The UFC’s Fight Island shows have put the spotlight on a number of international fighters, with Europe playing a large part in that. In particular, the U.K. and Wales have come out, with plenty of talent throwing down across the four July shows in Abu Dhabi.
Jack Shore, who opened up the UFC Fight Island 1 card on Wednesday with a submission win over Aaron Phillips, is one of those. An undefeated Welsh prospect who improved to 13-0 on the night. A fighter who has been singled out as having title potential.
“Obviously it’s an honor for people to be saying that about me at the 25 years of age. I’m only two fights into my UFC career,” he observed. “So to have some really highly respected guys saying that, it means the world.”
With that said, Shore went on to highlight some of the other talents coming out of his home country. “There’s plenty of talent in Wales though. Brett Johns is fighting Saturday, John Phillips, Jack Marshman. Plenty of good young guys coming through,” he said. “People may think that about me now, and there’s probably people who think the same about Brett and the other guys too. But there’s there’s plenty more where that came from in Wales. We’re just tapping into our talent pool. You give us five years, the Welsh will be taking over the UFC, I guarantee you.”
Of course, few are being compared to GSP, something that happened on Wednesday’s broadcast. But it’s clear Shore isn’t about to let that go to his head. When asked about who he wants next, the bantamweight replied that he knows that the division “is full of killers.”
“I’m just proud and happy to be a part of the best guys in the world,” Shore added. “Even outside the top 15 there’s plenty of well known names there now, and I’m pretty sure after a performance like that, they are going to start taking notice of who I am. So, you know, maybe one more fight and I can start pushing to get a number by my name.”
Watch the full UFC Fight Island 1 virtual post-fight press scrum with Jack Shore above.
