Jess Paulo interview

Summary

Jess is one of the top amateur fighter with only three year training, multiple belts a huge amount of cage time, he fights for the welterweight title at IUR FC in a cracker of a fight.

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Kind: captions Language: en [Music] foreign [Music] he's amassed 16 fights and it's quite a short space of time he's high he's very very how long is it Jess MMA three years four years not even two lockdown so let's say about three years now three years from beginning to now and sitting and laughed with the top world toys in the country you recently won on versus uh you've got multiple titles and not a title fight coming up so how are you thank you for your time and and how did you feel the fight went at fertis and what did you make of the promotion as a whole uh versus promotion as a whole it was actually great I mean that's a uh Alma sound out Jerry and whoever else they're usually go for a pretty sound ads uh it was well run on the day you know looked after the fighters the pacing was great the venue was great really no complaints uh and I guess the actual flight itself Steve and I knew he's a tough opponent I decided uh like I was saying after that if like people may look at his record and say oh he's not as great whatever records you know yourself amateur don't really mean much on top of that he'd be one of my teammates Faye who's one of the most time the players I've ever come across so for him to do that and that's enough to kind of get me to sit up and take notice so yeah I knew it wasn't going to be an easy fight whatsoever honey it is big strong but so Russell kind of grapple that being said I can also kind of wrestle and grapple also so uh yeah going into the fight I didn't get started obviously stereo standing off cross them off against the back foot uh from there he oh no I slipped I threw a cross he called me with the inside legging at the same time and I couldn't do the slip and then from there he initiated to Clemson then from there I was kind of disabled for reverse and then pretty much I feel control the fight for the rest of the nine minutes uh held up against the cage held them on the ground would have obviously uh would like to finish or a bit more damage still pulling the pieces together I know I sound like a broken record because I feel like after I mean to be honest like after every fight you should have win or lose there should be things that you want to approve or this was good this was bad and yeah I feel like I'm definitely going forward now as I come to the end of my amateur career I'm just kind of looking to add some more kind of finishing sequences I you watch my fights you know it's kind of with me when I'm if I'm in an opponent's guide I'm on top of an opponent my usual main focus is I want to grind the mail I'm driving my head into that channel making them carry my way putting my hand over the mail obviously letting off shots keep the referee and the judges happy but my main focus there is usually yeah I'm just grinding upon it out burning out his gas tank trying to make him work get back up with that being said as I'm doing that not too many people are actually able to get back up they're actually stuck on the back stuck on their back for the whole round of one now so going forward I feel like it's kind of on me to okay I've made him carry my way for a minute minute and a half now I posted up I started looking past guide running out of shots maybe even stand it back to a little shorts from there so yeah like I said I'm just kind of I'm really critical of myself uh looking at what needs to be done obviously I'd like more finishes and yeah next few parts that's what I'm gonna start looking to implement definitely without a doubt uh but in terms of verses like I said I I like the great environment walked out to be abused you remember that doesn't face me with the blue I just find the Boost funny because obviously first of all it's not even a bad thing like sports you don't support someone's like football any sport like you support who you're there for you're not supporting who whoever they're against um but I find with the booze you can do what you want you can I don't know jail you want at the end of the day you are not in the cage with that it's only me and him in the cage it's not me at all using it so the first one I ever came out to produce was against I think it was against camera in a cage conflict and then obviously that's why it went hell went so I was just like I don't know I feel like the blue is kind of work in my favor but yeah with the blues like I said you can do what you want at the end of the day you're not in the cage with them it's just me and him and yeah what are your boots have or not I don't really think so to be honest they definitely didn't on the night and like that you always give grind and performances one of the things I say about you um is that you will make really good Fighters look very average with you because you will you know the strength you know what they're good at and you'll take that away from them and yeah go and do what you want and you mentioned the camera Clement right and I think that was one of the kind of I don't want to say turning points for you but that was one of the fights that everyone kind of when you were yeah people kind of took notice because he was on a bill with hair he's just small and everyone taking them down you're choking them out or finishing them with strikes and then obviously for me to come in and kind of out wrestle out grapple him I don't think anyone really could have predicted that to be honest but obviously I knew that my coaches knew that my teammates knew that but obviously the outside world of Warner they don't know what's going on in the training room they don't know