You might have read a quote from UFC President Dana White recently, noting that he believes that “Jack Shore is the hottest prospect out of the U.K.” He wasn’t wrong when he said that.
Shore (13-0) returns to the octagon for his third UFC fight on April 10, against Hunter Azure (9-1) on the second UFC on ABC fight card.
“Tank” is getting a lot of hype because he is the real deal. He is a proven finisher inside the cage. He is currently undefeated, and all but one of his victories have come by way of finish. Eight submissions – seven rear-naked chokes and four KO/TKOs.
The bantamweight also has the country of Wales behind him, and he is ready to be the face of Welsh MMA.
“You know, it obviously comes with added pressure. I’m thankful for the fact that I have a tough mindset and quite mentally strong in the sense that I’m in my own little world, and I don’t let the opinions and the outside factors affect me too much,” Shore told Cageside Press ahead of his return to action. “If people want to see me as the face of Welsh MMA or one of the front runners, it’s a great honor for me, and I will carry it on my shoulders. Jack Marshman, John Phillips, and Brett Johns laid the path for me to follow, so if I can continue to lay the foundations and lead the way for some of the youngsters… it’ll be great.”
Shore had a very frustrating 2020. He was supposed to fight in London against Geraldo de Freitas last March, but the COVID pandemic put a halt to that. He finally got a second UFC fight on ‘Fight Island’ but had four opponents thrown his way before one stuck. He eventually fought Aaron Phillips and submitted him in the second round.
The Welsh flag continues to fly! 🏴@JackShoreMMA remains undefeated at #UFCFightIsland1
📺 Action continues on @ESPN. #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/bD470F900A
— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2020
Trying to capitalize on his momentum, Shore was scheduled to fight Khalid Taha in November at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Teixeira, in what would be his first fight in the United States. Unfortunately, visa issues forced him off the card, and Shore took the rest of the year to rest his body.
Refreshed and ready to go, Shore says he wants to fight three times and, if he is lucky, four. But of course, he must get by Azure which is confident he will.
“It’s going to be an exciting one for sure; I don’t really know which way it will go,” Shore said. “It’s either going to be a wrestling match or two wrestlers that don’t really want to wrestle, which turns into a striking match. We’ll see. I’m coming for the finish definitely, always looking for the finish.”
Shore finally returns on April 10 in what is the UFC’s return to ABC.
Check out the rest of the interview above, where Shore talks about having a full training camp, first fight in the USA, wrestling in the UK, predictions for the UFC on ABC 2 card, and more.
