X3 Sports and HardKnox are less than 15 minutes away from one another, 10.16 miles to be exact.

Yet trainers from both gyms will travel nearly 45 miles on Saturday night to support an undefeated fighter from each gym as they compete against one another.

This Saturday night at the Battle of Rome, HardKnox’s Byron Bloodworth (4-0) will square off against X3 Sports’ John Queiroz (3-0) in the main event.

Despite training out of gyms only 10 miles from one another, both fighters actually used to be much closer to each other…former training partners at Knuckle Up Fitness!

Georgia Fighters asked both fighters the same five questions. Read below to see their answers as they get ready to fight each other Saturday night!

John Queiroz
How has training been going for Byron Bloodworth?
“Pretty tough, he’s a tough opponent. We have a lot of similarities as fighters. So, I think
cardio is gonna be the difference in this fight– whoever has the best cardio, is going to win the fight.”

What do you know about Byron as a fighter?
“We trained together before. We also competed in tournaments together. We have similar styles giving each of us a similar edge. He’s quick and a good friend.”

How odd is it that you guys train at gyms only about 5 miles from each other…yet you’re going to fight each other at a venue about 45 miles away?
“Very odd. It makes more sense to have the fight at one of our gyms. But it’s a neutral setting and also Bullet Fight Gear’s last fight. I wanted to make sure that I was apart of it.”

Both you guys are undefeated. Byron is 4-0 and you are (3-0). Is this a matchup that you’ve been thinking might happen for a while now?
“Oh yes. Even after we stopped training together, we always talked about fighting
each other.”

Many people are giving Byron the edge due to size and strength in this matchup. Would you agree that he has the size and strength advantage?
“I think the size and strength is about the same. Strength won’t be a factor because of our skill levels. The lightest guy I train with is 168lbs. So going against a 145er should be a little easier.”

How do you think you’ll match up vs Byron in the cage?
“Pretty even – two quick fighters that will give everything for the win. Whoever has the most heart, wins.”

Are you happy that your fight is the main event? This is the first time that either of you two have been the main event fight in your career. You’ve been fighting in Atlanta quite a bit…but he hasn’t fought in Georgia since May of 2008.
“I’m very excited to be the main event. I usually like being the very first fight so that I can enjoy the night but, being the last fight hopefully will bring bigger crowds.”

The three pro fights that he’s had are versus guys 1-1, 1-1 and 0-2. How do you see the low level of competitive fights that he’s had effecting him when he gets in the cage with you?
“I can’t talk about the fighters he’s won against because I haven’t fought them. I do think our records are even and it’s the biggest fight of both of our careers as of yet. It definitely won’t be the last for either. We’re both constantly growing as fighters and I have no doubt a rematch will happen in the future.”

Byron Bloodworth
How has training been going for John Queiroz?
“My training has been going really well. I have been working extra hard on my wrestling and my conditioning because I know John is going to push the pace and he is a strong wrestler.”

What do you know about John as a fighter?
“Well like I said I know he likes to push the pace in fights. He is a hard worker and he has a great team around him and he will be coming to fight.”

How odd is it that you guys train at gyms only about 5 miles from each other…yet you’re going to fight each other at a venue about 45 miles away?
“It is kind of strange that we train so close and fighting 45 miles away but that is how it goes sometimes. We both know the same people but there is this kind of unspoken rule that we both have followed and neither of us have asked any questions about the others training to our friends who know both of us.”

Both you guys are undefeated. You are 4-0 and John is 3-0. Is this a matchup that you’ve been thinking might happen for a while now?
“It’s funny probably about 6-8 months ago John and I were at a Wild Bill’s show and we were talking about the fact that we would probably end up fighting each other here in Atlanta. We had both agreed that we should build our records up a little bit to try to make it as compelling of a fight as possible for a promoter and for the fans. We both knew it would happen, we just didn’t know when. I guess that time has come!”

Many people are giving you edge due to size and strength in this matchup. Would you agree that you have the size and strength advantage?
“I would agree I have the size advantage because we are having the fight at 143+2 vs 145+2 and we are coming down to meet him at that weight. As far as strength we are pretty equal. When we would powerlift at Knuckle-Up when we trained together we were pretty even on the dead lift, squats and bench. But yeah, I do have a little height and weight on him.”

“The one thing I’ve really been working on for this fight is my speed and agility training with Coach Mike Klinefelder at The Speed School. I’ve really been focused on my footwork, speed and agility which I think will be more of a factor in this fight than strength.”

How do you think you’ll match up vs John in the cage?
“I think I will matchup well because I focus my training to be a well rounded fighter. I am comfortable in all aspects of the fight. Whether I am working off my back due to him taking me down or if I am pushing the pace and take him down or on our feet I have trained for every scenario.”

His wrestling is some of the best around. How do you plan to negate that?
“It all starts with my training. I’ve been working with some of the best wrestlers in the region like Jeff Bedard and his students at Elite Training Center in Buford, John Cofer and Brian Bowles.”

“I have a good game plan and strategy to defend against his takedowns.”

Are you happy that your fight is the main event? This is the first time that either of you two have been the main event fight in your career.
“Yeah, I am extremely excited about being the main event. It just shows that all the sacrifices I have made are paying off. I hate sitting around all night waiting to fight but the title of main event makes me feel good as if people are starting to recognize me and know more about me.”

Your three pro fights have been against guys that are 1-1, 1-1 and 0-2. Do you think your lack of competition as a pro will hinder you in this fight against John?
“I don’t think so at all. Some of those records are skewed due to errors in reporting records. I feel like I am competing at the level I am supposed to be competing at right now. If was competing in the main event in the WEC I might answer the question differently but I have fought some pretty good guys in MMA so far.”

“One thing you also need to remember is that I’ve competed a lot as an amateur.  I did several kickboxing matches, muay thai, mma and I compete a lot in BJJ tournaments.  I have the experience against the right level guys to be in the position I am in right now and so does John. This is going to be a great fight between two undefeated guys.”

“I would like to take a minute to thank all my training partners and coaches who helped me get ready for this fight. I want to thank Sponsored Fan for all they do for me and all of my sponsors: Wicked-Jitsu, Toe 2 Toe, Brawl Nutrition, Fitness Depot of Douglasville, VPX, Omega Attire and Born 2 Bang Athletics.”

“Thank you for the exposure on GeorgiaFighters.com and all the work you do to
promote boxing MMA in GA!”

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