Jay White’s fight in MFC on November 5th is one of the most interesting ona the card, from a dramatic point of view. ADCC ‘05 competitor Jay White used to own a Team Renzo Gracie affiliate in Albany, New York before moving to Portland to train with Team Quest six months ago.
KM: Why did you move to Portland?
JW: More MMA style training. I came out here for a camp. Randy invited me out here for a camp and I stayed for a week. Everything went well and they invited me to stay.
KM: Did somebody take over your Team Renzo Gracie affiliate in Albany or did it shut down?
JW: Two of my students took it over but it is no longer affiliated with Renzo. It is a Helio Soneca school now.
KM: Recently Chael Sonnen said ‘I hope he stays out here’. Is it up in the air you may move back?
JW: No, I’m staying.
KM: I also hear you have a good reputation for staying after class and going the extra mile.
JW: I train two or three times a day. I do strength and conditioning with our coach, I do extra kickboxing training, I stay after and help some other guys with jiu-jitsu escapes because they are not a submission-oriented school. Robert Follis is great and they do have good submissions but I have a different look than Robert does.
KM: Are you looking into teaching there?
JW: Yeah, in the future I will be teaching there.
KM: What weight do you usually walk around?
JW: Right now I’m 255.
KM: How would you say your game or strategy has changed in the short time you have been out there?
JW: I’m no longer just a jiu-jitsu guy. I’m good on the top, good on the bottom, my takedowns are getting great, my strength is much better…overall my game has just changed. I give Renzo credit for all my submission games, where I came from, and what I accomplished up to this date. He made me the grappler today. Being with Quest is a different feel.
KM: Your next fight is in MFC on November 5th against Alex Roberts. What do you know about him?
JW: I’ve watched a couple of his tapes. He is a kickboxer taller than me. From what I know he is about 240, a little lighter than me. From what I know he just likes to strike.
KM: Are you going to be training any differently for this fight?
JW: No, not at all.
KM: How does it feel to go back to the Northeast and fight in front of former teammates and fans?
JW: I can’t wait. I didn’t leave Renzo’s on a bad note. I talked to Renzo at Abu Dhabi ’05 when we competed and everything.
KM: You were in the over 99 kg division. What does that experience mean to you?
JW: I was honored just to be invited. I’d love to go back and show what I can actually do. I don’t know if it was nerves got the best of me in that last one but it was a great experience and great honor.
KM: Are you going to split your time between submission wrestling and MMA or focus on MMA?
JW: My main focus is on MMA but if grappling tournaments come up I will definitely compete. I was going to compete in the Western Regionals but my training for this fight kicked off and I didn’t want to risk getting hurt.
KM: Can you describe how MFC differs from other shows?
JW: MFC is a great show. Miguel is a great guy. I don’t see a difference. It has a more showy aspect.
KM: In your last SportFight fight your original opponent was signed to the UFC. On a two week notice your replacement was ADCC ’05 Champion and UFC vet Jeff Monson. I thought that really showed the Team Quest guys aren’t favored in SportFight.
JW: No, not at all. Matt Lindland wants us to fight the toughest guys, to earn the wins.
KM: Sponsors to thank?
JW: Ruckus fightwear, No-Gi Industries, Directstrike.tv, and Xyience Supplements.
