Jake Ellenberger Discusses His Preparations for UFC on Versus 2
Posted by Chris Lansdell on 07.29.2010
Is he ready for John Howard?
Jake Ellenberger, who faces John Howard at UFC on Versus 2 this weekend, spoke recently about his new training camp and his approach to the fight. Some highlights:
On training with Mark Munoz: "I met Mark Munoz through a good friend of mine. I came out [to California] and trained with him for a bit, and I just got hooked from there. The training was awesome. I really found a fit, so I came out here about a month before this fight, and I've been out here just ramping up for San Diego. I'm actually staying with Mark at his house in Mission Viejo."
On his preparations for the Howard fight: "There's so many high-level guys that I've been training with out here. The training has been great. I'm injury free, I feel good, and I'm in great shape. I'm going into this fight with a lot of confidence. I've been training with a lot of good guys: 'King Mo' (Lawal) and Mark and 'Mayhem' Miller. A lot of good guys helped me out here. I'm ready; I'm feeling good."
On fighting John Howard: "We've watched all of his fights in the UFC and are just really staying away from the things that he likes to do and finding ways to beat him."
On his UFC future: "For me, [the goal] was to get [to the UFC] when I was ready, when I could actually be a contender in the division. I think I'm right on track right now. Two or three fights down the road, I could possibly be in that mix. Being patient, obviously it was a little tough with the money, not getting paid that well outside of the UFC in a lot of the smaller shows. But for me, it was just keeping that goal in the back of my head – the end result with what I'm trying to do in my career. I'm ready to go, and I'm loving it."
