Jason South's UFC plan: 'Do my damnedest until they can't ignore me any longer'

For a split-second, Jason South (10-0) wondered if he had made a very bad decision. “My first fight was definitely one of those, ‘Do you really want to do this or not?’ moments. The guy broke my nose in the first 10 seconds.”

South didn’t wrestle in college. The undefeated welterweight wasn’t one of those kids who grew up training in the karate schools that used to be on every street corner across the nation.

No, South took a much different path to MMA. He was almost 30 years old before he ever started training jiu-jitsu. Like most first-timers, he was awed at how opponents 80 pounds lighter could tap him out over and over again, but he instantly accepted the challenge of learning the art. He found the mat as a welcome vacation from the stresses of running a family-owned moving business.

“I seriously think the biggest key was my mental stability for the business I used to have,” South told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I had a trucking company that was just a nightmare, and I just couldn’t hide from it. The only place I could go and get completely away from it was doing jiu-jitsu and doing MMA. I just completely fell in love with it.

“I guess in a way, it was my own little Disneyland or something, you could say. It was the only place I could go and get away and just be me. I enjoyed it so much, and I looked forward to it every single time, and I’ve just been fortunate to have done well.”

Training at Utah’s Unified Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where he still trains grappling to this day, South took quickly to grappling and began to medal in regional competitions. Soon, he decided to take things to the next level. It was 2008, and South decided it was time to add striking to the mix.

“It was exactly like every else that watches it on TV,” South said. “It was like, ‘S—, I could do that.’”

As it turns out, he could. Sure, South suffered a broken nose just seconds into the fight, but he still battled back to score a third-round TKO win.

“I just remember bits and pieces of it,” South admitted. “I was just thankful that I’ve got a lot of heart and I’m stubborn as hell and finished him in the third round.”

Things have gone much better since. South has racked up an incredible nine consecutive submission wins, including five first-round finishes. This past September, his success earned him an invitation to participate in “The Ultimate Fighter 16,” but he fell short in the elimination round against eventual finalist Mike Ricci.

“It was one of the most devastating things I’ve ever felt – to finally be wearing those gloves that say ‘UFC’ on them and have that taken away from me,” South said. “But it’s like everything else in life. I take the bad and make good out of it.

“I learned a lot from that. I changed a lot from there. I’m a different person. I’m a different fighter, and I look at things different. It was like every other hardship in life. I don’t look back and pity myself. I just learn from them, move on and try not to let it happen again.”

Despite his submission prowess, South’s early fights displayed his penchant for brawling. It cost him against Ricci, and South said he took the hint.

“I’ve always liked the Diaz brothers, so I got into brawling a lot,” South said. “I really enjoy doing it, and you can do it in the gym with 16-ounce gloves, but it’s not that smart with MMA gloves on in a real fight, so I’m learning how to use my distance better.

“I’m a tall, long guy, but I’ve always liked to get right in a guy’s face. I’m learning how to not do that and be a lot better at fighting at a distance and using the tools that I’ve been blessed with to my advantage. I’m just training that way and instead of just throwing punches in bunches, making sure I’m throwing them for a reason.”

In addition to his jiu-jitsu training, South is now a part of The Pit Elevated Fight Team, and he credits an impressive roster of training partner for helping him to steadily improve his game.

“I don’t live under any delusions,” South said. “I just train with really tough guys every day: Court McGee, Josh Burkman, Rmsey Nijem, Brock Jardine, Rad Martinez – guys that are in big organizations. Being with those badasses, you can’t help but get good at what you do.”

At 35 years old, South knows he’s certainly running short on time to make his mark on the sport he loves. But he also believes there’s plenty left in the tank. Starting at such a late age may actually have proven beneficial, South contends, because his body is young in terms of fight age.

“It goes both ways,” South said. “So many of the guys have wrestled all through college, and they’ve had their knees blown out and this and that. I might have started late, but I don’t have all the years of abuse on my body. And being older, I feel like mentally I have a little bit of an edge because so many of the young guys that have all the talent and everything sometimes don’t make the best or smartest choices in things. Sometimes things have been so easy for them that they piss it away or ruin opportunities. I feel like that’s my advantage in a way.”

And so South continues to rack up wins. Since his failed “TUF” bid, he’s bounced back with wins over Phil Dace and Kyacey Uscola. He’s hoping to get a call from a big organization, preferably the UFC. And if he keeps racking up submission wins, he’s assuming they’ll be forced to send him an invite.

“I don’t know what I’ve got to do to get the UFC’s attention,” South said. “I’ve had 10 fights. I’ve finished every single one of them. I’m not a boring fighter. I don’t think about points. I don’t ride out decisions.

“I want the opportunity. I guess I’ll just keep fighting and do my damnedest until they can’t ignore me any longer.”