Jon Tuck Expects to Be at a New Level at UFC Fight Night 101

Jon Tuck spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Damien Brown at UFC Fight Night 101. Highlights are below:

On finding out UFC Fight Night 97 was cancelled: “Two hours into the flight, waking up from a nap, I decided to log on to my WiFi – which is something I don’t usually do during flights. And I got a text from one of my good friends. She said she was sorry to hear about the news. I thought that something that happened to somebody, and I started to worry. She sent me a link. I clicked on it, and it said the card was cancelled. It was crazy. I was locked up on the plane. I was really frustrated, claustrophobic and tense, and right away thought about everyone from Guam who was going to Manila to see me fight. I felt sick, honestly. Before that, I was feeling great. It was such a letdown. It was very frustrating. But the good thing was that I could spend some extra time with my family. There were some good parts, but it was also frustrating.”

On his fight with Brown: “I like the matchup. He’s a good scrapper, I’ve got the scrappy style as well. I always want to fight the best and legends, but I don’t pick and choose who I fight. He’s a tough opponent, but I’ve definitely put in the hard work to make it happen on fight night.”

On keeping himself in shape after the cancellation: “The UFC asked me to do my best keeping in shape and they said they were going to try to book me right away, but I wasn’t sure. One of the reasons I was so upset was because I was cutting weight. But after I got the news I was able to eat a bit more. I packed on a bit of weight. Maybe more than I should’ve, but that’s just the inner fat boy in me. Right away I was booked again and right away I switched up my diet. So far this has been the easiest weight cut I’ve ever had.”

On the opponent switch: “It can be a little frustrating having opponents switch. Earlier in my career I liked to know who I’m fighting so I can keep my focus on him. But now, for me, I don’t get too bent out of shape about that anymore. I definitely make sure that, when it’s crunch time, I’m ready for whatever. At the end of the day, it’s about me and not my opponent.”

On his expectations for the fight: “I feel great, and definitely you can expect a new level. I feel like everything has been turning around in a new direction for this fight. The team that I’m with has worked really hard to make sure I’m in a good place and to get me to the level where I’m at. I’m not looking to go three rounds; this is going to be an exciting fight with an exciting finish, whether it’s knockout, TKO or submission.”