Kingdom MMA talk to Jack Mason ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors 71 in Amman, Jordan
by Connor Hutton - @ConnorHutton94 |
| Copyright: Cage Warriors | Dolly Clew (www.dollyclew.com) |
Cage Warriors 71 takes place in Amman, Jordan this friday, the event was previously scheduled for Stockholm, Sweden before the SMMAF found issues with licensing a number of the fighters. However the card goes ahead and Welterweight veteran Jack ‘The Stone’ Mason (28-13) squares off against Jonatan Westin (6-2). Ahead of the fight, we caught up with Mason to discuss his opponent, his MMA journey and much more.
Connor: This will be your 42nd fight as a professional mixed martial artist, and considering your debut was back in 2005, when the sport was still developing, is it possible for you to summarise your journey over the years? Being a part of the growth must be a fun ride?
Jack: It's been amazing to be honest and being involved in the sport in its growth stages has given me the opportunity to meet some weird and wonderful people and travel the world and experience some great things and achieve some of my dreams.
The sport has grown so much since 2005 and those were definitely the dark ages of the sport, when there weren't really MMA gyms around. There were some occasions where I turned up to a fight having no idea about who I was going to fight and just fight whoever the promoter had found me on the day.
Nowadays the sport is so professional and with promotions like Cage Warriors leading the charge here in the UK the sport is going from strength to strength with CW even securing a deal with Channel 4.
There are MMA gyms in every town now with decent facilities and coaches, which is a far cry from when I first started just training in people's garages or wherever we could find some mats.
The guys entering the sport nowadays honestly don't realise how good they have it!
Connor: Considering the amount of fights you’ve had, do you see yourself as a veteran of the game now? Or do you still feel like you’re constantly learning in your prime?
Jack: Honestly I still feel like a beginner, that's what I love about MMA there is always something new to learn and training just never gets boring, I look forward to every single training session.
Connor: A lot of fighters manage 3-4 fights a year on average, however you’ll be going into your seventh fight in 13 months, how much of a physical strain has the last year taken on your body? And can you see yourself continuing at this rate?
Jack: Physically it's not really a problem for me, I have a great strength and conditioning coach in Laurence Irving and a great physio in Jon McCornish and they keep me relatively injury free and fit all year round. Mentally it can be tough, especially with my demanding day job and girlfriend but MMA is something I love doing and it's my hobby outside of my day to day career so I never see it as a hardship.
Connor: Talk us through the whole SMMAF issue where your fight with Westin wasn’t approved under Unified MMA rules. What went through your mind when you found out that your bout hadn’t been approved, and tell us how Cage Warriors handled the situation for you personally?
Jack: I just found it really frustrating, the SMMAF were just not consistent with their approach to Cage Warriors as they were to UFC bouts that they’ve approved. Their stance just reeked of inconsistency and double standards. Subsequently the existing SMMAF has been dissolved so there was obviously an issue there.
Connor: Your fight with Westin goes ahead still, however you will now meet in Jordan rather than Sweden, do you hold any disappointment about not going to Sweden for this fight?
Jack: Massively! I would’ve loved to fight in Stockholm, it's such a beautiful City and the Swedish fans are amazing and really educated so I'm gutted we didn't get to fight out there. It's a big shame for Swedish MMA as CW is such an amazing promotion.
That being said I love Jordan and the fans out there are crazy and make for such a brilliant atmosphere so I'm really looking forward to getting back out there!
Connor: You have enjoyed great success fighting over in Jordan for Cage Warriors, is the fight being moved almost a blessing in disguise?
Jack: We'll have to wait and see!
Connor: What did you think when you got the call from Cage Warriors and they told you your next opponent was Westin? Did you know who he was at the time?
Jack: No I didn't know who he was but I looked him up and can see that he is a very experienced opponent with lots of MMA, shoot fighting and grappling competition experience not to mention he is from a great gym in Allstars with lots of good training partners. I know I've got my work cut out in this one.
Connor: Your 4-1 in your last 5 with the only loss coming to Benny Alloway in a close decision. Considering you have beat vets like Seck, Vallee, and most recently Carvalho, do you feel or at any stage have you thought Westin is a step back in competition?
Jack: I can see that this is a risky fight in that his MMA record isn't as big as some of the other guys I have fought but I know from experience that these new young and hungry fighters don't need big records to compete with the vets. My team mate Luke Barnatt is a perfect example of this.
