“My last fight went perfectly. I think things couldn’t have worked out better, although I had my heart set on using my stand up. Spoon took the fight to the ground, and I ended up with the triangle. It all seemed really surreal at the time because it was my first submission as a pro. It was really awesome, and I was honored to fight such a sound opponent. Roy is a great guy.”
Now the champion, the fighter known as “Lionheart” will seek to defend his belt for the first time in a few weeks’ time at XKO 10 against a dangerous opponent seeking to claim the 155 belt as his own.
A formidable challenger, Chris Pecero out of Corpus Christie had to fight his way to this title shot at XKO 9, claiming the opportunity in devastating fashion by knocking out Jarrett Jones (who Chris Jones previously beat by decision) within the first minute of the fight in order to land this title shot with Chris Jones.
Deep in his training camp over at Allen Mohler’s gym, Chris Jones looks forward to the challenge of depending against Pecero.
“Chris is a good guy, and he trains out of a school in South Texas that I don’t know much about. I’ve seen several of his fights and he seems reasonably well-rounded. This should be a great fight. I’m doing more Thai boxing and working on my transitions, but nothing too specific. I feel great. This will be the best camp I’ve had to date and I’m excited about the opportunity to fight with XKO again. I’m proud of my belt and look forward to defending it with honor.”
Getting ready for to defend his title for the first time against a top contender, and all the while balancing a full-time job and taking care of two lovely daughters.
“My typical day starts out around 6:00am. I am a full time Operating Engineer for a company in Dallas called Davis Crane Company where I operate a 40 ton hydraulic crane. I have two beautiful daughters, so I can’t afford to be a full time fighter. I usually work between 8 and 10 hours a day, and then it’s off to training. My regimen consists of roughly three hours a night practicing a mix of BJJ, wrestling, Thai boxing, and boxing. My schedule is pretty crazy. I usually do this 6 days a week and leave Sundays for the family. I do try to relax as often as possible. Most of my time is spent either in the gym on the grind, or relaxing with my two little ones and my girlfriend, Jessica. However, most days it’s all about training.”
No rest for the weary, I guess.
Such is the fighter lifestyle for many of our best here in Texas.
“(If I wasn’t fighting) I think I would still be on that path of grief and destruction. It’s sad to say, but I didn’t make the best decisions growing up and I really believe the discipline that mixed martial arts requires saved my life. I’ve been away from drugs and alcohol for almost 10 years this October. I believe that without MMA, I’d be just short of crazy.”
With that perspective in mind, Jones now looks forward to achieving his near-term goals, starting with getting his hand raised at the end of his next fight. From there, he mentioned a possible drop down to the 145 division along with making a run at the UFC and attaining his BJJ black belt as goals he might look forward to. With all his demons behind him, perhaps Chris Jones can even become a role model champion as well.
“I want to be someone that the people of Dallas (and Texas in general) can be proud to have representing them. I really just want to say thank you to all of my supporters, be it team mates, coaches, family, and friends. I’m really grateful for everything. Thank you to XKO, and to TXMMA.com as well.”