10 Questions With Jake Ellenberger (by Darrick Patrick)
Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in organizations such as the International Fight League, King Of The Cage, Bodog Fight, Extreme Fighting Challenge, Victory Fighting Championships, International Fighting Championship, Ring Of Fire, Extreme Challenge, All Fighting Championships, and Xtreme Kage Kombat.
Darrick:
What was the journey that led you to professional mixed martial arts?
Jake: Like most fighters, I started out as a fan of the sport. I watched my friend Sean Wilson fight in the VFC (Victory Fighting Championships). It was a good production, and I was a "tough guy" and said, "Hey, I can do that." I started training kickboxing with my teammate Ryan Jensen and Jiu-Jitsu with Vaghi purple belt Ed Shobe. I took a few fights, did well, and was hooked ever since.
Darrick:
Who are some of the people that greatly influenced you while growing up?
Jake: My uncle Stu and my family really influenced me growing up. I was thirteen when my uncle was involved in a tragic accident, and after losing a best friend, you grow up pretty quickly. I have a twin brother named Joe that has been a coach of wrestling and a training partner for me, since we would fight since day one.
Darrick:
Do you have any words of advice for other individuals looking to compete in MMA?
Jake: My advice to anyone who looks to compete in MMA is to find the best trainers and coaches, from boxing and wrestling to Jiu-Jitsu. Also, good training partners will be a good start and a great work ethic is a great recipe for success. MMA is a highly disciplined sport like any other professional sport and in order to succeed, you must be a hard worker.
Darrick:
What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?
Jake: I think the accomplishment, which would be winning, is the most satisfying to me. It makes all the hard work worth it.
Darrick:
Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?
Jake: I highly respect fighters like Matt Lindland, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, and Chael Sonnen. Guys that represent the sport in such a professional manner and probably have the best work ethics I've seen.
Darrick:
What does a "normal" training session for you consist of?
Jake: Normal training is boxing, wrestling, and Jiu-Jitsu three times a week at different times. Strength and conditioning twice a week, MMA position sparring three times a week, and two hard sparring sessions with 16 ounce gloves and head gear twice a week. We do a lot of MMA sparring at Team Quest. "Bad situations" is an important part, in which a fighter starts out in a bad position and works out of it - so in a fight, they are more comfortable with that situation.
Darrick:
Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?
Jake: I love the outdoors, camping, fishing, ATVs, and being with my girl, Emily.
Darrick:
If you had 24 hours left to live, how would you spend that time?
Jake: That's an intense question - I'd probably go skydiving and do some other crazy stuff.
Darrick:
What is your oldest memory?
Jake: I remember riding a three-wheeler when I was really young and ran right into the back of a truck hitch. It busted my mouth.
Darrick:
Tell us something about you that most people don't know.
Jake: I was in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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 Jake Ellenberger in the following places:
Official Jake Ellenberger MySpace Profile:
http://www.myspace.com/jakeellenberger
Jake Ellenberger on Fight Finder:
http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=13068
Jake Ellenberger Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:
http://www.sherdog.com/news/Picture_gallery.asp?f_id=13068@@Jake%20E llenberger
