Jack Mason "The guys i help coach will go on to achieve more than i could ever dream of in MMA"

Jack Mason talks to Kingdom MMA after win at Cage Warriors Fight Night 11

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Copyright Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

On Good Friday in Amman, Jordan Jack Stone Mason went to work for the 8th time in just over 15 months. That alone is a truly inpressive stat but this fight also marked the 40th fight of Jack's career and he wanted to make it clear who the winner was by the end of the fight. Mason came in to this fight off the back of a very close, some would say controversal loss to Benny Alloway at Cage Warriors 65 which snapped a two fight streak and he made sure he came away from Jordan with the win. Yesterday we caught up with Jack to discuss that fight, his team at BKK Fighters and whats next for Jack.

Sam: Congratulations on your recent victory against Patrick Vallee in your 40th pro fight. Have you had chance to watch the fight back yet and if so how would you rate your performance?
Mason: Thanks very much! Yeah I’ve had a chance to watch it back and there are definitely some things I could have done better or more of but I’m happy with the result against a very tough and tricky opponent.

Sam: Did fighting a former training partner have any effect on your mind-set going into this fight? Did you do anything differently for this fight because you have previously trained together?
Mason: Having trained with Patrick before I knew when I accepted this fight that I had my work cut out as I know that he poses me a genuine threat skill wise in all areas and especially in the grappling exchanges. The guy is exceptionally strong and is very quick in scrambles and possesses a very high level ground game. I knew that this was a 50/50 fight and that to take the win I had to implement my game plan perfectly and that’s what I tried to do.

It was quite strange standing across the cage from a friend knowing we were about to fight!

Sam: When did you last train with Patrick and how much had he improved since you last trained with him?
Mason: Probably about a year ago I think. Patrick is in contact with Luke Barnatt a lot as I know Luke was planning to get him over to the UK to help him prepare for his upcoming bout at UFC Berlin so he may be back over very soon training with us!

Patrick is legit and if he fights again on Cage Warriors he’s going to cause a lot of guys in the WW division problems.

Sam: Did fighting at a catchweight make the weight cut easier for this fight or did the short timeframe between agreeing to fight and the fight make it harder?
Mason: I was hoping to get on the Liverpool show in May and was dieting down to Welterweight for that, when the opportunity came up to fight again in Jordan I jumped at the chance but to make Welterweight on that short notice isn’t possible for me so we agreed a catch-weight for this bout.

I’d love their to be a 175lb division in MMA as that’s definitely the best weight for me, hopefully they’ll implement that weight class while I’m still fighting!

Sam: You were able to showcase both your wrestling and striking skills on multiple occasions throughout the fight. Do you feel like this convincing performance was enough to warrant your name being back in title contention?
Mason: I think the win over a legit opponent in Vallee definitely puts me back in the mix, however I think I need a decent finish over another top Welterweight to really push my case for a shot at the title.

Sam: In your second most recent fight you lost a close decision against Benny Alloway. After the fight you took to twitter for the first time that I can remember stating that the judges had incorrectly scored the fight. Now some time has passed do you still feel the same way?
Mason: To be completely honest during the fight I was absolutely sure I was winning and thought I had it won hands down through jabs I landed on the feet, takedowns and control. When the decision got read out I was genuinely shocked.

When I got a chance to watch it back however I saw the fight from a wholly different perspective and can see it was far closer than I originally thought. I think the fight was so close that the decision could have gone either way and to be honest I can’t really complain about the result as I should’ve done a whole lot more in that fight to take the win. I have to take responsibility for that loss and in my next bouts ensure that they always finish on my terms.

Sam: Did you push CW for a rematch with Alloway or is that a fight you would like again in the future?
Mason: I haven’t pushed for a rematch no. The Cage Warriors Welterweight division is so stacked full of talent that there are so many tough guys to fight that rematches really don’t make sense.

That being said of course I would rematch Alloway if that fight made sense for Cage Warriors again and it put me closer to a title shot.

Sam: Did suffering a close loss on the judges’ scorecards influence your game-plan going into this fight and how nervous were you prior to Joe Martinez announcing the good news this time around?
Mason: To be honest the match against Vallee was such a tough one that I didn’t put any extra pressure on myself about trying to win anything on the judge’s scorecards, I just went out there and fought the fight I needed to. I knew that if I caught Vallee with a clean punch on the feet I could finish the fight and that’s what I was trying to do. He was tricky and it was difficult to land anything clean so the finish never came unfortunately.

When the judge’s decision was read out I did think I’d won the fight but from previous experiences you can never quite tell about how the fight is interpreted from an outside perspective so yes I was pretty nervous as to whether I’d get the nod!

Sam: You fought in Jordan again for the third time in about a year. Do you ask to be on the foreign shows or would you like to fight in the UK again soon? There looks to be a massive event in June, will you want to be a part of that?
Mason: I don’t ask to fight on the foreign shows specifically however I definitely enjoy fighting on them, especially in Jordan as the crowd out there are absolutely unbelievable!

The June show looks incredible and yes if Cage Warriors can get me on it’s definitely something I want to be a part of!

Sam: In the past couple of weeks some of your BKK fighters picked up some very impressive wins, what is better for you: Seeing your guys win or picking up the wins yourself?
Mason: The guys I help coach will go on to achieve more than I could ever dream of in MMA I am sure. Seeing them starting from scratch at BKK Fighters to go on and win world titles is a goal of mine and we will make it happen as a team.

