Bellator Kickboxer Joe Schilling will look to even the score against Hisaki Kato in the main event of the promotion’s second kickboxing card. We spoke with the legend prior to Friday’s event.

Joe Schilling is a household name in the kickboxing community, owning a record of 21-7 in kickboxing competition.

The former GLORY Middleweight Champion also has some MMA fights under his belt, including three in Bellator, where he will headline the promotion’s second kickboxing event on Friday night.

Schilling took the time to speak with Cage Pages prior to his rematch with Hisaki Kato at Bellator Kickboxing 2.

Last month, Joe Schilling finished out his contract with GLORY Kickboxing, America’s premier kickboxing organization that is broadcast on both UFC Fight Pass and ESPN2.

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Following the majority decision loss in a rematch with Jason Wilnis last month, Schilling was pointing at his feet. So the interview started with a check on his health.

“I dislocated a toe in my right foot and broke a bone in my left foot. But I wasn’t making an excuse, I was more making fun of him because he quit in the second round of our last fight, claiming he hurt his toe. So I was saying at the time, ‘What kind of guy quits over a hurt toe in a professional kickboxing match?’ Sure enough, I dislocated my toe in our next meeting. But I went to the locker room and popped it back in and moved on, so it’s all good now.”

That fight against Jason Wilnis on May 13 was the last time Schilling will be seen with GLORY, as the American has no interest in returning to the promotion.

“My relationship with GLORY is non-existent, and I will never do business with them again. I think GLORY is a pretty piss-poor promotion that will probably fold within the next six months due to the way they conduct business. Their budget is almost nothing, their rankings are garbage, and their commentary is atrocious. It’s just a shit-show that is run by people who know nothing about the sport to be honest. My contract is up with them, and I will never promote them or say anything nice about them ever. I think anybody that is currently fighting or working with GLORY will probably feel the same way at some point because they are very shady people.”

With that being said, Joe Schilling is very happy with his relationship with Bellator and Bellator President Scott Coker.

“It’s fantastic. Even before, when I was still with GLORY, Scott Coker and Bellator and SPIKE TV were all really great. They tried to put the fighters first, and that’s a good model. With GLORY, anytime they had the opportunity to treat me right or screw me over, they always tried to screw me over. With Bellator, it’s the complete opposite.”

Schilling then went into detail as to why he thinks so highly of the promotion.

“I had a three fight deal with Bellator. My first fight was a Knockout of the Year, it was a great performance . My second fight was boring and lackluster because my opponent, Rafael Carvalho, was a boring, lackluster fighter. I lost the decision, but everyone who watches that fight knows that I won. Then I fought Hisaki Kato, and I got knocked out. So that finished my three-fight deal, and I was 1-2. I was pretty upset and disappointed about it. Two days later, Scott Coker called me and told me they were still going to sign me, and they still wanted to be in the Joe Schilling business. That showed me how well Scott Coker treats people. Had that same thing happened in GLORY, they would’ve probably tried to devalue me and pay me half as much money after that and take advantage of the situation. I’ve seen a lot of loyalty from Scott Coker and Bellator, they know how to treat fighters.”

Of course, Bellator’s bread-and-butter is mixed martial arts, and Schilling’s relationship with the promotion opens the door for more MMA fights in the Bellator cage.

“I’m excited that I don’t have to do in MMA anymore now that there is Bellator Kickboxing. So I’m grateful for that opportunity. But Bellator is willing to let me fight MMA. To be honest, looking at their middleweight division, I don’t think I’m that far away from a title shot. Melvin Manhoef should be the middleweight champion right now (he recently lost a controversial decision to Rafael Carvalho), and I knocked out Melvin.

The Ohio native made it clear who he wants to fight in the Bellator cage in a hypothetical return to MMA.

“I think a rematch with Melvin would be a huge fight, and it’s the kind of fight that I want. Everyone keeps asking me if I want to fight Carvalho again, and honestly, no I don’t. I don’t want to fight people that don’t want to fight. I want exciting fights. I want to fight guys that come to fight and put on exciting shows and bring out the best in me. I feel like Carvalho is the kind of guy that is going to lay-and-pray and bore everyone and those aren’t the type of guys I want to fight. There’s some exciting matchups for me in MMA and I’m not too far away from the title. So I’m very much willing to do both.”

Before any of that happens though, Joe Schilling will look to avenge his brutal loss against Hisaki Kato. Despite the shocking ending of the first bout, Schilling is not motivated by revenge in their rematch.

“I wouldn’t call it revenge, it’s more like redemption. I have nothing against the guy. It was a great opportunity for him when he came along and fought me. He took full advantage and capitalized on it. I was actually pretty happy for him, it was good for his career. I have a lot of respect for him, taking this fight against me with kickboxing rules, I don’t think that’s something he wanted to do. He won the lottery that night and landed a perfect shot at the perfect time. I take a lot of pride in being a kickboxer who’s willing to fight in MMA, to be the underdog, taking the hard fights that I’m not supposed to win. This is a great opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.”

On that note, “Stitch ’em Up” is certain about the outcome of Friday’s fight.

“I think I’m going to win. Probably first round, early second. The advantages that he had against me in MMA are very similar to the advantages I have over him in kickboxing. My combinations, speed, and overall level of kickboxing are so much higher than his. However, he’s knocked me out before. He hits very hard, he’s very big, and he’s a dangerous opponent. But I think I win this fight pretty decisively, first or second round.”

Joe Schilling will look to show his skills on what he calls “the biggest stage” this Friday at Bellator Kickboxing: St. Louis at 11 p.m. EST on Spike TV. Make sure you tune in to see the next chapter of Schilling’s storied career!