Emanuel Newton: “This is my title. This is my belt.” – Exclusive

BJPenn.com Radio talked with Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Emanuel Newton this past weekend and the topics were hot. Newton talked about his upcoming title defense against longtime MMA vet Joey Beltran, steroid use in MMA, and the Soctt Coker era of Bellator MMA and what he thinks it means for the company. Newton and Beltran will throw down this Saturday at Bellator 124 for the coveted Bellator LHW strap. Here are some of the highlights from Newton’s interview with BJPenn.com:

On his upcoming fight with Beltran:

 “This is my title. This is my belt. I need a spectacular finish in this fight so that’s what I’m going out there to d. I’m going out there to smash him in the face. I’m going out there to beat him down and after the fight is done I’ll buy him a beer and we’ll let bygones be bygones, but as of right now Joey Beltran is the only thing that has been going through my mind, and the only thing that’s going through my mind is punching him in the face and hurting him.”

He continued:

“He’s [Joey Beltran] going to keep swinging and keep swinging and that’s what I want.”

“The fans want to see blood; the fans want to see violence. So bring the violence.”

“I’m not going 25 minutes in this fight. I’m going to finish him. This is the fastest I’ve ever been, the strongest I’ve ever been, this is the hardest I’ve ever trained.”

“I’m going to go in here and smash Joey Beltran and give the fans what they want to see.”

On Scott Coker taking over as the head of Bellator MMA and what that means for the company:

“I think a lot of things are going to change for the better now that Scott [Coker] is taking over.”

“It’s time to change the game and I think Bellator is going to change the game a lot.”

“I think Scott Coker is going to do great things. I think he’s going to keep me a lot busier after this season is over. I think a lot of things are going to change. I think Bellator is going to be an organization like no other.”

In lieu of the recent Tito Ortiz-Stephan Bonnar fiasco at Bellator 123, Newton was asked if Bellator was shifting toward a WWE-ish platform. He replied:

“Even if we do become a little more WWE-ish it’s going to make for better fighters because we’re going to have more fans watching, we’re going to have more people that want to see spectacular stuff done in the ring and I think we’re going to be throwing more things out there to make the fans happy.”

 “We’re all characters,” he continued.

Newtone also touched on the idea of staging performances to build hype around fights. He replied,

“They’re [Bonnar and Ortiz] in my weight class and I’m not staging anything with them. If I have to fight any of them I’m going in there to whoop their ass; I’m not going in there to stage anything.”

Newton also talked about the growing use of steroids and PEDs in MMA. Here is what he had to say:

 “A lot of fighters now are on the juice. You’re seeing it. It’s not like I’m just talking shit. Guys are testing positive everywhere. But that’s one thing I want to tell my fans; I will never, ever, ever, ever touch that stuff, man.”

“That’s cheating and in my eyes, that’s some pussy shit.”

 “Everybody that’s one steroids is fake. They’re fake as shit and I think it’s a joke.”

He continued, “Steroids or not, I’m going to come in there and smash your face.”

Newton’s thoughts on the idea of a possible cross-promotion title fight:

“I’m all for it. And I think the fans are all for it.”

“I hope it’s something that really happens,” he said. “I’d be able to test myself against some of the other top fighters in other organizations.”

We would like to thank Emanuel Newton for giving us the time to pick his brain and give us the inside scoop heading into his title fight against Beltran.

Be sure to catch Newton and Beltran square off at Bellator 124 this Saturday. For all the live results be sure to stay posted to BJPenn.com.

-Jake Chastain

@jchastain45