Sam: What did you make of Arnold Allen's impressive performance earlier in the night? He certainly lived up to the award of "One to watch in '14" that we awarded him in our end of year awards.
Mason: Arnold made short work of Huber that’s for sure. Arnold’s been fighting tough competition in both Amateur and Professional MMA since he was 16 and he continues to put these grown men away really quickly. Given Huber’s ground credentials we thought he would be a tough opponent for Arnold but Arnold hits so hard and so fast that when he touches someone they just change their mind and want out of the fight.

Arnold will be a world champion before he is 23 I have no doubt.

Sam: As always You were back fighting very regularly, Did you consider taking a break from fighting for a few months to work more on your game after the loss or were you eager to get your name back in the Win column?
Mason: I started MMA in 2005 when I was 23 years old. I’m 31 now and have had over 40 fights, I’m at my physical peak and am always learning and improving so I just want to continue fighting regularly and gaining all the experiences I can from fighting at a high level for one of the MMA best organizations in the world. I’m having the time of my life fighting for Cage Warriors right now.

In terms of the decision loss to Alloway, the thing I needed to change was not so much my skill set, it was more the mental approach and game plan I took into that fight. A slightly different approach and that fight would’ve been mine I’m sure, it’s definitely an experienced I’ve learnt from.

Sam: Would you like to thank anyone?
Mason: Thanks very much for the interview and thanks to my management, coaches, team mates, family and friends and to everyone for all the support for this fight and my career so far!

Huge thanks also to Matt Walton who has given me some excellent guidance in the past couple of months and really changed my approach to fighting.

I’d also like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors, please check out their websites and follow them on Twitter:

         www.britishfighter.co.uk                        @BritishF1ghter
         www.chelmsfordphysio.co.uk                 @ChelmsforPhysio
         www.blankmmauk.com                         @BlankMMAUK
         www.qntuk.com                                    @QNTUK
         www.funkygums.com                             @FUNKYGUMS
         www.ignitept.co.uk                                @LI_Strength
         www.coconoil.co.uk                              @Coconoil

Arnold Allen talks to Kingdom MMA about his victory at Cage Warriors Fight Night 11

Arnold Allen CWFC FN 11 Post Fight Interview

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Copyright Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Kingdom MMA recently caught up with Arnold Allen after he made quick work of Tobias Huber at Cage Warriors Fight Night 11. Arnold went in to the fight trying to protect his unbeaten record and walked out the cage less than a minute later. What happened in that time was a dominating and very one sided performance by a true prospect and rising star of UK MMA.

Sam: Congratulations on your recent dominant victory against Tobias Huber. Had a first round TKO been the result you were expecting?
Allen: Thank you, and yeah I was expecting to finish it quick with strikes.

Sam: What was going through your mind when Huber had hold of your ankle?
Allen: I was just thinking about getting him off my foot and keeping up on my feet.

Sam: You yourself have a well-documented proficiency with submissions. How comfortable would you have felt on the ground with Huber?
Allen: I would have been happy if the fight was on the ground, I was happy wherever. 

Sam: This was the first time this year we had seen you fight and you seem to be perpetually improving. What had you been working on leading up to this most recent outing?
Allen: I was working a little bit of counter wrestling to go against Huber trying to get the fight to the ground, but as usual I focused on improving my skills all round rather than worrying about my opponents strengths.

Sam: I’m sure it must have been pleasant seeing off your opponent so quickly, When do you hope to fight next?
Allen: Yeah for sure it was nice to get a nice quick win, and also whenever! I'm looking to have around 4 or 5 fights this year.

Sam: Was it a relief to see your head coach, Jack Mason get his name back in the W column with a controlling win over Patrick Vallee later that night after such a close loss for him in his last fight?
Allen: It's always good to see your team mates/ coaches win, but it was great to see Jack get a good win over a tough opponent!

Sam: This was the second time in a row that you had fought in Jordan. Do you have a preference either fighting abroad or in the UK or are you unaffected?
Allen: I'm not too fussed about where i fight but the fans in Jordan are awesome they get behind everyone, the public weigh in was crazy I don't think there would be enough interest in the UK for something like that.

Sam: The fans in Jordan really took to you, how do you think the fans in Amman compare to the other cities you have fought in?
Allen: I'm not to sure why they have taken to me but it's really cool to have that kind of support miles away from home.

Sam: Since joining Cage Warriors you have finished all four of your opponents in the distance. After such a one-sided performance, how far do you think you are away from getting a shot at the vacant title?
Allen: I think a few good wins over tougher opposition would put me in the mix for a title for sure.

Sam: Were you offered the opportunity, would you be interested in taking part in a featherweight one night tournament for the title as this is how some of the other CW titles have been won in the past year?
Allen: I'd be all over it, I would jump at any opportunity to fight for the Cage warriors title, that's what we're all fighting for!

Sam: While we’re on the topic of the vacant title, just before this fight Jim Alers made a winning start to his UFC career with a win in Abu Dhabi while clearly Conor McGregor is making waves despite a recent injury. Does the transition these fighters have made give you confidence that CW is the best platform to ultimately make the step up to the UFC?
Allen: Definitely it's goes even deeper than a couple of champions though it's proven that Cage Warriors go on to do big things in the UFC.

Sam: At the start of the year we awarded you the title of ‘One to watch in 2014’. Luke Barnatt is also documented as saying you will be a future champ. How does it feel to receive praise and awards like this from MMA media, fans and other fighters?
Allen: It's great to get praise from other fighters and media it makes me feel like I'm heading in the right direction.

Sam: Would you like to thank anyone or any sponsors?
Allen: I'd like to thank all of my sponsors for the help Almighty Fightwear, Efectiv nutrition, Valor Fightwear, Funky gums, Revgear, Whip Street Motors, Rosewood and everyone else for the help :)

Thank you for your time. We appreciate it very much and all the best in your up-and-coming endeavours.