Jake Ellenberger: My last fight just fueled my fire

UFC Welterweight Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger is on a mission headed into this weekend’s UFC on FX 5 bout with former opponent Jay Hieron. Not too long ago, Ellenberger was shooting towards a title shot with rapid momentum, on an impressive winning streak using his knockout power. It appeared no one could stop him, until a June bout with Martin Kampmann left some questions still to be answered about Ellenberger’s game. This Friday from Minneapolis, MN, Ellenberger will look to rebound strongly with an impressive win in order to right the wrongs that losing to Kampmann brought:

“It’s just been kind of crazy in the past few months, especially the way the last fight went. It’s been very unsettling for me. It left a bad taste in my mouth, for sure. You learn a lot about yourself every fight, but I think when you lose, you learn more about yourself and how bad you really want it – to sustain the fire and just having that hunger and passion to compete. You always question yourself, why you’re doing this. The loss was motivating for me to get back on the winning track, and even more important than avenging a loss is making a statement. I’m hungry.” – via MMAJunkie.com

While the loss to “The Hitman” was not good in terms of a rankings standpoint, it may help Ellenberger to refocus for future bouts in the long run. He was scheduled to face Josh Koscheck in the co-main event of the canceled UFC 151, but obviously that never came to fruition as Koscheck was injured before the cancellation even took place. Still, Ellenberger thinks this fight will still have its chance to take place. He likens Hieron, whom he lost a decision to way back in 2006, to Koscheck in some ways:

“I’m sure Koscheck and I will meet down the road at some point, but this is the same style of fight, I think. They both are athletic. They’re both wrestlers. They’re both quick. So really, it wasn’t a big change for me in training and my mindset for this fight.”

With his mindset in place and his goals clear, the taste of defeat has motivated Jake Ellenberger to high levels. He looks to not only win this Friday night, but win impressively, sending a message to all those who think he may have fallen off a bit. With a new focus, he looks to stay relevant in the stacked 170 lbs. division. Ellenberger ended the interview by stating:

“You can’t really look much past one fight. At this level, there’s so many studs. The welterweight division is deep. It really is. I can’t really look past this fight, at all. I don’t sleep well from the way that last fight went. Now I’m fighting his teammate, and I’m coming to make a statement. I’m ready to prove how bad I really want it.”