Jaylen Sanchez Ram At The Fights interview on his first fight

In the Jaylen Sanchez Ram At The Fights interview, Sanchez said his upcoming bout at first rule MMA in Columbus, Ohio, will be his first fight. He told me his weight cut is on track, his camp has emphasized grappling, and he intends to keep the pressure on an opponent who accepted on short notice.

How did Jaylen Sanchez prepare for his first rule MMA fight?

Jaylen Sanchez said his weight cut was on track and that his final week was about staying comfortable rather than pushing so hard that he risked getting hurt. His camp worked on takedowns, submissions and striking, but he said grappling took up a particularly large share of the preparation.

The final week and the weight cut

With the fight approaching, Sanchez said weight would not be an issue and expected a clean cut at weigh-ins. He described the remaining work as walking through positions he might encounter in the bout. At that stage, he wanted to be prepared without breaking himself down.

That approach carried into his account of the wider camp. Rather than trying to change everything before his first fight, he said he had worked on skills he already does well and looked for other ways to reach a takedown or submission.

A camp built around grappling

Sanchez said he also worked on his striking, but stressed how much time the camp spent grappling. He did not offer a detailed assessment of his opponent; in fact, he said he knew nothing about him. For Sanchez, being ready himself mattered more than worrying about the other fighter.

What did Jaylen Sanchez say about his Puerto Rican roots and starting MMA?

Jaylen Sanchez said seeing people with the same Puerto Rican roots succeed motivates him. His own route toward MMA began with wrestling and with watching UFC while growing up, when his father regularly put it on. