Jake Mainini will be making his professional debut on October 22nd at Take-On Productions "Battle at Bally's" in Atlantic City, NJ. Jake was kind enough to answer a few questions for Muay Thai Authority about his upcoming fight.
Jake: I'm pretty familiar with Jay as a fighter, he has plenty of fights floating around the internet and we've fought on a couple of the same cards over the past few years. He won't be my first opponent from Sitan and I feel they all fight very similar so I know in the most general sense how he's gonna work in the ring.
MTA: You recently trained at Sitmonchai in Thailand, what do you feel you took away from your experience training in Thailand?
Jake: Ha, what a loaded question. You know, I enjoy how the fight is being hyped up by saying "Jake just spent a month training in Thailand preparing for this fight, etc" but truthfully, I wasn't offered the fight until approximately 6 days before coming home. Yes, I was training hard while I was there but was I training with the intent of gearing up specifically for Jay as my opponent? No. I was however training with the anticipation of making my pro debut upon my return to the States "somewhere between September and November."
While going for a month really never feels like enough time, I did get the opportunity to learn a few more tricks and tighten up a few aspects of my game. Sitmonchai's style translates very well to Western scoring and it's a very crowd-pleasing style as well. While I can't honestly say I've completely adopted their style, it worked very well building upon what I have learned and practiced here at BMTA. Traveling to Thailand more or less gives you the opportunity to push Muay Thai to the top of your list of priorities. Those who have had the chance to train over there...is there anything better than Muay Thai being the last thing you do before you go to bed and the first thing you do when you wake up? Being able to settle down and focus on your true passion with little to no distractions is an amazing thing.
MTA: This fight is your pro debut as well as Jay's. How do you feel about making your pro debut?
Jake: I am more than excited to not only make my pro debut, but to make it with/against such a game opponent. I was slated to make my pro debut against Omar Ahmed earlier this year on a Take On card but unfortunately suffered an injury that forced me to pull out. I am thankful that I'm getting another opportunity against another great opponent but this time under full rules.
MTA: Where do you think you will hold the biggest advantage in this fight?
Jake: I think my ability to adapt on the go has always been my strong suit and it's a perfect tool for an opponent like Jay. I tend to deal better with technical fighters as well and Jay is about as technical as they come on the east coast, in my opinion.
MTA: Is there anything you are worried Jay brings to the fight that can cause trouble for you?
Jake: Short answer, nope. Jay's not bringing anything I haven't seen before and as I've said, he's not my first opponent from Sitan. I've watched the fights, we've done our homework. I'm not one for completely catering my style to my opponents -- I'm just more aware of what to look out for. He's got his holes just like everyone else.
MTA: What is your prediction for the fight?
Jake: There's no doubt about it, Jay is a strong, forward moving fighter and I feel like he's got the most skill out of the entire Sitan stable right now between both gyms. It's gonna be a war, no questions asked. The mixture of elbows and knees to the head ups the ante too, you can expect all 8 weapons to be flying.
MTA: Any words for your supporters?
Jake: A massive 'thank you' to my entire team. From the guys hopping in to make their bones sparring with the fighters to the fight team taking time to prepare me and instill some serious confidence. Kru Steve and Kru Bill who have taken time out of their busy schedules to make me the fighter I am, this is 100% about making you guys proud now. To my family and friends who put up with my grumpiness, my inability to be anywhere but the gym and your seemingly unlimited patience. Whether you guys know it or not, I take every single one of ya's into the ring with me!
Lastly, big thank you to Muaythaiauthority.com and Muay Thaimes Magazine for making local, not-so local and Muay Thai all around the world available to the masses. You guys have been nothing short of amazing for our sport!
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