Ethan Jordan Knockouts and 3 Counts interview on MMA and injury

The Ethan Jordan Knockouts and 3 Counts interview with Kyle covered an unlikely start in MMA, a left-knee injury that cost Jordan a planned fight, and why he believes Austin belongs in the UFC. The longtime training partners also discussed how jiu-jitsu has changed, Jordan’s continued work at Warrior Way, and his plans for Halloween.

Why did Ethan Jordan start MMA and jiu-jitsu?

Ethan Jordan began training because he wanted to get his life together and win back an ex-girlfriend. After a disappointing return to pickup basketball, he met a classmate whose battered face came from a cage fight. The encounter made fighting seem like a goal worth pursuing, and James Lee later invited him to a gym.

A cage fighter outside class

Jordan had returned to college and wanted to lose weight, but found that basketball no longer came as easily as it once had. He remembered a player dunking on him during a full-court game at OCC. Then, outside class one day, he saw a man eating an apple despite a bruised face and injured nose. When Jordan asked what had happened, the man answered, “cage fight.”

Jordan was not trying to fight anyone connected to the breakup. He wanted a reason to change his habits. Seeing the classmate made him think a cage fight might help him show his ex-girlfriend how seriously he was taking that change.

James Lee’s gym invitation

Jordan later kept seeing James Lee at a club. Lee eventually approached him, said he looked fit, and invited him to visit his gym. Jordan accepted and met Don Ally, whom he described as his first friend there. He also remembered training around Tony Hervey, the first person he sparred with at the gym.

At first, Jordan did not own a gi and attended no-gi sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes adding Friday. His schedule eventually grew to four, five or six days a week. He said the relationship he had hoped to repair did not resume, but training stayed with him.

What changes in jiu-jitsu has Ethan Jordan seen since he started?

Ethan Jordan sees the growth of no-gi training as the clearest change in jiu-jitsu. He said fewer people now want to roll in a gi, and the Friday-night open mats he remembers have faded. He also sees leg locks as a much more routine part of training than they were when he began.

Gi training and Friday open mats

Jordan remembers Friday as the night people came in after a week of classes to spend much of the session rolling. There might be a move or two to cover first, but the draw was extended mat time. He misses both that format and the number of training partners who once gathered for it.

He contrasted those nights with the turnout Brian Raby still draws. According to Jordan, people travel from places including Flint, Pontiac and Wixom to learn from Raby, who can direct a session without rolling himself. Jordan also said gyms are more widespread now, giving students more places to train.

Leg locks and Jordan’s teaching style

Jordan and Kyle discussed how leg locks, once treated cautiously in their training, have become difficult to ignore. Jordan’s preference remains chokes. Although he teaches Friday classes and can show leg locks, he said other instructors are better suited to troubleshooting the finer points of some techniques.

He remains involved at Warrior Way and said he had trained there earlier that week. His own classes reflect what he enjoys doing on the mat: rolling with people and passing on techniques he knows well.

How did Ethan Jordan’s left-knee injury affect his MMA plans?

Ethan Jordan called a blown-out left knee his worst jiu-jitsu injury. It happened during an in-house tournament at the gym on a Monday, with a fight scheduled for that Friday after weeks of preparation. He described entering the tournament overconfident and said he would change that decision if he could.

Jordan had previously competed in tournaments without being scored on, which shaped his attitude that day. Looking back, he said he wishes he had skipped class, tapped, or done something else to avoid the injury. Jordan put his regret plainly:

if I could go back to any moment It would be to that moment and not go to class

The planned fight mattered for reasons beyond competition. Jordan had been trying to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend and had gone to her home to sell her tickets. He described that visit as their last normal conversation and the fight as the culmination of the work he had put into training.

Jordan also recalled a period when he, Kyle and another training partner were all sidelined. His account of the knee injury stood apart, though: he said it changed the course of his life as well as taking away the fight he had prepared for.

What does Ethan Jordan think of Austin’s prospects in the UFC?

Ethan Jordan believes Austin has the ability to compete in the UFC and expects him to improve against tougher opponents. He disagreed with the decision in Austin’s most recent fight, saying he thought Austin won the final two rounds, though the second was close. Jordan remains confident in Austin and his coaches.

Jordan acknowledged that Austin was hurt in that fight but felt one big punch received too much weight in how people viewed it. He also pointed to the difference between Austin’s regional fights, where Jordan thought he had moved through opponents comfortably, and the competition he now faces.

Kyle raised Austin’s footwork and the possibility of working with another striking coach. Jordan said he and his wife had discussed whether a boxing coach might help, but he emphasized his trust in the training Austin already has around him. He expects Austin’s next fight to show the improvements he has made.

For Jordan, those expectations come from knowing Austin over a long period, not just watching his UFC appearances. He expressed confidence that Austin would continue fighting and develop at that level.

What did Ethan Jordan say about Halloween and horror movies?

Ethan Jordan planned to dress as a vampire with his wife for a Halloween party, but he had no plans to watch a horror series. He prefers spending time with friends to watching fictional characters run for their lives. At home, he said, the couple rarely sees trick-or-treaters despite buying candy in the past.

They had picked up costumes for a Saturday party. Jordan expected to dress up, find a place to sit and enjoy the company rather than spend the night drinking or dancing. He described that as a better fit for him now than the way he celebrated when he was younger.

Jordan said no children had come to their apartment for candy in five years. He lives in a complex with few children and across from a graveyard, so buying plenty of candy had not brought the visitors he expected.

Asked about Crystal Lake, Jordan said he had not watched it and explained that horror is not his taste. Even when the danger is fictional, he would rather watch people enjoying themselves than being chased or hurt.

How does Ethan Jordan know Cody, and what did he say about the Detroit event?

Ethan Jordan said Cody had welcomed him, his wife and another guest into his Las Vegas home and served them dinner. When Kyle mentioned that Cody was scheduled to fight at a November 7 event at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Jordan said he intended to attend.

Kyle brought up the event while inviting Jordan to meet up again. Jordan’s response centered on Cody’s hospitality: he remembered the visit to Las Vegas warmly and congratulated Cody on having a baby.

Jordan said he would be there on November 7. It gave the former training partners a possible next meeting after a conversation that began with the gyms and people they had known together for years.