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Monday, Oct 07, 2013

Jason High: First UFC Win “Feels Great” But Strikeforce Vet “Not Satisfied”

High (photo via ZUFFA / UFC)

By Kelsey Mowatt

Over the last few years Jason High has done his best to ensure he remains a presence at 170, as the well rounded vet went 7-0 after getting released by the UFC, following a decision loss to Charlie Brenneman. Despite his impressive run, the experienced wrestler was quickly submitted by Erick Silva at UFC on FUEL TV 10 this past June. If High had been defeated by James Head at UFC Fight Night 27 a few weeks ago, “The Kansas City Bandit’s” second stint with the promotion may have been over

In the end, however, not only did High win, but he did so in impression fashion by tapping Head out in less than two minutes. Despite what was likely riding on the bout though, High says he didn’t feel any extra pressure heading into the August 31st scrap.

“Not really; I mean, I wasn’t really thinking about it that much,” High said on a recent episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, while discussing whether he was thinking about what might come next, provided he lost. “A lot of people ask me that though, but you try to win every fight, so every fight’s important. It’s like, even though you lost your last one, the next one for me, coming off this big submission, I still want to win. It doesn’t really matter the result of the last fight.”

Some fighters want to take a break following a loss, so that they can mentally and physically regroup. Others, however, are eager to get right back at it. When High stepped into face Head at UFN 27, less than three months had transpired since his loss to Silva.

“It wasn’t really too short notice; I think I had about four weeks or something like that,” said High. “First one didn’t go too well, the one earlier this year, so it was nice to get back in there, like right back in you know? To be able to get back in there and forget about that one.”

High punching Quinn Mulhern (photo via Strikeforce)

 

“I think I came out just too excited against Erick,” High added, while discussing his bout with Silva, which saw the highly regarded welterweight catch him with a reverse triangle-armbar. “I was at like a 9 or a 10, and I should have been at a 5 or a 6. So that was the main thing; I was just too amped up.”

Against Head, High took the vet to the ground shortly into the bout, and after landing some strikes from the top he caught the Oklahoma fighter with a nicely executed guillotine choke.

“I hit that a lot in practice but I never expect to hit it in fights,” the 31 year-old relayed. “I don’t want to be chasing it you know? A lot of time when it’s there, it’s there, and I just jump on it…Pretty much finishes it as soon as I get it on the neck.”

And so how does High feel about securing his first UFC win? After transitioning over from Strikeforce, where many of the promotion’s fighters didn’t always receive the credit they deserved?

“It definitely feels good,” said High, who also relayed he’d like to fight one more time in 2013 if possible. “You know I’ve been fighting for eight years, so to get my first win in the UFC definitely feels good. I would be lying if I said it didn’t. So, yeah, it feels great…I’m happy but I’m not satisfied.”

 

posted by FCF Staff @ 8:00 am
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