10 Questions With Jason Drake (by Darrick Patrick)
Jason Drake is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in King Of The Cage and Gladiator Challenge events such as Knuckle Up, Rampage, Full Force, and Lock-N-Load. At the time of this interview, his next scheduled fight is on March 16th, 2008 against Jose Torres in California.
Darrick: What road led you to competing in professional mixed martial arts?
Jason: I think a lot of things. I grew up in a pretty small prodomantly Hispanic town (Saint Paula, California) with a lot of gang problems, so I got into a lot of fights and a lot of trouble because of it. I'd usually get into fights with guys 2 to 3 times my size and always did pretty well, if not won.
Then about three years ago, I moved to another small town and seemed to find trouble about everywhere I went, even in my late twenties. So, I went into Warrior Spirits Martial Arts and started to train so I could see what would happen when I actually wanted to fight and with someone my size, let alone get paid for it instead of in trouble.
Darrick: Who are some of the individuals who greatly influenced you while growing up?
Jason: Mostly my two older brothers, William and Trevor. Trevor wasn't blood related, but we would have killed and died for each other. My mom even referred to him as her son and his mom did the same with me. When Trevor was killed in 1996, I almost lost it, but his memory kept me going and on the right track.
Darrick: What does a normal training session for you consist of?
Jason: I have two sessions. One in the morning that's nothing but cardio and core strength training - that's about two hours. Then, at night I go into the gym with my team and we start off with about thirty minutes of cardio to warm up. We train boxing and kickboxing for awhile (I never really pay attention to the time) and then we move into grappling and BJJ drilling techniques. For the last half hour of class, we freestyle spar.
Darrick: You have a match with Jose Torres coming up in March, are there any special preparations that you are making for this particular fight?
Jason: Just getting my hands and counter punches/kicks as good as they can be. Jose's not too much of a grappler, he's more of a brawler. So, I have to be aware of those loopers and haymakers, and the kid is super tough. He recently took a fight with a 185 pound guy and took him the distance, so I know I'm going to have to throw everything I got at him (I don't like decesions). I'm confident that if I can stay healthy, I'll come away with the win.
Darrick: Who are a couple of people in the sport that you highly respect?
Jason: Quinton Jackson, because he basically came from nothing and is making it big - he's an inspiration to people all over. Georges St. Pierre is the most well-rounded guy in MMA and is always classy, in both his wins and defeats.
Darrick: What would you say to younger individuals looking to compete in MMA?
Jason: Train hard and fights will be easy. Don't smoke, drink, or do drugs - leave it all in the cage...and don't go choking out your classmates! (Laughs)
Darrick: Outside of martial arts, what are your other interests?
Jason: Spending as much time with my kids as possible. Snowboarding, riding BMX, and of course the ladies... (Laughs)
Darrick: What comic book character do you relate to most?
Jason: Probably the Punisher because he's a normal guy that's been through some serious shit and came out on top, and is doing something to better mankind.
Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.
Jason: Awww, man...I like chick flicks like The Notebook. (Laughs)
Darrick: What is your oldest memory?
Jason: Probably my brother smashing my face into the garage floor and chipping my tooth for eating his Blow Pop...for real.
FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835
You can also check out Jason Drake in the following places:
Official Jason Drake MySpace Site:
http://www.myspace.com/topnotch_daddy
Official Jason Drake YouTube Page:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=pantas05
Jason Drake on Fight Finder:
http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=18580
Jason Drake Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:
http://www.sherdog.com/news/Picture_gallery.asp?f_id=18580@@Jason%20Drake
Tags: Jason Drake Darrick Patrick Interview Interviews Mma Mixed Martial Arts