how good I am my full capabilities what not and they they still don't know and that's kind of how flying is I'm sure it's not just me loads of other Fighters out there you perform way better in the training room than you do page at the training room obviously you have more time you make an error you can fix it the flight is just three minutes three minutes three minutes that's it you're done uh straight after you leave the cage you're thinking oh I should have done this should have done that that's the beauty of the sport I guess yes it's the heat in the moment and you were talking about finishing sequences and when you're on top of someone that like because one thing I noticed I don't I I still can't believe you made 155 I was actually telling somebody and I was like how this guy used to make 155 or 70 for uh if you're going to kgs but one of the things I think when you're when you're on top someone they can't get up because with the skill well not the skill set with the rule set that you have you can't use elbows do you think once you've got Pro that will lead you a lot more finishes because shorter shots definitely definitely it's a it's a I don't know I find it's a bit awkward with the ground and pound like I said just I don't know what it is I don't know if it's a long arms or loppers can be kind of awkward letting off shots obviously I don't let off as many as I'd like to that's obviously just due to many different reasons the opponents chatting up trapping hands what not and I'm seeing more could be done on my end but definitely I feel like the elbows without like pearls I would throw elbows off my back against the Cajun they just feel like yeah definitely need the elbows and the elbows were there benefit me greatly without a deal yeah and then also needs because of your long frame because you're so electric and tingles Paul Oakley who said even though he he won that fight overall he just turned around and said I could not figure out what he was doing or how he was doing it your electricity is unbelievable I won't tell you who it is but he keeps saying he's the eye of Sean Jones you might know who who says that but he always says that's right that's a plan if only if only one day one day we'll get there amen one day we're on this road together for a while so I can't wait to see the ride you will be at your Fighting Championship again it's another promotion that you've been on quite a few times you're coming up against Dara and Dara has come back I believe he was injured for a little bit he's come back yeah and he had the quick knockout of Dean which is that to be a war like that I felt bad for them because sometimes you just get it yeah I've done a few rounds of him very good for you very very very good for you very good for you thank you foreign against Garrett the head kick landed at the very that could have easily in a highlight but yeah it's a bad airport what can you do of course he said it's not against the fighter it's just happens could have easily happened the other way around but exactly yeah then he's had that war with Brian Manning um fantastic fight and he looked in the first round and I don't know if he lists this and I'm not being critical it didn't look like the round was going all the hours away but the second round whatever was sent in his corner he came out and he got and that chocolate was the khabib like McGregor not 100 yeah so it looked like not maybe he wasn't down and around but it did look like he found his foot and then he came out yeah I told you Ray Tara as an opponent because he's come back with a bang with these last three fights I mean definitely yeah um he beat Nick just there I trained on Nick a few times and he is probably one of the hardest if not the hardest uh rounds I get constantly on a daily basis I just can't figure him out so for him to be him even though obviously Nick is just uh only a few fights experienced when I bought an Australian room I see how good he is so Pradera to finish him like I said that's enough for me to sit up and take notice I already did before anyways but that kind of has me thinking okay he's the he's legit he's a real deal uh like you said he's on a was it five five win streak or so uh it's good grafting good graphics head I just feel like he's been in the sport longer than me bro I feel like my cage time my experience the people I've been there I mean you're sending yourself look at my I say to people I sound like a broken record I believe I have probably one of the best power pound topologies for an amateur fire just in terms of the names on their win lose draw it's just I've been in there with the best of the best like uh I'm not trying to get out of Fighters but you know sometimes you see Lads and they're not really mixing it mixing it up with the best and the division one up but I believe that I have been there where every like I don't think there's anyone that I haven't been in there with that's like at the top of the division or whatnot so I believe all this experience that I'm racking up I believe will stand to me in the end and definitely something I can carry on into the programs to go there yeah like you said you do have I was looking at before and she's quite impressive like I said just the Conor McCarthy's uh blaming Cameron Clement yeah right like there's so many good flights Garrett there recently as well uh Stephen like with these records a lot of people look into records and amateur records once you go pro don't get the only person who remember that record would be me because that's what I do do you know the sort of thing yeah yeah it'll be I think it's Adam blow up I said it your pro records will explain what would be on your headstone not your amateur records and yeah yeah you've taken those wins and you've taken those losses and you've come in on