Antonio Banuelos talks tats and training with BJ Penn
Aug-30-2010
By Frank Curreri
If you have followed the career of Antonio Banuelos, current teammate and former roommate of Chuck Liddell, then you may have noticed the 5’3 fighter’s ongoing love affair with body ink. The many symbols and words that adorn the bantamweight’s body are the result of a unique tradition he began with his MMA debut nine years ago: After every fight, win or lose, Banuelos adds another tattoo. I recently had a conversation with this colorful gent, who discussed his weeks of training with BJ Penn, his fascination with skin art, and his upcoming fight with Chad George at WEC 51.
Curreri: You went out to Hawaii to help BJ Penn get ready for his rematch with Frankie Edgar. How did that come about?
Banuelos: I helped him train before for one of his fights – a fight with Caol Uno years ago — and he gave Chuck (Liddell) a call. They wanted a small, quick, light guy out there and BJ thought of me and asked if I could come. It’s not a bad thing to go out to Hawaii and train with the best in the world.
Curreri: How long were you in Hilo?
Banuelos: Three weeks. When I came back I started my training camp for Chad George. BJ finished his camp in Costa Mesa (California) and I went down to Costa Mesa twice a week to train with him.
Curreri: JD Penn (BJ’s brother) made a comment to the effect, ‘Banuelos is faster than Frankie Edgar.’ What do you make of that comment?
Banuelos: That’s what he said. It might have something to do with me being 135 pounds and we move a little bit faster, so …
Curreri: Tell us about the experience training with BJ this time around versus the last time when you trained with him before his fight with Caol. Did you feel a difference in his game and his energy?
Banuelos: Like his brother said, a motivated BJ is a scary guy. He’s just on fire. Every training session we had he was just going all-out, 120 percent. BJ is creepy, scary good. It’s like he’s five steps ahead of you. He’s in awesome shape and he wants that belt back. He’s fired up for this fight. You can just tell. When he pops you one, you can feel it.
Curreri: You beat Scott Jorgensen the first time you guys fought and lost to him in April by decision. How did you absorb that loss?
Banuelos: I took it hard like everybody does. I took a week off, I went and got tattooed – like I normally do. I sat down with Chuck and we talked over some things. There’s nothing you can do except get back on the horse and keep grinding. It was hard because my nose was broken and I was just hitting bags, I couldn’t wrestle or anything. John and Chuck didn’t let me fall too much out of shape. I just want to get back out there and show I’m better than the fight I put on (in the loss to Jorgensen). You can’t take anything away from Scott Jorgensen. That guy’s a stud and I want a rubber match. But first I’ve got to get through Chad.
Curreri: When you sat down with Chuck after the loss and talked, was there ever a time when you thought about doing something else and hanging up the gloves?
Banuelos: I had some things on my mind and I think I was taking the loss a little too hard. I was like, ‘(Expletive), what I am I going to do now?’ I wanted to get a title shot after the Jorgensen fight but I lost. I was worried too much and Chuck was like, ‘Just relax. You put on a good show and you’re not losing your job. We just need to make small changes in your game plan.’ Hearing it from him made me settle down and relax a little bit. He’s the man, a living legend, so I just got back to training and didn’t skip a beat. I have faith in him so that’s what we did.
Curreri: How many tats do you have?
Banuelos: I don’t know.
Curreri: Give me a ballpark. More than 20?
Banuelos: Crap: I’ve got one on my head, one on my lip, two on my neck. (Starts counting) One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight … fifteen, sixteen … Yeah, I’ve probably got about 20. I’m always training so my only window to get tattooed is the week off after a fight. I’m tattooed from head to toe.
Curreri: What’s the tat on your head?
Banuelos: It says “Shoot to kill.” I got it after my fight with Kenji Osawa.
Curreri: How about neck and lip tattoos?
Banuelos: I have a black widow with a skull under it right below my ear. On the other side I have a snake coming out of my neck.
Curreri: Did you have any hesitation to get a tattoo on your lip? That’s not a tattoo we see every day.
Banuelos: The lip was the only thing I could get tattooed while I was training with a buddy for his fight. So I got it tattooed and it says “(Expletive) off” on my lip. It’s the bottom lip. I’d have to pull it out for anyone to see it. I can’t show it to my opponents during a fight because I’d get fined.
Curreri: Tell me about the significance of some of your tattoos and what they represent to you.
Banuelos: I have my last name across my back; I always wanted my last name on me. I have Ohana on my shin, which is Hawaiian for “family.” When I got my black belt under John and Chuck in Hawaiian Kenpo I had that put on my shin, so that means a lot to me. I have my mom’s name on me. I have skull and cross bones on each shoulder. I have matching tattoos that me, Chuck, John Hackleman and his daughter all did – we all have black hearts on our ring fingers. It’s between us four because we’re all close and tight. It just lets us know that our friends are always around. The rest of the tattoos I have an idea as to what would look cool. I don’t know what tattoo I’ll get next. It’ll come to me and then I’ll have my friend, who has been tattooing me for 11 years, will do it.
Curreri: Have you ever missed getting a tattoo after a fight?
Banuelos: No, I’ve never broken that tradition.
Curreri: What’s the end goal with tattoos? Are you going to be a walking billboard of tats like Kat Von D?
Banuelos: I don’t know. I don’t know what I want until I think of something that is cool. I’m going to start on my legs now. So if I’m tattooed from head to toe that’s cool and if I’m not it’s not a big deal. I have a couple of friends that have face tattoos, but I’m not into that. Other than the front of my face I’m open to it. Just not the front of my face.
Curreri: Let’s turn to your next opponent, Chad George. What are your impressions of him as a fighter?
Banuelos: He’s a great fighter, a tough guy. It’s going to be a good fight for me. There are no more easy fights in the WEC. Everybody is a stud now. I think 135 is the most competitive weight class.
Curreri: Do you want to make a prediction for this fight?
Banuelos: I predict that it will be a great fight and I’m going to come out on top.
