UCMMA Welterweight title is on the line this weekend as the champion John “The One” Maguire meets Jamaine “Mr Pain” Facey from the Troxy.
Trash talk and the fight game seem to perfectly fit hand in hand because there’s no other platform where tough justice can be given the authors of strong words.
Ultimate Challenge: Fists of Fire is a few weeks away but the both participants in the main event have already swapped superlatives over a selection of media outlets.
Champion John Maguire (14-2 MMA) meets challenger Jamaine Facey (6-5 MMA) in what should be a fast paced encounter between two of the more skilled welterweights on the UK circuit.
I caught up with Jamaine Facey to see just what he made of all the pre-fight hype.
Jamaine, I’ve seen one or two title fights at UCMMA but I’m struggling to think of one where there’s been this level of trash talking. Have you taken this in your stride or do you think any of this has been aimed a bit more personally?
I don’t feel I’m doing any trash talking myself I’m just telling it how it is; however, if John as a professional fighter wants to present himself by making videos and acting like a fool that’s no business to me. He can say whatever he wants to say but when it comes to the crunch we’ve got to fight.
He’s signed the contract, agreed to the fight and taken the money so I don’t really see what all the noise is about.
It’s got all the makings of a great fight. Do you feel well prepared to fight for the title?
Training’s gone great for this one I’ve just got back from Muay Thai which was good. I’m feeling in good shape for this one and I’m glad to have got some great training in.
Moving forward from your last fight; how have you adapted your training and changed your approach?
I’m always adapting and trying to add something to the training and I’m always trying to evolve from the training that I do but I don’t train to suit fighters I train to suit myself.
This camp I’ve spent a little time doing some yoga and meditation and it’s helping me relax more to a certain extent. You train the way you like to fight and the way I like to fight is to be a free spirit and to do the opposite of what my opponent is thinking.
The Yoga aspect is very interesting as there’s a lot of fighters who speak of the benefits of it for relaxation but also from a flexibility point of view. Have you noticed any difference in your sparring and technique?
Certainly I’ve noticed the differences.
The thing is whenever I’m being taught any style I always struggle with the same thing and that’s hitting pads. I like to bring my own approach to these techniques and try and adapt them to me and to certain potential circumstances that I might be in.
This is why it’s called mixed martial arts. It’s an art, not a choreographed dance.
Like we said at the start, the level of talking in this bout has elevated it in the public eye quite a lot. Maguire’s known for his wrestling but, based on how much chatter there has been, do you think that he’ll feel any obligation to stand with you?
Never, never, never. They always say that. Pastou said that, Amasinger said that. They all say that they’re going to stand up with me but I’m not going to cry about it. If they take me down and try to lay and pray then that’s their business.
I’m not going to cry if he beats me by grabbing me and sitting on me because that’s my own fault for not learning how to get out of that bad position. It is what it is.
At the end of the day it’s a fight and I’ve got no problems with how it goes but at the end of the day I know he’s not going to trade with me. It’s the same thing that Amasinger said at the press conference about how he’d stand and trade with me; it’s bullshit.
John stood with Dean and threw strikes but Dean hasn’t got the best hands and he can’t use that as any kind of measure.
It’s often seen that wrestlers will revert to that grappling base if they get in trouble on the feet.
Yeah and that’s exactly how I’m looking at this bout. If I catch him with a few shots he’ll want to come in close to take me down and if he does then well done to him. It’s up to me to work out just how to solve the problem if it arises. That’s what I’m here to do.
This is a huge deal fighting for the UCMMA welterweight belt. What does it mean to you to contest with the best in the division?
The next fight is always the most important one, title or not, and maybe I didn’t take that heat forward when I fought Dean. I took the fight without the real drive that you need to be selfish and push yourself through that training.
We were moving gyms as well but I’m not here to make excuses and I just want to move forward and progress. I know now that I should have concentrated a lot more on myself and on my personal agenda rather than worrying about the rest of the guys and the gym for that time.
Let’s talk about the fight specifically for a second. If we’re looking at it from your point of view what are your expectations for May 14 th?
It’s going to be fun. I don’t take anything personal no matter what he says or does because it’s the sport. I guess I just want to express to the fans how far I’ve come and show them just what I’m capable of because they haven’t seen what I can do. They’ve only seen about 40% of what I can do.
Only the people in my gym really know what I’m capable of and I’m so excited for the night and to express myself in that cage with John. I just want to give the UK fans what they’ve been missing.
That pretty much wraps it up, thanks again for the time Jamaine and I wish you all the best of luck.
Thank you very much for the interview and the good wishes.
The time for talking is nearly at an end and it remains to be seen just how either man will adjust to the fight.
Jamaine Facey’s strikes are some of the most unorthodox in the division but Maguire showcased his grappling talent by submitting Roger Gracie black belt Andy Roberts at a recent tournament.
One thing is for sure, however, the winner of this title bout will have not only the UCMMA title but the warming knowledge that talk is cheap but the swift strikes of retribution are as real as it gets.
Thanks to Fortuna Pr for the interview.
