British bantamweight Jack Cartwright makes his sophomore appearance for the Professional Fighters League this Saturday at PFL Pittsburgh, looking to build in a win over UFC alum Caolan Loughran against a new opponent in Allan Begosso.
New not just as in next, Begosso is also filling in for wrestler and former Bellator star Bryce Meredith. Speaking to Cageside Press in a recent interview, Cartwright (13-2) said that the change was “not a massive switch-up to be honest, because I’m always preparing for somebody to try to pull me down.”
“That’s literally what I prepare for, because that’s what everybody who tries to fight me realistically tries to do if I’m being honest. They try and pull me down, negate the fight, slow the fight down as much as they can. Negate the scrambles and keep it as boring as physically possible, and keep themselves as safe as possible realistically.”
Cartwright noted that he’s now facing a shorter opponent, albeit one who is more of a striking and submission threat. “Probably stronger physically than Bryce, but Bryce is more of a ‘shoot, shoot, shoot’ wrestler and then he’ll try to hold you down, whereas this guy’s going to be more of a submission threat and more of a striking threat. He’s a bit more, wild punches, whereas Bryce was never going to entertain really striking with me. He was going to be shooting the majority of the fight I would imagine.”
In some ways, the fight becomes one that sees two combatants good in all areas, though Cartwright sees a distinct difference. While Begosso is “fairly similar to me, to be honest,” he added that “I just think I’m a much better version. I think I’m a much more well-schooled fighter that’s fought a higher level of competition. That’s the way I see it. Full respect to him. I think he’s more dangerous than Bryce is, in my opinion. More dangerous of a fighter, I think Bryce is a better athlete.”
Should any stand-up war break out at the UMPC Events Center in Pittsburgh, however, Cartwright seems to be all for it. “I meet fire with fire the majority of times, it’s just in my nature. I can’t really say no to a good time, to be honest. If somebody’s in there and he tends to hold his feet and throw heavy punches, then I’ll oblige him. I’ll oblige him if that’s what comes to pass on Fight Night.”
A Contender Series alum, Jack Cartwright has been in martial arts since he was five years old, and while “I wanted to be a professional wrestler as a kid,” he soon recognized that he didn’t have the necessary stature. “I realized I would be 70 kilos, five foot nine at a push. I wasn’t going to be six foot four, 270 pounds, so that dream went out the window.”
Aside from that wrestling dream, Cartwright has never wanted to be anything but a professional fighter. While he did attend university, he admits that “I just did it to keep my parents happy to be honest, and to keep training. I was never going to take it seriously. I’m a Plan A guy. I’m a Plan A guy, I never really cared to bother about a backup. I just go all in, balls to the wall and I try to get what I earn out of life.”
Watch our full interview with PFL Pittsburgh’s Jack Cartwright above.
