September 24, 2007
Q&A: Joe Martinez
By DAVID HELDRETH Staff Writer
Martinez, a Barstow native, has spent the last 12 years of his life pursuing a career in sports announcing. In that time he has covered everything from basketball to boxing. He is currently working for World Extreme Cage fighting a division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Q: What are you working on currently?
A: I’ve been working with WEC which is under the umbrella of the UFC. UFC bought us back before January. They bought us but we still operate on our own pretty much. They have a lot to do with funding and the production.
Q: What’s it like to work for WEC?
A: It’s awesome. It’s something I never thought I’d be doing, but now I’m getting to know the sport and a lot of the fighters. The production is top of the line. It’s a great show. It’s good for me and for the people watching at home. It’s a very personal show with WEC.
Q: How did you originally get involved with mixed martial arts?
A: I did a show on a reference from a contact a couple of years ago in Lemoore at a casino. I drove up did the show and it went over really well. It was on HDNET so there wasn’t a lot of exposure. You didn’t see it unless you had a high definition TV and DIRECTV. Then the WEC called me up in December and talked about doing a show. They originally had another guy Barry Brock doing it. His show didn’t work out, I guess, so they called me up and offered me a multi-year contract.
Q: How does the filming work?
A: We do multiple tappings and split them all up. The under cards start at like 4 p.m. and the main events are usually at 5 or 6 p.m. Then they take the under card fights and put them into a show called Wreckage on the Versus network. The main events are shown live on the WEC show.
Q: Where do they film the show at?
A: We do our shoots at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. I fly up on a Friday. We have a meeting then do the weigh in on Saturday. Do a rehearsal and shoot the show on a Sunday. I usually fly home on Monday.
Q: Has anyone you know contacted you about the show?
A: A lot of people I went to college with have called me. A woman I went to BHS with who lives in Texas contacted me. She said she saw me on TV, and it was so crazy to see someone from her small town on TV.
Q: You did some work in Mexico. What was that like?
A: I signed with Guilty Boxing to do 48 shows per year. I would go down to Mexico about two times a month to do boxing announcing. It was a fun year. They aired it on ESPNdeportes, but it didn’t get picked back up.
Q: You got to work with Oscar De La Hoya on “The Next Great Champ.” How was that?
A: That was fun. It was quite an experience. I was just a small town dude from Barstow. I never dreamed of doing something like that. Even though the show didn’t get very big it was still cool to be treated like a somebody. De La Hoya was a cool guy. We only met once and chit chatted. He was neat, but he was pretty inaccessible. He was only there like one day.”
Q: Do you still announce other sports?
A: Whenever I can, I do boxing which is really cool. I still announce for the Lake Elsinore Storm which is the high-A team for the Padres and I announce for Cal State Fullerton. WEC lets me do whatever I want as long as it works with their schedule and it isn’t a (mixed martial arts) event. I was contacted by a MMA company about going to Thailand to do a show, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to because of the contract.
Q: What’s it like to announce sports for the college you went to?
A: It’s great. I love it. I’m the ultimate college fanatic. I’m the type of guy that would love if I could be a student forever and get paid. I love college sports. I don’t announce for Fullerton because of the money. I do it because I love my school.
Q: What would you say is your next goal?
A: Announcing UFC. Before I didn’t think so, but now I definitely do. It’s such a fascinating sport. A lot of people look it as brutal, but it’s safer than boxing or football. They’re all high contact sports. MMA is just a different type of sport.
Q: What is your favorite kind of MMA fight?
A: I love a good stand up fight. I think almost anyone does. When it gets into things like JuJitsu and submissions it’s hard to see what’s going on. I’m the type of guy who loves a good hook and knockouts. My mom saw a show the other day and was like, "I can’t believe you do this it’s so brutal."
Q: Have you always wanted to be a sports announcer?
A: Since I was a kid I have. My first real attempt at it was after a soccer game in the locker room at BHS. I was on the soccer team and we shared a locker room with the basketball team. As we were getting done with a game they would be getting ready. One day I just started announcing the basketball teams names as they came in. I just remembering thinking that was cool. Now to have the opportunity to do it as a profession for 12 years is awesome. I think its what I’m made to do.
Q: You used to be a commentator for the BHS football games on the radio, how is that different than commentating on television?
A: Well first off I have a face for radio. Well that’s a common joke. Anyway, I think radio is a bigger challenge. You have to present a story where no one can see it. There’s no comparison. In my mind it’s simple now on TV. It’s not as much detail. It’s all in the presentation. I just try to present what I see as well as I can.
Q: Most of your work falls on weekends, what do you do during the week?
A: I try to stay busy. I’m always on the phone trying to contact other promoters. I try to update my Web site (www.joeamartinez.com), which I’ve been lazy with lately. Baseball season just got over, but that usually takes up my weekdays from April to September. Now that it’s over, I’m trying to figure out what to do.
Q: Have you been using some of that time to relax?
A: Yeah, a little. It’s nice to get a break, but that’s the thing about this lifestyle — if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. There are no paid vacations.
This interview was conducted by staff writer David Heldreth. Look every Tuesday for more Desert Dispatch Q&As.