It might not be a fantasy epic, but Charles Jourdain’s battle with Des Green at UFC Rochester is looking very promising.
Rochester, NY — It was pretty much unavoidable. UFC Rochester goes down Saturday, May 18 in the New York hamlet. One day later, Game of Thrones will conclude its eighth and final season on HBO. Blood will flow. Champions will rise. We’re not even talking about the UFC.
The fantasy saga is arguably one of the few shows that has spilled more blood than the UFC itself. Plenty of fighters are big fans. Sijara Eubanks, fighting on the Rochester card, is one. Newcomer Charles Jourdain is another. He’s making his debut at UFC Rochester against hometown hero Des Green. And he sees a little bit of George R. R. Martin’s world in his fight game.
“I’m not going to spoil anything, don’t worry about it. I won’t have the world hating me,” he started on the topic. Breathe easy, Thrones fans. Jourdain knows better.
His own interest in the show is because the story is “not a conventional one. It’s not, the bad guys die and the two heroes make out. No, it’s not that type. It’s always something unexpected. Like my fighting style.”
How so? Well, “you don’t know what’s going to happen. You have a feeling, ‘this might happen’ but it’s totally different every time.” It applies to both him and the show.
Jourdain will enter UFC Rochester at 9-1. All nine wins have come via a finish. Three submissions, six KO/TKOs. He hasn’t gone to a decision since his amateur days. He also held two belts simultaneously in Canada’s TKO promotion, at featherweight and lightweight.
In truth, Jourdain says, “I’m even a medium 145’er. Not a big guy, not a small guy. But 155 of course is not my weight class.” The reason he’s still fighting in the weight class here is simple. “I did it to be sure I had a spot in the UFC. Because you know, they’re promoting me as a double champ right now. So I had to push extra and reach bigger goals to be sure I had my place in the big league.”
Back in Ottawa, at UFC on ESPN+ 9, Jourdain was brought back stage for his first taste of the spotlight. At the time, he said the experience, just being in Ottawa, was helping with any nerves he might had. He reiterated that during Fight Week ahead of his fight with Green.
“Totally. Meeting the staff in Canada, meeting everybody, the fans, and even yesterday the interaction,” he told reporters. That last bit was a reference to the open workouts on Wednesday. “I thought because I was in Desmond’s back yard, everyone’s going to be, not against me, but more energy toward Desmond. But it was totally the opposite. Everybody was so amazing.”
In regards to the pairing with Jourdain, the Canadian feels it could answer some important questions. Primarily, about his grappling game.
“I think it’s a great match-up, because the only time I lost was against a good wrestler back in Canada,” said Jourdain. “And people are having questions towards this. They want to know how it’s going to end. So people are interested, because ‘hey can Charles face a wrestler like Desmond?’ Who’s a better wrestler than the wrestler I lost to in the past. So there are big questions, big interest, and that’s what I’m happy for.”
UFC Rochester takes place Saturday, May 18 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY. The card airs live on ESPN+, and Fight Pass/TSN in Canada.
