what the fight is worth.”

You fought three back to back matches last year, what about this year? How many matches are in your mind?

“I would like to get at least three. If I could get at least three fights in a year, I feel like some more pretty content. This fight in April is against a little bit of a lighter star in the year that I am particularly wanting, but everything is booked until April. Who knows man, go there and get the job done, maybe we get the quick turnaround, get back in there just in a month and might get four (matches) in the year, who knows.”

Trevor Peek on his last fight in Saudi Arabia against Muhammad Yahya 

“I loved it, I loved the pressure, I didn’t feel like I had so much pressure on me. He’s [Muhammad Yahya] the first ever Emirati Fighter to step foot inside the UFC Octagon. So I feel a lot of pressure was on him. I love the country, it’s a beautiful place. Everybody over there for the most part treated me like gold. It was quite crazy.

I figured out that there are a lot of people like me, but you know so many of the lower class poor people over there are not Emiratis. I was almost like the poor people’s champion over there. I had all the lower class people rooting for me. I am a lower class person, my entire life, so I have related to them. They really chanted for me over there. It’s a beautiful country and a beautiful experience and awesome time.”

Who is your Mount Rushmore?

“Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva and maybe Conor McGregor. He brought so much attention to the sport. I ain’t always been a fan of everything he has done, but as far as being able to captivate the world and bring attention to places. Conor McGregor is an absolute star, and the world wouldn’t see another one.”

What are your goals for 2024?

“This is my last fight in my contender series contract. So my goal for 2024 is to get signed, get paid a little bit better. I would like to start a little bit of a side business, something of that nature, just keep improving and keep going towards my goals and stuff.”

Trevor Peek’s message to his fans

“Thank You guys for loving me. Thank You guys for supporting me and believing in me and just making a little old country boy feel like a superstar. I’ve been through so much in my life and I’m undeserving of all the love and support you guys give me, but I really, really, really appreciate it, with every fiber of my being. I also want to say, If you ever feel like struggling in life and don’t have a purpose or loss or something, I would encourage you to try out Jesus Christ. He could change your life.

I used to be an intravenous drug user, I used to do so many, so many bad things  I used to fail every single day. But today I have a lord, a savior, a friend and a father, who walked through life for me, guided me, directed me, held my hand and loved me. It just means a whole lot of world to me, I don’t think anything in the world can beat me, anything as long as I have his love. If you feel like there isn’t anyone to love you, Jesus loves you. I just strongly encourage you to try and figure out who he is.”

Watch UFC Fight Night: Curtis vs Allen on 7th April 2024 at 3:30 AM IST LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD.

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