Jordan Tracey is set to fight Tim Hague at King of the
Cage Canada’s “Earthquake” event this Friday in Edmonton, and considering what
the UFC vet has accomplished during his career, Tracey knows he’s been handed a
key opportunity.
“Yeah, for sure,” Tracey said, when asked if he was
excited to find out that he would face Hague, who has also scored 9 victories
under the KOTC banner. “My manager came to me probably just over a month ago,
and said that I had the opportunity. I took it; I didn’t think it was a long
time to get ready, but I was already training...It was still enough time and
it’s a really good opportunity, so obviously I’m going to take it.”
Hague will be looking to rebound from back-to-back losses
he suffered versus Mike Hackert, after knocking out Craig Hudson in the first
round at KOTC’s “Unified”card last April.
“Tim’s a really good fighter,” the 27 year-old Tracey
noted, who when he’s not working in the oil fields of Northern Alberta, lives
and trains in Vancouver, British Columbia. “He’s a really smart fighter too.
I’ve seen a few of his fights from when he was in the UFC and everything, so I’ve
watched a few with my trainer and have tried to see how he fights. It’s good in
that sense; from watching his fights I can see what I’m getting myself into.”
Tracey will be competing for the first time since he was
tapped out by Smealinho Rama last September, which followed first round
victories Tracey recorded over Ali Saif and Troy Wilton in 2011.
“I’m comfortable on the mat, obviously, and I’m
comfortable with the stand-up too,” Tracey noted. “For this fight I don’t
really have a preference. He’s strong when he takes someone down and it's on the
ground, but obviously I’m going to work towards not letting that happen. Either
way, stand up or on the ground, I’m pretty comfortable.”
Although Tracey has only fought five times compared to
Hague, who has competed in 21 pro bouts, the Vancouver resident isn’t
intimidated by the UFC vet’s record.
“I’m not afraid to go up against the big names,” said
Tracey. “It’s not really any different from fighting anybody...It’s a better
opportunity, but going into the fight it doesn’t really make a difference to
me. You could go up against a guy without any pro fights and it could be the
toughest fight you’ve had so far. You never know right?”
Tracey made his pro debut in 2008, and after going 1-1 in
his first two bouts, he didn’t return to action until 2011.
“My manager, who was also my trainer at the time, said
why don’t you try the fighting? You’re good at it, so I tested it out,” said
Tracey, while recalling his initial steps into pro MMA. “So I did, and I liked it, but I wasn’t at the point where I wanted to be at after my first couple of
fights, so I took some time off to train, try to get better at it because I
knew that’s what I needed to do.”
And how does Tracey see his fight unfolding with Hague at
“Earthquake”?
“It’s hard to say with this fight because it could end
quickly, or it could get dragged out,” said Tracey, who credited trainer Nico
Defeo for helping him get ready for the bout. “Tim’s not a very aggressive
fighter; he likes to stand back and angle you off, kind of pick you apart. So
unless he comes in and gets aggressive it could be a long fight.”
“He definitely needs to be thinking about this fight,”
Tracey furthered. “If he thinks he’s going to walk all over me and on to his
next fight, it’s not going to happen.”
“Earthquake” will be hosted by Edmonton’s Mirage Banquet
Hall on June 7th. Tickets for the show are available at the Wild West ShootingCentre.
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