Mike Jones Embraces New Challenges: BKFC and 205-Pound Division

All right, so you're not getting a layup, though. That's the difference. You're not getting a layup. In your hometown here, you've got a tough-ass fight, but you want the toughest-ass fight. I mean, you're kind of climbing the rankings quickly here. So, I mean, everybody in front of you right now, they're all tough, aren't they, Mike? So it is what it is, and like, you don't really care who the opponent is, do you? You're like, you're gonna line up, you're gonna do your thing, you're gonna fight. Yeah, I just wanna fight. Yeah, really, I was a 185-er, so my first few fights with BKFC, it was 185 pounds. No one asked me to move up to 205. They just, you know, I bugged them, saying, hey, I wanna fight, and they offered the fight at 205. So now, now I'm a 205-er, you know, getting ready to fight the number one-ranked guy there, so I just wanna fight. Do you like, is it more comfortable for you not making weight if you're grown into this, so to speak? Do you like this body weight? Yeah, I love not cutting weight. Like, you know, I still have to cut a few pounds, but it ain't the brutal cut of 185, so I feel way better. What was it like before? Oh, 85, it must've been tough, because I see your shoulders, you're a pretty big dude. Were the weight cuts tough before? Yeah, they're not fun, and, you know, my whole life is way better now. I'm happier, my wife's way happier. I really am happier, man. My life sounds way better now. I like the 205, yep. How did you, you know, do the transformation from mixed martial arts into BKFC? Were you a fan of BKFC? Did you see it before? Like, how did you end up in bare knuckle fighting? I just like to fight. For MMA, whatever, I just wanted to fight all the time, and I was more of a striker. I seen BKFC come in. I didn't really pay attention much, and then they did the, like, tryouts out here in Salt Lake, and they were gonna do a show out here, so I was like, let's see how much they're paying, and they paid a little more than I was making at the time, so we went in and do it. To me, it's all fist fight. You know, it's just, now we're just fighting just punches, so it's really not a game. There's really no difference to you, huh? Like, you're like, ah, it's a fight. It's like a fight, you know? I've had 30-something fights in my career so far now, so it's just a fight. But a couple of things, and I've learned a lot more about the bare knuckle world, and I think a lot of casuals sort of think, all right, it's just, you know, bare knuckle fighting, sort of savage-type thing, but there is an element of mixed martial arts in it, Mike, in my opinion. Like, the clinching, man, is a big part of this type of stuff, right? Like, you know, like there is a little MMA in this. Let's just be honest, isn't it? Yeah, the clinching, for sure. Look at Kai Stewart, college wrestler. He uses, almost looks like he's shooting in on a double leg to get that clinch. Like, he uses that to his advantage. So yeah, there's more than just, you know, throwing hands. I don't wanna say boxing, because we're not really boxing out there. If you watch, it's a lot slower, and Kai Stewart falls down, which I don't like to do, but that's kind of where the sport's at right now. It's kind of new, and that's kind of where it's at, exciting, I guess.