short notes like I know Brian I believe is a couple of days notice he came in a heavy weight yeah um yeah that will all serve you experience and do you think the problem is and I find that I see it happening now as well that a lot of the top hundreds look you look at like the likes of Max Lali for instance he said he I was talking to me he had to turn pro because no one wanted to face him which I think is mental amateur obviously yeah three fights against a ten fight fighter yeah that's different but if you're on the same would you not think he should all be mixing the way he should have yeah I've never said no to a fight and I never will say no to a fight um she's seen it from my very first fight yeah like I just feel like obviously people care about their records or they don't want to lose them or not but at the end of the day if you're not mixing it in with the best you're gonna get found out bro like it doesn't always happen sometimes you can get away with kind of had in the amateur record and doing well approval it's all about the experience thought about the experience uh the the time in the gym what not that's there as well but nothing will stand to you like actual cage time that's why I try and get in there as much as possible and in terms of activity this year hasn't been as great as last year just for many different reasons from A to Z uh but I'm trying to finish the year strong I mean I have a Dara are you are in a few weeks and then hopefully get another two three fights in before the new year hopefully hopefully yeah like that you obviously you're not looking past Dara but there is yeah a lot more shows to go on as well yeah what do you think with the amount of shows now obviously Akuma came back there yeah um you've got fit to fight which is a smaller promotion but they're doing amateur fights as well if you're looking at I want to say eight to ten promotions between Nora and South like how does it feel for you to go would you can get two or three fights in because of that like when you yeah fight compared to now yeah I mean like I said I feel for someone like me that likes to remain active it's a blessing maybe people that don't want to remain as active who don't really care about someone like me that wants to get uh the most fights I can yeah it's a blessing it's not nice to know that there's options out there you can find every month or two and yeah like I said at the end of the day I just want to remain active I'm in Camp more or less I don't even I would even call it I'm just training full time and playing full-time that's it really yeah and like that you said you want to get another two or three fights and I would presume this is just my presumption with the records you have and the the level that you faced at after those two three fights are you potentially gonna be looking at Pro going into the next year uh hopefully I mean that's the plan um obviously it all depends uh the man upstairs Darren where but in my hand I kind of have a time frame that I kind of by like next summer or so start looking to maybe I just either start at the end of summer hold on I'm not too sure but start looking to kind of make that transition over before I used to say I wanted to reach 30 amateur voice but I mean I've been around long enough thought almost everyone uh I probably got close enough to turn people yeah I feel like I have more than enough experience track 2.0 like I said I'm not 16 there's a lot of lads that I don't even have half of that never mind close to that so yeah I feel like I said let's say around next summer or so I'll start looking to make that transition yeah turkey's a big number to get to Alexander Sullivan holds that yeah yeah he's what happens it's like 2014 2015 yeah his college degree you wanted to get that done first yeah Gary Rooney said to me he wanted to do it but like he said he got to a point kind of like we're here plus again there's no way yeah unless you do eye maths as well but I must I think you're good for the start your amateur career because it's way in but yeah yeah get to the end the day of Wayne doesn't really suit Someone Like You especially with you and the weight yeah that's yeah that's one of the reasons why they've never really caught my attention it's just I couldn't really be you couldn't really be honest couldn't really be asked the day away in every consecutive day you lose your first fight you're going home just like that all your money is gone right it's just yeah yeah there's I don't know it's not for me the thankfully the north shells and whatnot around that I don't need to go and Chase an IMF or whatever I mean I'm from the experience this would be good mixing it up with kind of the best fighters from other countries in our book I'm happy where I am to be honest I shouldn't be honest yeah like that there is some amount of that's what I was actually talking to someone recently um with the is because it costs so much money and I'm not talking bad about the IMs because I do think yeah experiences like the likes of the four nations is good it was only overall yeah yeah the four nations four nations is something that yeah I feel like I would do something like the foundations yeah I know and Pierre helping you is a way to I was trying to train with him a little bit as well four nations that's yeah that's something more kind of suited to me that I feel even though it's the day of rain or whatever but I feel just kind of smaller environment more noise yeah four nations don't give that a go no I don't and then financially it's not a huge outlay then as well as likes of Bahrain and all these kind of yeah yeah because they they're not cheap and and like that I see people do IMF after imath and I'd say the people that fund them you know and this is the bad things obviously I go into the IMF again