1. Where did your nickname of “The Bull” come from?
The nickname ‘bull’ was my sister who came up with it . One of my kickboxing fights she came with a poster calling me the Bull and everyone after started to call me the Bull. Also I’m born in May so being a Taurus also was the reason. And because of my fighting style being aggressive most of my fights …
2. What made you want to make the transition from Kickboxing and Karate to the sport of MMA?
My first goal was to become a professional kick boxer in Montreal but at that time kickboxing wasn’t as big as Mma so that’s how I decided to take a shot learning new arts and changing my style and adapting to the Mma sport. Also at that time I used to watch Pride and a fighter mirko cro cop was one of my favorites and inspiration…
3. When you first got the call to join the UFC, what was running through your mind?
When I got the call of coarse I was thrilled and honored to be able to fight for my legacy and make a career out of a life of doing martial arts.
4. For those unfamiliar with your fighting style, give a quick rundown of what a John Makdessi fight looks like.
My goal is to have no style kind of. Being able to mix all the disciplines I learned through out my years. Able to mix it up into my own way of fighting. And that’s what separates me and makes me exciting fighter because I’m very unpredictable … Applying teakwondo , karate shotokan , kickboxing , kyokushin, Muay Thai , boxing , jujitsu , wrestling …. And I’m always learning new arts like judo and sambo…..
5. You have enjoyed very good success in your time in the UFC, who has been your toughest opponent to date?
My toughest opponent I don’t believe I have one all my fights were tough in there own way each fight brings a challenge so they we’re all tough ….
6. What has been your career highlight so far?
I believe coming from 2 losses and than facing a big name like Sam stout was a great honor to fight him and was for me to prove to myself if I got what it takes to become a champion one day…
7. You were victorious via 1st round KO in your last fight. Tell the fans who is on your radar as someone who you would like to fight.
I trained very well preparing myself for my last fight. I got a great team and I’m happy with the progression the lightweight division is stacked . So there are many great fighters I just want to prove myself and get a shot at the title doesn’t matter who they put in front of me.
8. Describe for us what an average day during your training camp consists of?
I’m very consistent in my training I’m always training getting better staying sharp. But close to a fight it gets more intense and specific to the game a lot of skill work and technic and sparring …. I usually train 6x a day twice a day depending on what I’m focusing on…
9. All fighters are different in terms of what they do in the days/weeks after a fight, what do you do?
After the fight I go back home and rest a little and spend time With my family I got 2 brothers and a sister and my parents so I just enjoy the time with them and my girl friend …
10. If you had to pick a favourite athlete and sport (other than your own) what would they be?
Basketball Mj Michael Jordan was one of my favorites growing up watching the bulls play…..
11. There has been an influx of Canadian talent coming into MMA in the last little bit, what do you think means to our country as a whole?
I think the government should focus more on the athletes , Canadian athletes are amazing to the country and believe we need more support … For all sports not just hockey… It’s very rough and demanding what we do and people don’t really know how much it takes to be a athlete ….
12. You are one of the most prominent fighters who trains at the famous Tristar gym in Montreal, as well as some other high profile and skilled fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Rory Macdonald and many more. What does it mean for you as a fighter and as a person to be surrounded with that kind of talent?
It means a lot to me able to test my skills and work along side fighters like them and it makes me more motivated to train harder than everyone and keep getting better ….
13. Anything else you would like to say to your fans and our readers?
I want to thank all my fans and my family for the support even back In Lebanon I got a lot of family and fans being a decedent from Lebanon my parents moved to Canada when I was born. Big thanks to all my sponsors and fearthefighter check it out great brand me being the inspiration behind FTF and my brother and the whole team working at the brand making it one of the biggest in the world. You can follow me @johnmakdessimma on twitter
John the bull makdessi on Instagram
And Fb fan page john the bull makdessi check out also my website www.johnthebull.com
Big thanks to John for the smooth and prompt interview process!