Jared Gordon is back to his winning ways and would love an opportunity to fight at home.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Gordon (15-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) hasn’t fought in his home state yet. With the UFC heading to New York on Nov. 2 for UFC 244, Gordon believes should he compete on that card, he’ll be able to sell a large amount of tickets himself.
“November 2nd is what I’m manifesting,” Gordon told MMA Junkie Radio. “Madison Square Garden, and I’m putting that energy out there, and I think it’s perfect timing, four months after my last one. I’m coming off a win, I’m from New York, I know they want New York fighters on there, and I think I can sell the place out myself.”
Gordon is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Dan Moret at UFC on ESPN 3, snapping a two-fight skid. Despite a dominant outcome on the judges’ scorecards, Gordon wasn’t too happy with his performance.
“Got the job done, wasn’t that thrilled with my performance even though on the scorecards I crushed him, I guess. It was weird,” Gordon said. “He was a tall, awkward south paw, way bigger than me. Fought very awkwardly, very stiff and herky-jerky, so it was hard to get a read on him. I did land some clean shots, and I was able to win in the scrambles, but he definitely came to fight. It was in his hometown, and he definitely didn’t want to lose. He sold like 100 something tickets apparently, and I remember coming out, and everyone was booing me, which I’m used to, but he didn’t want to lose in front of everyone.”
After losing two straight to Carlos Diego Ferriera and Jaoquim Silva, Gordon felt like his back was against the wall. The loss to Silva earned him a “Fight of the Night” bonus, and to his surprise, a new contract with the UFC, which led to the Moret fight booking.
“We were both on a two-fight losing streak, and I guess we were fighting for our jobs even though I didn’t want to make it seem that way,” Gordon said of fighting Moret. “I didn’t want to project that energy. I just wanted to go out there and stay in the moment. I knew I was the better fighter than him, and I could do what I had to do, and I got the job done.”
Gordon credits the help of a sports psychologist with whom he started working for his ability to turn things around. Prior to the two fight losing streak, he was 14-1 in his pro MMA career, notching wins in his first two UFC appearances.
“I was just staying in the moment. I happened to work with a sports psychologist,” Gordon said. “She was like, ‘If you were going to be confident, you have to be prepared. If you know you’re prepared, then you’re going to be confident, so don’t worry about the result. Just go in there and do what you do, and if you’re prepared, you should do well.'”
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