go foreign at the minute in the country hopefully that will improve but so you're looking for a couple more fights and then GoPro next year so there's no media plans talk to us about Darren obviously um you've been with him uh what I love about Darren is you can see how animated how much he cares in the corner and when even if you're unsure of the decision at the end he always says get your hands up you're a winner how does that make you opinions sometimes if you type your last are you like oh I don't want to put my hand up or what way does it work yeah yeah yeah I mean yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean apparently you know yourself everyone everyone that knows him knows what he brings to the table he's one of one uh I believe he's the best coach in the country I believe he's one of his mind is just is just like an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to the fighting um whether it be striking grappling this that he just I don't know how he does it folks he just knows everything and I'm very lucky and blessed to have someone like that as my coach because I feel like having him in my corner I can make it all the way to the topic and Conquer whatever once conquer without a doubt it's just literally such a blessing in my life literally yeah no he's fantastic and he's a good person all around life great relationship with them obviously true to James and true cage Legacy more so as well and he's a fantastic person a fantastic coach and I got to touch on something just briefly obviously we talked about the amount of reasonable promotions when you look at Pro now as well pfl commonly in heavy octagon obviously which your teammate was on um yeah Eventing away about that but they're pushing really heavy into the UK and Ireland yeah and these promotions around the likes of Austria Germany Holland are getting onto the legs of Fight Pass how exciting is that for you that there's so many outlets for when you go pro to get noticed by where you want to go it's good it's good to see you especially on top of that being said the kind of Irish Buzz that obviously started with Connor and now you can see more and more lands getting into the UFC who are not the goal for me is the UFC uh on top yeah the goal for me is a combination of making the most money that icon and eventually reaching the UFC please God so whatever I have to do whatever best route if I have to turn down opportunities because it would kind of turn me away from the UFC I will do that because at the end of the day that's why I'm here for I believe that I can make it into the UFC and hopefully a few years time on forever long that's the plan fingers crossed yeah you have you have a lot more to have you a successful road ahead and I can't wait to be honest and we talked about you just talked about brief videos obviously Reece and Kaylin were unlucky with their flights last week Sean abandoned yeah yeah Crosby's up this weekend obviously Gary do you think now people are starting to notice that when Conor came true 10 years ago this is the rewards of what happened when he came through he's yeah because the level here and I think they're starting to see I think a lot of these guys came in except for maybe Rhys but a lot of these guys I know Caitlin came in and sure enough notice Shawna came in on about six seven weeks notice the speed we're on two um but how does it feel when you see them go on to the UFC and unlike that the boys around the Irish I'm amazing uh honestly it's good to see it's great to see you just I anytime I see something like that I just have fingers crossed that please God by the time I'm ready or by the time I'm there with a decent enough Pro record that there's still kind of the Irish bulls and whatnot I mean I don't think you'll ever go away to be honest well not for a long time anyways so yeah it's good to see the more the merrier uh because eventually that's where I want to end up so the more Irish there is in the UFC the better yeah perfect perfect there is quite a few hopefully the Bulls keep storm I think the yeah is tremendous I think a lot of our top amateurs like yourself people you thought would actually be some early level Pros yeah yeah definitely in other countries that's my belief where how good I think yeah I mean I probably get stated for that by someone um but I only see what I see um I'm Gonna Let You Go um is there anything you want to say before you go though is there anything you want to touch on or talk about fairly fresh to be honest perfect perfect I can't wait to see your next fight you will die it's quite intriguing for me uh like that he's very good on the ground he's very good a little bit everywhere but it's very well you wouldn't say he's a struggle he's very well-rounded uh I also believe I'm very well-rounded so then just gonna come down to who can figure out who who can break who and yeah I'm looking forward to it obviously he believes he can beat me I believe I can be him and we'll find out today talk all the talking and I'll do whatever it doesn't really mean whatsoever it's at the end of the day it's getting the cage nine minutes see what's what that's it yeah because like that to talk and doesn't come into the cage but well it might come in yeah the fighter is but yeah it all depends on what happens on the day and that's what it's so intriguing you could have a good day he could have an off day he could or vice versa or two he's gonna have four great days and have an absolutely yeah that's what's so exciting but I want to thank you so much for your time it's been an absolute pleasure and I can't wait to see you I will be at your Fighting Championship as I always I'm just one of my favorite shows and uh it's good to see you again and good to talk to you again good to talk to you too bro thank you perfect