JACK SHORE is more motivated than ever before his return to the Octagon.
The Welsh warrior returns to the cage on Sunday morning with a packed UFC 301 card in Rio de Janeiro after a hiatus of almost 13 months.
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The longest hiatus of his career, however, couldn’t have been more emotional, as he was a loving father to his first child with his longtime girlfriend, Kaydie.
And to say that the birth of his son has given Shore a renewed focus and drive to be the best fighter he can be would be a huge understatement.
Recalling his son’s arrival, Shore told SunSport: “It definitely motivated me.
“I have always loved fighting and it is second nature to me. It’s what I’ve done since I was six years old.
“But now I have a reason to fight and a reason to seek the great money and the ‘Fight of the Night’ and the ‘Performance of the Night’ [bonues].
“Because ultimately I have a lot to pay for next 18 or 20 or whatever it ends up being.
“It really helps. You wake up sometimes in the morning and you’re tired and sore from the night before and it’s cold and it’s raining and you look across the room and he’s there sleeping on his Next for me.
“What more motivation do you need to go out and pursue this?
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“And then coming home and seeing him between sessions brightens your day.
“You can have a bad day at the gym, but when you get home everything suddenly gets better. It definitely motivated me very, very much.”
Shore’s time away has also allowed him to fully grow into his featherweight frame, which he has only had one appearance in so far.
The former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion said: “In terms of training, when I had the surgery on my hand, I couldn’t do any martial arts training for almost three to six months.
“So I really focused and dove into my S&C, my conditioning, my weights.
“My strength numbers have skyrocketed and my body composition is much better with the weight.
“I feel like I’ve really grown within the frame.
“I look amazing and I feel 100 times better and stronger than I did against Makwan. [Amirkhani] last year.”
Shore’s second fight at featherweight will see him face dangerous Brazilian Joanderson Brito.
Shore said of the winner of Dana White’s Contenders Series contract: “If you had to write down the strength of a Brazilian fighter, this guy is it.
“He comes forward, he’s aggressive and swings for the fences. He comes out like a bull in a Chinese store in the first two rounds.
“He’s very, very good – he’s dangerous everywhere. He’s a dangerous grappler, a dangerous attacker.
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“But I feel like the game plan I have on the team is worked out — we probably watched more tape for this one than anything else.
“There are holes out there to be explored and I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting started.
“I know it’s a tough test, but it’s also a tough test for him. I’m not an easy night’s work for anyone.”
Brito has scored victories over the likes of longtime featherweight Andre Fili and, more recently, Jonathan Pearce.
And Shore believes an emphatic showing against ‘Turabao’ will be the perfect way to book his ticket to a fight with a ranked opponent later this year.
He said: “I believe that the winner of this fight, if they don’t have a chance in the rankings, then we are at the limit.
“I fully agree with you. He had a big win last time, he had four big wins in the last four fights.
“And he even looked decent in the fight he lost against Bill Algeo.
“If I come in and beat him now and you talk about that along with a win over Makwan – who was there with a lot of guys in the top ten – I feel like that will put me in a really good position.”
Jack Shore faces Joanderson Brito in the UFC® 301: PANTOJA x ERCEG in 4th May in TNT Sports. TNT Sports is available through its streaming destination Discovery+ and on all major TV platforms. look here For more informations.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
