Jared Gordon knows he’s built for featherweight.
The New York native, who has gone 2-1 thus far in the UFC career, had a misstep ahead of his first fight with the promotion when he came in three pounds over the featherweight limit at 149 pounds.
Since that time, Gordon has been competing as a lightweight but following a knockout loss in his most recent performance at 155 pounds, he’s bound and determined to prove to the UFC that he can not only make it down to featherweight again but he’ll do so safely with no serious harm being done to his body.
“As everyone knows, I had a tough time getting down to 145 [pounds]. I can’t blame anyone but myself. I made a couple mistakes and it didn’t go as planned and I missed weight,” Gordon said when speaking to MMAWeekly. “But I truly feel that I’m a featherweight and I’m too small for the lightweight division. I truly believe my home is at 145. So I’m going to do whatever I have to do and if that means a mock weight cut to prove to them that I can make it safely then that’s what I’ll do.
“My goal is to be UFC champion so I have to eliminate all the factors that are going to make it harder for me to get there. I believe this is one of them. I feel faster at 145, I move better. I’m chubby at 155. I make 155 super easy, it’s a breeze. I know that I’m a featherweight. That’s the bottom line.”
I will be doing a mock cut to prove that I can safely get to 145lbs in 6 weeks time. I know I made some mistakes in the past and had trouble getting down, but I hope this will earn my spot back in the division that I know I belong in… @seanshelby @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite pic.twitter.com/CEPPpniREJ
— Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) March 14, 2018
While Gordon has always known that he was a natural featherweight, his last bout against Carlos Diego Ferreira cemented it after he dealt with a much bigger opponent who had a huge reach advantage over him in the fight.
“My last fight was obviously weird. I got kicked in the groin twice and then I caught with the left hook and I was fighting to get up and the fight was over. It wasn’t like I was unconscious but I do think size definitely played a factor,” Gordon said. “My opponent had like a 74 or 75 inch reach, I’ve got a 68 inch reach. He had to have been at least 10 to 15 pounds heavier than me and I think that plays a huge role when you’re getting punched in the chin.”
To ensure that he will make the move back down to featherweight in the healthiest way possible, Gordon has hired highly regarded nutritionist George Lockhart, whose company has worked with numerous high profile fighters including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Max Holloway.
In addition to working with Lockhart, Gordon is planning on a six week weight cut to get down to 145-pounds that will involve weekly video blogs to show his progression all leading to the day when he steps on the scale to make the featherweight limit.
“If I want to fight at 145, it has to be a lifestyle change. Year round I have to eat well, 90 to 95-percent of the time to walk around at a healthy weight to make the descent down to 145. I’m eating better than I ever have and I also hired George Lockhart and he’s doing my weight cuts with me. I believe he’s the best in the business,” Gordon said.
“I’m going to do the weight cut. I’m going to do a video, do weekly updates and when I get to 145, I’m going to have it on video with me on the scale. I plan on having a couple different scales there to show that I didn’t mess around with it somehow. That’s the plan.”
If all goes well and he proves to the UFC that he can cut down to featherweight in a healthy way, Gordon would then like to make his return to action — at 145 pounds — at the upcoming UFC card in Utica, New York.
“I want to get on the Utica card,” Gordon said. “I’m from New York so June 1 is the Utica card. That’s what I’m asking for.”
