Pardoning the pun, Joe Schilling is a fighter that pulls no punches. The current Interim WBC Muay Thai Light Heavyweight Champion, Schilling is one of the most honest fighters out there. Following an interesting turn of events that had himself, and the current title holder Artem Levin fighting in unrelated bouts 72 hours apart, Schilling laid out his frustration for us during a recent interview.

“You know, with this issue with the WBC; I’m supposed to be in the pinnacle of my career right now,” explained Schilling candidly to Fighters.com. “Whether you call it interim or not, I’m a world champion in what’s supposed to be one of the most important sanctioning bodies in the world.”

The discussion also turned to how Muay Thai specialists like Duane Ludwig have found success transitioning into MMA. Schilling has been in MMA camps before, recently even being shown on UFC Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit as a sparring partner of Nick Diaz‘s helping him prepare for his fight against Carlos Condit. With this very recent experience in mind, Schilling addressed the possibility of whether he too would consider joining those ranks if it came down to it.

“I’ve got to tell you that I’m getting a bit tired of jumping through hoops, working my tail off every time to put on shows and doing everything that’s asked of me and continuously getting slapped in the face,” said Schilling. “That’s what I think about Artem Levin defending his title (against Chuck Sidibe). It’s a slap in the face. I find it pretty disrespectful.”

“It does make me consider fighting in MMA. At least in MMA, you’re getting paid to deal with this sh*t,” Schilling added. ” In Muay Thai, there’s a lot more injuries, a lot less money, a lot less recognition, and an equal amount of crap you’ve got to deal with.”

However, Schilling was unwavering in his current goals as far as focusing on his kickboxing career.

“We’ll see how this year plays out,” the 28-year old stated. ” I’m excited about the fights I have with Lion Fight. If everything goes well and the sport continues to grow and move forward, you know, I’d be willing to stay in Muay Thai a little longer, but I’m definitely looking over to MMA right now. It’s not looking too bad.”

PHOTO CREDIT – Lion Fight
Source: http://www.fighters.com/