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[JTS]

From InsideFighting:
http://www.insidefighting.com/betwee....aspx?uid=3987

"Jason Black: One more try at lightweight at UFC 77 - 10/3/2007
by John Buhl

You don't need a background in medicine to look at Jason Black's weigh-in photos from his UFC debut this past June to see how tough the cut down to 155 pounds had been for the Iowa native.

“It was hell,” says Black of the weight cut.

The Miletich Fighting Systems pupil had spent most of his mixed martial arts career fighting at or near the 170-pound division, and he wasn't in danger of being undersized as a welterweight.

“I only had to lose about six or seven pounds the last day, but I started at 185, and I didn't walk around with a lot of fat at that weight.”

So even though he shed the pounds gradually, the weight loss took its toll. His opponent, Thiago Tavares, controlled much of the striking and grappling throughout the match, and forced Black to tap out due to a triangle choke midway through the second round. While giving credit to Tavares, Black says that he could feel that he didn't have the energy to fight up to his usual standards.

“I had a real lack of energy in that fight,” Black says. “I don't want anyone to take anything away from him at all. I’m not making excuses and he deserved to win. But I just feel like I lost that fight, plain and simple.”

While the actual cutting of the weight certainly had an effect, so did Black’s post-weigh-in food selection. After putting so much time and energy to get to 155 for the first time, he found out the hard way that you aren’t totally in the clear to eat whatever your heart desires once you step off of the scale.

“I was a crack head after the weigh-ins, eating donuts, Mexican food, pretty much everything I could get my hands on,” Black says.

As a matter of fact, just a few days after the fight Black had ballooned up to 195 pounds. “I was having trouble walking at one point,” he says.

Black says he's going to give the lightweight division one more crack on October 20 at UFC 77 in Columbus, Ohio, before deciding whether a move back up to welterweight is in order.

“Win or lose, I'm just going to go by how I feel after the fight,” Black says.

Asked if he’s learned some lessons from his initial cut to lightweight, he responds with a laugh, “I sure hope so or I'm in trouble.” Black adds that his nutritionist has already planned his meals for after the weigh-in.

Once Black takes care of things on the scale, he’ll square off against Matt Grice in the octagon, a 9-1 fighter from Norman, Okla., who, like Black, suffered a defeat in his UFC debut. Grice succumbed to a guillotine choke, courtesy of Terry Etim, at UFC 72 last April. Black certainly isn’t taking Grice lightly, but he also isn’t obsessing over every detail of Grice’s fighting style or mapping out an elaborate gameplan.

“I haven't watched a whole lot of tape on him,” he says. “I've seen one fight of his.”

Black adds, “I try to focus on what I'm good at for the most part, but it is good to get an idea of what your opponent looks like and what his tendencies are.”

Given his schedule, it’s a wonder that he even has time to get to the gym enough to prepare to fight at a world class level. To pay the bills Black works full-time as a railroad switchman. And, in case that’s not enough, he has a wife and two kids to think about. So getting enough sleep to recuperate from the rigors of his day job and training regimen isn’t always on the agenda.

“There's a lot of walking,” Black says of the railroad job. “And it’s a lot of walking on rocks and uneven surfaces, which isn't the best thing for your legs.”

MMA may be an individual sport, but a fighter needs a strong team to train with in order to succeed, and Black relies on his Miletich teammates to battle through the mental and physical fatigue.

“It get's hard because my body doesn't get a lot of rest,” Black says. “Sometimes I have to rely on my teammates to help push me.”

Having a family that supports his second career is also key. “They're very supportive. I don't think they're thrilled about [my fighting career], but they know it's what I want to do,” he says.

With everything he’s sacrificed, it would be understandable if Black felt added pressure to succeed in the UFC – especially coming off of a loss – after waiting so long to get an opportunity to fight in the organization. He spent years putting together an impressive 22-2-1 professional record – including wins over Ivan Menjivar and John Alessio – before getting a chance to fight for one of the top two MMA organizations, making his PRIDE Bushido debut in June 2006. The UFC, meanwhile, didn’t extend Black an offer until the following year.

However, Black doesn’t feel any extra sense of urgency or nerves being on the sports biggest stage, even if it took some time to get there.

“Nothing against the UFC, but a fight's a fight. On some level it is nice to fight in a big show in the States, but if you choose to fight, you have to be ready and prepared no matter how big the show is.”

A big reason for Black’s composure is that he fights because he enjoys it, not because he has a grand vision of holding a championship belt. His objective is important but much more modest.

“I just want to come home healthy after every fight,” Black says."

[Noob]

Note: Post edited by Noob to meet thread quality standards.


I like Black. He looks like a scary Manson-type killer, but he comes across humble enough in his interivews.


Grice however is no joke. Not overly experienced in MMA, but he is a stud wrestler with some serious abilities.


Looking forward to the fight. Hopefully it will be a good one.