Bantamweight Jerry Shapiro made a successful return to action at Final Fight Championship 39, earning his fifth stoppage in five wins in the process.
Las Vegas, NV — It’s no secret that Las Vegas is the fight capital of North America, but for bantamweight Jerry Shapiro, a.k.a. J-Shap, it’s also home — where he’s fought most of his pro fights to date. And fighting at home can both add pressure and energize him, he told Cageside Press after another win, this time at FFC 39.
“A little bit of both. It puts a little bit of pressure because I want to make sure I’m performing for my friends and family, everyone coming to support, but at the same time, that energy that everyone’s coming here with definitely fuels me up a little bit,” Shapiro (5-2) said post-fight, following a submission of Josh Wright. “So it’s a little bit of both.”
The crowd was certainly loud, as vocal as Shapiro’s corner, and shouting just as many instructions. “I heard it all,” J-Shap said afterward. “Definitely was in tune with everything. I felt calm and composed. I felt good, it’s a good win for me.”
All five of Shapiro’s wins have come by first round stoppage, three by knockout. This time out, Shapiro took the fight to the ground — an area he’s more than familiar with, as a BJJ black belt.
“It’s always my go-to. I knew he’d be a good wrestler too, so I knew it’d be a good test of my ground game,” he explained. It’s all about trial by fire in the end. “I’m always looking to improve myself as a well-rounded martial artist. If my jiu-jitsu isn’t good enough to stop a tough wrestler, then it’s something I need to work on. So I just wanted to go out there and test myself.”
Shapiro represents both Syndicate MMA and Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu, and he told Cageside Press that he has “an amazing team at both places. Both teams prepared me fully. It was awesome to get the win for both of them.”
After fighting just once in 2018, FFC 39 was his return to action. So Shapiro would very much like to get going again post-haste. “I didn’t take any damage, so I’m looking to get in there as soon as FFC will have me.”
