Josh Jauncey on 'diminishing' Giorgio Petrosyan: 'It's him going out and me coming in'

Josh Jauncey (23-5) has made quite a bit of noise since he has entered the GLORY lightweight division. The Canadian is currently ranked No.4 in the division and has won all of his fights within the promotion save for one -- the GLORY 22 tournament final against Sittichai Sitsongpeenong, which resulted in a unanimous decision loss.

"I’m pissed off about the loss," Jauncey told MMAmania.com. "For me, I’ve never lost twice in one year and I refuse to do it. I’m a very bad loser and I’ve always won after a loss. It’s going to be the same thing: I’m going to win after a loss. I didn’t get to train for Sittichai. I was training for Niclas Larsen and he is a very different fighter. I didn’t get to fight him because he got injured. So I prepared for absolutely no one in that tournament. If I got the chance to actually train for Sittichai it would be a very, very different fight."

That is a perfect example of what Jauncey is all about. He has complete and total confidence in his abilities and he will let you know so.

"Fighters worry too much about not saying what they actually feel or they are worrying about what other kickboxers are going to say about them or what other people are going to say about them," said Jauncey, who is huge fan of the TV show Seinfeld and said he'd give up his fight purse to spend a day with him.

"I think people are worried about being seen as too arrogant or cocky. There is a difference between being conceited and being confident and I like to walk that line. It’s just about being yourself. That’s all it is. That’s what people like. They like real and I’m real.  I've got my moments where I can be shy, but normally — especially after a win — I’m more myself than ever in front of everybody. That’s why I keep winning and keep showing to everyone who I am."

Sitsongpeenong has long been considered one of the best fighters on the planet and will face Robin van Roosmalen for the title at GLORY 25 later today, but Jauncey thinks he could beat him in a rematch. He did fight valiantly in the GLORY 22 final, so much so that the GLORY brass placed him against a kickboxing legend in his very next bout, Girogio Petrosyan (81-2), who he will face later today in the co-main event inside The Palaper in Monza, Italy.

Jauncey, 22, has a great deal of respect for the "The Doctor" has a "great eye" and "great timing," but made sure to note that he is not the same fighter he once was.

"Everything that was so great about him before is diminishing and everything that is so great about me is just getting better. I think we have a lot of the same characteristics, Petrosyan and I, except I have a bigger arsenal. So it’s him going out and me coming in and I’m here to stay."

One of the main reasons the Canadian likes his chances against Petrosyan, who has only been knocked out once in his entire career, is a relatively unknown sparring partner.

"He’s a boxer turned MMA fighter," said Jauncey. "His name is Joey Kuiten. He’s not too well known right now, but I think there is going to be some big things coming from him soon. I trained with him in Holland for the first time when I was younger and I never sparred with someone that frustrated me so much. And now it’s no problem. So, I’ve really improved and I’m feeling really good about it."

While he will be in enemy territory, as Petrosyan hails from Italy and GLORY 25 is being held in his home country. Jauncey said he has received several messages on social media from fans in Italy who want to see him defeat "The Doctor."

"They are sick of him," he said. "They want something new. They want me. I’m going to give them that. Of course, the majority is going to be for Petrosyan. That’s good. I love being able to try and embarrass people in their home town. It makes it that much sweeter. It’s going to be really fun."

Fellow Canadian kickboxer "Bazooka" Joe Valtellini, recently started up a conversation on Twitter (Liverkick.com has the story) on how kickboxers need to put themselves out there if they want to get more fans and more people invested in the sport.

Jauncey jumped right in the discussion and said with more opportunities he will be one of the main reasons kickboxing becomes popular.

@LiverKickdotcom @Michael_Stets @BazookaJoeV Give me more opportunities to be seen and I'll make KB big. Ive said it since I was 5.

— Josh Jauncey (@jauncey93) October 29, 2015

He was asked to elaborate on those comments and he did not hold back.

"It’s true. It’s true, he said. "I’ve always said I want to be -- and I will be --the fighter that makes kickboxing big in North America. I’ve always said that. Ever since I was a kid that’s what I wanted because kickboxing was never that big here. Not since the 80s and even then it wasn’t huge. I always said I want to be the one to bring it to North America. Give me more chances. That’s all I need. Give me more time. Give me more fights, more opportunities to be heard, to be seen, to do my thing. I’m not a guy putting anything on but I live for this. I live for kickboxing. Just give me more exposure and I promise and I’ll make it big here. I know it."

For full GLORY 25 results and play-by-play click here.