Jacob Thrall FIGHT TALK WITH YOUR BOY THE WHATS NEXT KID interview

The Jacob Thrall FIGHT TALK WITH YOUR BOY THE WHATS NEXT KID interview covered his hope to fight again late this year or early next year, the athletes he coaches, and the work behind Ludas Fight League 2 in Topeka, Kansas. Thrall also discussed his last fight with the Professional Fighters League and why he expects to stay off his own hometown card.

How did Jacob Thrall go from taking a replacement fight to running a gym?

Jacob Thrall said his fighting career began when he stepped into an amateur title fight after a teammate was injured. He won the title, kept receiving offers and eventually moved to a gym that he now runs as head coach, a change he considers alongside what fighting has brought to his family life.

The replacement title fight

Thrall said he has been fighting for about 12 years. At the start of his amateur career, a teammate's injury left an opening in a title fight. Thrall agreed to take the bout on short notice, won it and found that more opportunities followed. He described building his name through knockouts and submissions.

Taking charge of the gym

He switched gyms about halfway through his career and later became head coach there. Looking back from that position can feel surreal, he said, particularly when he considers that he started with very little. Thrall also credited fighting with bringing him a gym, a wife and a child.

The gym has a team of amateurs as well as fighters moving into professional competition. Thrall sees developing that group in Topeka as part of building a lasting gym culture, not simply as preparation for his own next bout.

When does Jacob Thrall hope to take his next fight?

Jacob Thrall hopes to fight again late this year or early next year, but he has not set a date. He said he is recovering from minor physical issues and wants to be fully healthy before returning, rather than repeat earlier decisions to compete while injured.

Thrall had been expected to fight on the card his teammates were attending, but he chose to focus on recovery. He said there are past fights he wishes he had not accepted because he was injured at the time. Now, nearing 32, he is weighing each opportunity against the possibility of a longer setback.

Explaining why he is willing to wait, Thrall put his approach plainly:

I'd rather be out a couple weeks than a couple years

That calculation also shapes his plans for the hometown show he is organizing. Thrall and his wife discussed whether he should fight on it and decided it was probably better not to. He fought on a show they put on the previous year and found it difficult to manage a weight cut while handling event logistics.

How is Jacob Thrall coaching Dylan loosely and Jason Ferrari?

Jacob Thrall said Dylan loosely was making his professional kickboxing debut and Jason Ferrari was making his MMA debut with the team on a card at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Preparing them is part of a wider coaching role that he balances with his own training and the demands of running a gym.

Dylan loosely and Jason Ferrari at Memorial Hall

Thrall described Dylan loosely as a hard hitter who competes at 145 and 155 pounds. He said loosely went 7-2 as an amateur, fought for several titles and won one. Thrall viewed the kickboxing matchup as a sensible first step into professional competition.

Ferrari, meanwhile, brings hard punches, strong grappling and unusually long arms, according to Thrall. He expected both fighters to perform well on the card, which he identified as a Sinner GFC event.

Learning from his father-in-law

Thrall said he has increasingly taken the reins at the gym over roughly four or five years. His own head coach, who is also his father-in-law, has stepped back somewhat after spending years showing him how to run it. Other coaches help, but Thrall said it is still difficult to keep his fighters prepared while actively competing himself.

Why does Jacob Thrall want a career in fights beyond competing?

Jacob Thrall still wants to reach the Ultimate Fighting Championship and plans to compete into his early 40s. At the same time, he is building experience as a matchmaker because he enjoys putting strong opponents together and wants to give his own fighters the kind of platform he had early in his career.

Thrall said his last fight was for the Professional Fighters League. A possible fight in July did not work with his schedule because he was getting married the following week, and other available cards also did not line up. For now, he said he is returning to his fundamentals and working to round out his skills.

His interest in matchmaking comes from being a fan of the sport as well as a coach. He likes finding high-level fighters from gyms he knows and pairing athletes he expects to perform well. He said his connections in Kansas and Missouri bring fighters to him who want opportunities.

Giving his team those opportunities matters personally to Thrall. He remembers receiving a platform when he was starting out and wants his fighters to have one too. He also sees matchmaking as work he can continue after his own competitive career ends.

What did Jacob Thrall say about Piotr Jan and Marab?

Jacob Thrall said the Piotr Jan and Marab fight was extremely close, but he did not consider the decision a robbery. He thought Piotr Jan began to take over in the second and third rounds and argued that takedown attempts should be judged alongside the damage a fighter actually does.

The Piotr Jan decision

Thrall watched the fight while traveling with his team and was struck by Marab's pace and repeated takedown attempts. He also recognized the effort needed to defend against someone who kept moving forward. As the bout went on, though, he felt Piotr Jan's body shots and other offense shifted its direction.

For Thrall, a close decision can reasonably go either way. He reserved the term robbery for a one-sided fight awarded to the other competitor and disagreed with applying it simply because viewers scored a close contest differently.

His pick for Volkanov ski

Asked about another matchup, Thrall picked Volkanov ski while acknowledging the difficulty of facing a wrestler. He said defending takedowns would not be enough on its own: Volkanov ski would also need to maintain his own output.

What is Jacob Thrall planning for Ludas Fight League 2 in Topeka?

Jacob Thrall is organizing Ludas Fight League 2 for December 12 in his hometown of Topeka. He wants to put on more MMA shows there, but expects to concentrate on matchmaking, sponsors and event logistics rather than fight on the card himself.

Thrall said Topeka has hosted boxing events but no longer has the kind of established MMA show he wants to build. He is particularly eager to give fighters from his hometown and the wider Kansas area a chance to perform in front of a home crowd.

Running a show requires more than arranging bouts, he said. After trying to compete while helping put on the previous year's event, he and his wife concluded that handling a weight cut alongside the organizational work was too much. This time he wants to see the results of that work from outside the cage.

Thrall also spoke positively about working with other promoters. He mentioned Chris Gregory with Center GFC and said he tries to place his fighters on their shows when his team does not have another event. Maintaining those relationships helps him find bouts for his athletes and contribute to other cards.

Who is Jacob Thrall?

Jacob Thrall is a professional MMA fighter from Topeka, Kansas. He is also a gym head coach who develops fighters while continuing his own competitive career.