A veteran of over twenty bouts in the octagon, Jake Ellenberger admits he’s been asked about retirement before — but takes everything one fight at a time these days.
Lincoln, NB — Jake Ellenberger is fighting in his own backyard at UFC Lincoln. Close enough, anyway. The Omaha, NB native is in his own state, and will have plenty of friends and family supporting him. While that can be a distraction for younger fighters, the veteran of over twenty UFC fighters isn’t expecting any issues fight week. “No one even calls me anymore the week of the fight,” he joked. “It’s good, the family gets tickets. They’re excited, I’m excited.”
It’s a quick turnaround after a loss to Ben Saunders at UFC Utica in June. In Lincoln, Ellenberger will be taking on MMA Labs product Bryan Barberena — who just happens to hold a win over Ellenberger’s brother Joe. Jake was in his brother’s corner that night, so he knows first hand the caliber of opponent he’s facing.
As for the quick turnaround, part of it was the chance to fight at home. Part of it was getting back on the horse. “Certainly [there was] a lot of frustration after that last fight,” Ellenberger admitted. “Again, accountability is completely on me.”
MMA, he pointed out, is “one of those sports where there’s no room for error. You make a single mistake and it could cost you the night, cost you the fight, could cost you a world title. That’s just the reality of the sport.” Having started his career back in 2005, “[it’s] nothing new.”
The key is “making adjustments. Pivoting, moving forward. That’s the thing, you have to continue moving forward.”
Ellenberger admitted that he got “a little complacent” in a position in his last bout, the TKO loss to Ben Saunders back in Utica. “I got a little relaxed, made a mistake, and paid for it.”
Calling talk of future plans a trap, ‘The Juggernaut’ explained that “I never think past more than one fight. A lot of people do, and it gets you in trouble, I’ve done it before. You go on a seven fight win streak in a row, you start looking too far down the road, and you get caught in that trap.” Instead, “for me it’s always one fight, one fight at a time. How you feeling, how’s the body working.”
As for any adjustments he’s made with his back to the wall, Ellenberger told Cageside Press they came in terms of strategy. “Strategy, yeah a little bit. There’s definitely, I changed some small stuff strategy-wise. As far as training, nah, not really.”
“I did a lot of training with Rafael dos Anjos this fight, him being a phenomenal southpaw,” he continued, “and one of the best natural southpaws in the game. And he’s a pressure guy. He helped me out a lot, I got a great look from him. As far as making adjustments, not a whole lot.”
Catch the full UFC Lincoln media day scrum with Jake Ellenberger above. UFC Fight Night 135/UFC Lincoln takes place Saturday, August 25 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NB.
