It’s Time For The World To Meet Julian Rabaud
At first glance you would already think that Julian Rabaud was a fighter and with the mouth that comes with him you would think that he knows all too well how to back it up. Sporting a professional record of four wins with just one loss with all victories via stoppage you can see that he knows exactly what it means to back it up.
It wasn’t always about professional fighting for Julian though. Growing up and going through high school Julian didn’t really know too much about fighting, however he did know a lot about talking which in turn would result in him getting into a few scuffles here and there. Julian admitted that it wasn’t the ideal situation for him though “I would always get into fights and rely on my brothers to back me up. I needed something to help me defend myself.” That’s when Julian decided to hit the gym, Hitman gym to be precise and that’s where he started to learn Muay Thai.
From there it was all about training and getting better as a kick boxer and it wasn’t for a few years that his love affair with Mixed Martial Arts started. “We went to this event where it was promoted as a Muay Thai fighter against an MMA fighter in Nerang. We got there all pumped up thinking that we were going to see the Muay Thai guy dominate, in my mind as far as combat went Muay Thai was the best in the world. Jai Bradney was the MMA guy and I couldn’t take my eyes off him, he was putting on a bit of a show and he ended up just absolutely belting the Muay Thai guy. It was then that I was hooked. I now knew what the best combat sport was.”
Julian’s base was always as a stand-up fighter, in order to improve his overall MMA game he has moved to PUMMA to train under Vince Perry “It’s been a real eye opener being able to train there. These guys have been able to help me with my BJJ and training with guys like Jai (Bradney)- who I really look up to has helped my game in every way.”
On his tattoos Julian was passionate “It’s everything to me you know. It all started when I was sixteen, I walked right into a tattoo shop, underage of course and just went up and said I wanted a tattoo. They asked for cash, I gave it to them and it kinda went downhill from there,” he laughed. “My whole family has tattoos, my missus has tattoos and me best mate is a tattooist. It’s a part of who I am and it’s something I am really passionate about,” he explained. It’s something that certainly helps him stand out amongst the crowd, sure, most fighters have tattoos, some good and some bad but not many have offered their body as a canvas much like Julian has. “I don’t see the tattoos though I just see me, it’s a normal thing to me.” he explains
Normal is not a word that many would associate with Julian. Before the fight it’s all about “Julz The Jackal” and it’s all about the story and about making the fight memorable. Julian explains “You have to look at it this way. We are going into this thing to punch each other in the face. If you were in the street and you talk shit to someone you have to expect a punch in the face. This is no different. I am going to get punched in the face anyway so I may as well talk shit.” It is something that some people will like and some won’t, Julian is well aware of that and he embraces it, “If you like it you will come to see me fight, if you don’t you will come to see me get my head punched in. It’s win win really.”
In the lead up to his latest fight with Jacob Mahoney “The Jackal” was in full swing. The humorous weigh-in video that made its way across the internet showed exactly what “Julz” is all about. “It’s about me but one hundred percent more. I always try and be respectful but at the same time I wanna have a bit of fun. Yeah it might be over the top, it might be seen as disrespectful but Jacob knew what was going on and as soon as the fight was over we were respectful about it.”
Although it was a victory for Julian in his last fight it wasn’t without consequences. “I broke me hand in the first round.” Julian explains “I just had to keep on going and after that I chipped my elbow in the second. It was tough but I finished the fight and now I am just waiting to get the cast off so I can get straight back into training.” With that in mind Julian was realistic with when he would be stepping into the cage again “I really wanted to get on the next Nitro show but I know that can’t happen with my hand the way it is. I will take the rest of the year off and I promise that first thing next year I will be straight back into that cage and I will be better, meaner and ready to punch someone’s face in.”
That one loss on his record is one that Julian is not happy about. Chris “Kewl Bonez” Morris handed Julian his first loss on the 6th of August 2011. “Throughout the whole fight he was running from me. He wouldn’t come forward and then he got me with what was a decent takedown but because my base is being a striker I wasn’t really ready, I fell awkwardly and snapped me arm. That was it. After the fight he was saying he was killing it but I’ll tell ya what I wanna get in there with him again and I want to make a mess of his face. He keeps ducking me and he says we should fight other people but f—k that I want this fight and I will do anything I can to get it.” Julian was passionate about this fight and wanted everyone to know that this fight is one that he will take and it will result with his hand raised next time. “I want to humiliate him and break some bones while I am at it.”
With an over the top personality like “Julz” so many people have reached out to Julian through social networking, when asked about Twitter and other social networking tools Julian was brutally honest “You know when someone tells me I should do something it makes me not want to do it even more. I don’t really have time for it and for me I would rather be seen as that guy that doesn’t have it. If I had my way I wouldn’t even have a f—king phone, I would be this enigma, a guy that is just a mystery. I know I need it and I know that it works but for me I just try and take a break from all that shit. You don’t wanna get consumed by it, there are other things in life and that’s what is important to me. Friends and family are the ones that help ya when you are injured, they are the ones that support you no matter what and that’s the thing that keeps me grounded.”
Behind the beers, the swearing and the over the top antics there is a self-confessed soft side to Julian he explains “I am not a complete animal. I do have a heart and that’s why I try and give as much respect to my opponents after the fight as possible. I don’t wanna be like Mundine you know, where everyone thinks you are a d—khead. I want love from the people but at the same time I want to kick your ass and let everyone know about how I am gonna do it.”
Having great sponsors such as D.E Collective, Genesis Supplements and Nutrition, Evolution Fitness as well as King Brown Mouth Guards along with his support from PUMMA gym and also his friends and family helps allow Julian to live his dream as a professional fighter. “Without all of those guys I wouldn’t be able to do this” he explains.
Whether you like him or you hate him you have to admit that Julian (or Julz) is intriguing. When you see him on the fight poster, in a video clip or when you see him walking in the street you kind of think “What is this guys story.” The story is; this guy is keen to fight and no matter who he gets into that cage with next you can be sure of one thing, which is from Julian’s mouth himself; ”It’s gonna be f—ken great.”
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