I'm not about to duck anyone and I want to be the champ so I'll fight anyone who Cage Warriors ask me to fight. I know that Westin is just a tough a fight as any of my others if not tougher.
Connor: So tell us about Jonatan Westin now that you have had time to watch him. What do you think he does well, and what do you think his weaknesses are?
Jack: Westin is really well rounded, a very good striker and very good ground fighter, he's also a physical specimen. I've absolutely got my work cut out in this fight although I'm confident that I've got all the tools for the job here!
Connor: Seven of your last ten fights have gone the distance, is this ever something that plays on your mind, like you feel you need to finish more or is finishing just a bonus?
Jack: Number one priority for me always is the win and a finish is what I'm always striving for, but because of the excellent matchmaking on Cage Warriors and the high calibre of fighters, that is not always an easy ask! If a finish presents itself I will always take it and the more fights I have the more important entertaining the fans is becoming to me. I'm really working on trying to put on exciting fights nowadays and hopefully I can do that in this one.
Connor: Just one of Jonatan’s fights has gone the distance, with the majority of them finishing in the first round, without giving too much away, are you preparing for a fast paced opening? Or is the trick to bide your time and grind out a fighter who is known for finishing things early?
Jack: I'm ready for anything to be honest, as soon as a finish is available I will take it and end his night.
Connor: You have an impressive 15 first round finishes yourself and Jonatan’s only two defeats have come inside the first round. So it would seem he is susceptible to being caught early himself, and knowing you’ve got it in your locker to stop things quickly, has that played a part in your preparations?
Jack: Westin is from a great camp so I'm not banking on anything. He wouldn't be in this fight if he wasn't confident so I'm preparing for the best version of Westin yet and I expect it to be a tough one but I am sure I will be victorious.
Connor: With 41 fights in MMA, do you feel the amount of experience you have will be a significant advantage against Jonatan, considering he has just eight fights under his belt? Could this play any part in the victory?
Jack: He's had tons of Shoot fighting fights and is very active in other combat sports so to be honest we probably have similar experience in combat sports.
Connor: Finally, how do you see yourself winning next week in Jordan?
Jack: I fully expect myself to be victorious with an impressive finish. Thanks very much for the interview once again! Thanks to all my team mates at Tsunami Gym, BKK Fighters and Tandy Boxing.
Huge thanks to my sponsors, please check them out on Twitter here:
@QNTSPORT @Coconoil @BRITISHF1GHTER @ForcaLuta @LI_Strength @chelmsforphysio @BOB_Bookie @funky_gums
Also, don't forget to like the official Kingdom MMA Facebook page for exclusive news and competitions
Connor: This will be your 42nd fight as a professional mixed martial artist, and considering your debut was back in 2005, when the sport was still developing, is it possible for you to summarise your journey over the years? Being a part of the growth must be a fun ride?
Jack: It's been amazing to be honest and being involved in the sport in its growth stages has given me the opportunity to meet some weird and wonderful people and travel the world and experience some great things and achieve some of my dreams.
The sport has grown so much since 2005 and those were definitely the dark ages of the sport, when there weren't really MMA gyms around. There were some occasions where I turned up to a fight having no idea about who I was going to fight and just fight whoever the promoter had found me on the day.
Nowadays the sport is so professional and with promotions like Cage Warriors leading the charge here in the UK the sport is going from strength to strength with CW even securing a deal with Channel 4.
There are MMA gyms in every town now with decent facilities and coaches, which is a far cry from when I first started just training in people's garages or wherever we could find some mats.
The guys entering the sport nowadays honestly don't realise how good they have it!
Connor: Considering the amount of fights you’ve had, do you see yourself as a veteran of the game now? Or do you still feel like you’re constantly learning in your prime?
Jack: Honestly I still feel like a beginner, that's what I love about MMA there is always something new to learn and training just never gets boring, I look forward to every single training session.
Connor: A lot of fighters manage 3-4 fights a year on average, however you’ll be going into your seventh fight in 13 months, how much of a physical strain has the last year taken on your body? And can you see yourself continuing at this rate?
Jack: Physically it's not really a problem for me, I have a great strength and conditioning coach in Laurence Irving and a great physio in Jon McCornish and they keep me relatively injury free and fit all year round. Mentally it can be tough, especially with my demanding day job and girlfriend but MMA is something I love doing and it's my hobby outside of my day to day career so I never see it as a hardship.
Connor: Talk us through the whole SMMAF issue where your fight with Westin wasn’t approved under Unified MMA rules. What went through your mind when you found out that your bout hadn’t been approved, and tell us how Cage Warriors handled the situation for you personally?
