Jordan Young picked up yet another win last night at Bellator 185, which seems to be par for the course for the talented American Top Team fighter. Submitting opponent Alec Hooben via triangle choke in the first round, Young improved to 8-0, with three of those wins coming under the Bellator MMA banner.
One key difference in Uncasville, CT was that Young, traditionally a middleweight, was fighting well north of the 185lb limit. His bout against Hooben had been booked as a catchweight, and with yet another successful outing, Young announced after the event that he’d be heading up to light heavyweight moving forward.
“I’m only 22 years old, I’m getting bigger and stronger every day” he told the media in attendance following Bellator 185. “The cuts, they were definitely tough, I’m 6’4, with my build, 205 will be a healthier choice going forward.”
He added that, when it comes to weight cutting, “I have a lot of smart people on my team, and a lot of vets around me telling me that It’s a lot easier to build yourself up than tear yourself down, in terms of getting to your fight weight.”
“Two hundred pounds tonight is the heaviest I’ve ever been, in an MMA fight” Young continued. “I’m looking forward to not only seeing how I feel in the cage at 205lbs, but seeing how I feel in camp going through that weight cut, and being able to nourish and replenish better after these workouts.”
As an undefeated fighter who finishes fights (six of his eight pro bouts have come via submission), Young is in a position to make a splash in Bellator’s light heavyweight division. The 205lb class is filled with names like champ Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, King Mo, and Liam McGeary. Bader defends his title for the first time against Linton Vassell next month at Bellator 186, but after that, the division would seem to be wide open.
You can watch the full Bellator 185 post-fight press scum with Jordan Young below.
