This week on the Beyond the Fight podcast here at MMANews.com, we’ve got an exclusive interview with UFC Bantamweight fighter Joe Soto.

Fresh off his fight against reigning division champion T. J. Dillashaw, Soto described the experience as “surreal.”

‘It was surreal, like a dream come true, really. Something I prepared for in my mind … To see how you would do, how the fight would play out.”

Not many people gave him a chance headed into the fight, but he never doubted whether he was worthy of the fight. Soto went he distance.

“I don’t hold that against [my critics] .. I’ve trained with UFC fighters before, I’ve trained with UFC champions before and always done well, I’ve always had confidence in my abilities and believed I was top 10 in the world. It was no surprise to me. I’ve trained with top level guys before and I know what I can do.”

Looking at his division, he doesn’t have any specific future opponents in mind, he just wants the opportunity to fight top fighters. He mentioned Cruz and Barao as guys he could see himself fighting. Whoever they throw at him, he’ll be ready. He’s just happy to compete at this level.

Soto was asked to give his thoughts on various fighters, starting with Anderson Silva.

“Greatness .. Being able to stay on top for so long, there’s so many ways to lose. Having his focus and being able to implement his game .. In a sport where you can lose in so many ways and keeping your focus and staying sharp is hard to do”.

Fedor Emelianenko:

“One of my favorite fighters ever, he was just awesome back in the day … Some of his fights were pretty wild. I just liked his demeanor, calm humble never showing emotion. One of the greatest.”

Conor McGregor:

“I know he’s got a lot of hype around him … Promising future, but we’ll find out .. I like the different characters, it make it more exciting. I like those kind of characters, more personality.”

Other topics include the process of cutting weight for fights and how his faith has helped him through many ups and downs throughout his career. The interview begins around the 33-minute mark.

This week’s show is hosted by reigning Fight Picks Champion Tim Fairbanks, Beyond The Fight analyst Nate Melendez and James Hines. Aside form the Soto interview, other highlights include discussion of last week’s Jacare vs Mousasi show, this weekend’s UFC Fight Night Arlovski vs Bigfoot Silva and more.

Big thanks to Tim “TK” Klypchak for help with editing the show and Rothschildren for the show’s new theme music.