Jack: I just found it really frustrating, the SMMAF were just not consistent with their approach to Cage Warriors as they were to UFC bouts that they’ve approved. Their stance just reeked of inconsistency and double standards. Subsequently the existing SMMAF has been dissolved so there was obviously an issue there.
Connor: Your fight with Westin goes ahead still, however you will now meet in Jordan rather than Sweden, do you hold any disappointment about not going to Sweden for this fight?
Jack: Massively! I would’ve loved to fight in Stockholm, it's such a beautiful City and the Swedish fans are amazing and really educated so I'm gutted we didn't get to fight out there. It's a big shame for Swedish MMA as CW is such an amazing promotion.
That being said I love Jordan and the fans out there are crazy and make for such a brilliant atmosphere so I'm really looking forward to getting back out there!
Connor: You have enjoyed great success fighting over in Jordan for Cage Warriors, is the fight being moved almost a blessing in disguise?
Jack: We'll have to wait and see!
Connor: What did you think when you got the call from Cage Warriors and they told you your next opponent was Westin? Did you know who he was at the time?
Jack: No I didn't know who he was but I looked him up and can see that he is a very experienced opponent with lots of MMA, shoot fighting and grappling competition experience not to mention he is from a great gym in Allstars with lots of good training partners. I know I've got my work cut out in this one.
Connor: Your 4-1 in your last 5 with the only loss coming to Benny Alloway in a close decision. Considering you have beat vets like Seck, Vallee, and most recently Carvalho, do you feel or at any stage have you thought Westin is a step back in competition?
Jack: I can see that this is a risky fight in that his MMA record isn't as big as some of the other guys I have fought but I know from experience that these new young and hungry fighters don't need big records to compete with the vets. My team mate Luke Barnatt is a perfect example of this.
I'm not about to duck anyone and I want to be the champ so I'll fight anyone who Cage Warriors ask me to fight. I know that Westin is just a tough a fight as any of my others if not tougher.
Connor: So tell us about Jonatan Westin now that you have had time to watch him. What do you think he does well, and what do you think his weaknesses are?
Jack: Westin is really well rounded, a very good striker and very good ground fighter, he's also a physical specimen. I've absolutely got my work cut out in this fight although I'm confident that I've got all the tools for the job here!
Connor: Seven of your last ten fights have gone the distance, is this ever something that plays on your mind, like you feel you need to finish more or is finishing just a bonus?
Jack: Number one priority for me always is the win and a finish is what I'm always striving for, but because of the excellent matchmaking on Cage Warriors and the high calibre of fighters, that is not always an easy ask! If a finish presents itself I will always take it and the more fights I have the more important entertaining the fans is becoming to me. I'm really working on trying to put on exciting fights nowadays and hopefully I can do that in this one.
Connor: Just one of Jonatan’s fights has gone the distance, with the majority of them finishing in the first round, without giving too much away, are you preparing for a fast paced opening? Or is the trick to bide your time and grind out a fighter who is known for finishing things early?
Jack: I'm ready for anything to be honest, as soon as a finish is available I will take it and end his night.
Connor: You have an impressive 15 first round finishes yourself and Jonatan’s only two defeats have come inside the first round. So it would seem he is susceptible to being caught early himself, and knowing you’ve got it in your locker to stop things quickly, has that played a part in your preparations?
Jack: Westin is from a great camp so I'm not banking on anything. He wouldn't be in this fight if he wasn't confident so I'm preparing for the best version of Westin yet and I expect it to be a tough one but I am sure I will be victorious.
Connor: With 41 fights in MMA, do you feel the amount of experience you have will be a significant advantage against Jonatan, considering he has just eight fights under his belt? Could this play any part in the victory?
Jack: He's had tons of Shoot fighting fights and is very active in other combat sports so to be honest we probably have similar experience in combat sports.
Connor: Finally, how do you see yourself winning next week in Jordan?
Jack: I fully expect myself to be victorious with an impressive finish. Thanks very much for the interview once again! Thanks to all my team mates at Tsunami Gym, BKK Fighters and Tandy Boxing.
Huge thanks to my sponsors, please check them out on Twitter here:
@QNTSPORT @Coconoil @BRITISHF1GHTER @ForcaLuta @LI_Strength @chelmsforphysio @BOB_Bookie @funky_gums
Also, don't forget to like the official Kingdom MMA Facebook page for exclusive news and competitions
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