Issue 198

June 2023

The Welsh featherweight chatted to Kyle Dimond as he prepared to make his debut in a new weight class at UFC 286 after tasting defeat for the first time.

What prompted the move up a weight class to featherweight?

We'd been toying with the idea on and off for a few months, so I went up to Liverpool to meet Paul Reed and to do a DEXA scan. I always knew I was a bit big for bantamweight and this was just to see what the best option was. 

After doing a lot of tests and speaking to Paul and the other scientists there, they said if you stay at bantamweight you're either going to end up in the hospital from cutting all that weight or you're going to do long-term damage to your kidneys and organs.

How much time in your previous camps at bantamweight was dedicated to cutting weight?

Yeah, a lot. Obviously, I was still getting my skill work in but by the time I would get to sparring and pad work I was that worn down from cutting and running most mornings and twice a day towards the end of camp just to make sure I made the weight. 

I never missed weight at bantamweight, but the last three, four, or five fights have been quite grueling and brutal, to tell the truth. It wasn't that I avoided the skill training while I was at bantamweight, I just wasn't properly conditioned to give 100 percent for them.

How happy are you with what you accomplished at bantamweight now you've left the division? 

I had a really good run at bantamweight, I won the Cage Warriors title, beat multiple undefeated guys, went on to the UFC, and got into the top 15 with a five-fight win streak. I picked up a loss to Ricky Simon, who is now top 10 in the world, so all things considered, I wouldn't take anything back.

What was the biggest thing you learned from your first pro loss last time out? 

Probably that life does go on. Nothing really changed in my life other than the fact that instead of a zero on my record I've now got a one. It was tough to take at the time, as all losses are, and I've lost before in other disciplines. Eventually, you suck it up and get on with it. There's always room for improvement and we knew that anyway, but if I'd won the fight I would probably still be at bantamweight, killing myself to try and make the weight.

Does it feel like there's a weight off your shoulders with this fresh start at featherweight?

A little bit. I always said that being undefeated I didn't feel any extra pressure but it is almost like sometimes all anyone wants to talk about is being undefeated and that's all I would ever get on fight week, like 'If you win you set this record.' So now it's like the monkey is off my back and I can go out there and fight to win and go for a finish instead of protecting the (undefeated) record.

Do you feel any pressure or responsibility to help bring through the next wave of Welsh fighters that train at Shore MMA?

Yeah, a little bit, I wouldn't say it's a burden or anything, but I do feel a little bit responsible that they don't make some of the mistakes I've made as an amateur or early pro.

They're a group of young lads and women that range from the ages of 17-24 so you're quite vulnerable and easily influenced at that age as I know so I try and keep them on track because this career doesn't last forever and you've got to put in the hard work and foundations early. It's mad because I was always the youngest member on the team and now it's full circle and I'm one of the oldest. It is a responsibility, but it's one I'm glad to have.

The Welsh MMA scene has come so far since you've been a pro, what would a 20-year-old Jack Shore make of the facilities at Shore MMA? 

I think I'd be blown away because the 20-year-old me was training in a cold gym in Blaina where it was minus three and it was a good facility at the time, but compared to what we have now it doesn't even come close. It's a perfect environment for any up-and-comer to do everything, all under one roof. 

We've got a fitness and weights gym, we've got strength and conditioning, we've got a full-size cage, a matted area, and a world-class team. I would look at it the same way as the majority of the lads and the team do now as it's not a right to be on the team, it's a privilege, and we are lucky to have it.