The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 8 Recap with Jason Dent

TUF 9 Team USA member Jason Dent recaps Episode 8

Pro Fighting Fans' Editor-in-Chief Scott Dryden interviews The Ultimate Fighter Season #9 member Jason Dent in what has become a weekly column. Dent discusses Episode 8 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9 which originally aired on May 20, 2009 and saw Dent win his fight over U.K. fighter Jeff Lawson via Anaconda Choke.

SD- Hey Jason, wow man, congrats on a nice win. What was going through your mind in the 1st round and between rounds?

JD- You know I could have been a lot more athletic and explosive but it’s a tournament. My goal is to outsmart each of these guys and get the job done. I got the $5,000 bonus and decisively won. Dana White said it wasn’t impressive. I respect the hell out of Dana White and the UFC and the last thing I would do is trash talk them, but the fact is I didn’t get a scratch on me. I outsmarted the guy, found a weakness and put him away.

SD- What did you know about Lawson coming into that fight?

JD- Not a lot really. It’s tough to know much when you are locked in the house. I think one of my coaches said he has won via arm bars a lot.

SD- I think he said he won 22 fights by arm bar amateur/pro combined.

JD- I did not know he won that many by arm bar.

SD- I thought you handled yourself well on the ground. I noticed Henderson and the other coaches yelling for you to get back in your feet. Did you feel you had an advantage on your feet?

JD- Yeah, I definitely felt I had an advantage on my feet. People were saying my striking wasn’t that good. I’m not being arrogant but I did not turn it up and be explosive. What if I kicked someone and hurt my foot, landed an elbow and hurt it or landed a strike and broke my hand? It’s a tournament and the whole purpose is to win and be as healthy as you can be. When it comes down to one fight then its balls to the wall, then I won’t have to worry about getting hurt. When it is my last fight in the house, then I’ll know I have to be impressive and exciting. If the other team doesn’t think I’m good from that, maybe they will pick the wrong fighter, won’t train as hard and underestimate me. I was just trying to be intelligent.

SD- You were getting prodded a little by Dan Henderson about not being coachable...

JD- I don’t think it was just the coaching. I wasn’t getting along with some of the US guys and I let that drag me down a little bit. I’ve always been more of a striking and submission specialist so some of the stuff they were teaching didn’t fit my style. When I was doing some of the things they were showing me it opened me up for things I wasn’t use to. I’m not used to moving up and giving up my back - I don’t make those kinds of mistakes. I usually elbow guys in the head or get a triangle. I tried to listen to what Dan was teaching me but I didn’t want to change my game completely. Because I didn’t want to change my game completely I think he got upset.

SD- That makes sense strategically.

JD- I’m never going to fight like Dan Henderson. The not coachable stuff isn’t true. I just trained tonight with some of my best wrestlers at my gym. Half of them cannot even take me down once. I learned a lot from Dan Henderson but wasn’t going to change completely as a fighter on such short notice. If Dan Henderson doesn’t like me, oh well, it was an honor to train with him. At the end of the day, how often am I going to see Dan Henderson anyway?

SD- What were your thoughts on Jason Pierce and how that all played out?

JD- You know what, I will stick up for Jason Pierce. He fought Steve Berger to get on the show. Of all the guys that were on the 1st episode to get on the show, Steve Berger was one of the only names where I was like "oh man that is Steve Berger who fought previously in the UFC." I really think Jason Pierce defeated one of the toughest veterans to get in the house. Jason messed up his ankle pretty bad in that fight. His ankle was very swollen then he developed a staph infection. None of the other guys had to deal with that so I think it isn’t fair to judge him for that. Remember, Pierce had a hard time cutting weight and passed out. He cuts a lot of weight to fight. How could he do that with his leg messed up? I still agree that he should have went in there and gave it his best shot. That would have won a lot of respect from the other fighters.

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SD- Getting back to your submission victory, a perfect set-up to apply the Anaconda Choke.

JD- I’ve won as a pro fighter previously via an Anaconda Choke.

SD- Great victory. You made Ohio proud.

JD- The main thing I have to do is get to a good training camp and a nutritionist. I’m technical and I’m tough as hell but I need to get on a good conditioning program. As much as I think we have one of the best gyms in Northeast Ohio, I play business man too much. I don’t train with the best trainers right now and I still hang with the best in the world. I’m trying to change that now by doing some traveling and training at other gyms.

SD- Good stuff again this week Jason. Talk to you next week for another Ultimate Fighter Recap.

Visit Jason Dent's gym online at www.griffonrawl-ohio.com.

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Editor-in-Chief

> Find all of our The Ultimate Fighter 9 recaps & reviews online with Pro Fighting Fans and check out The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale fight card & results!

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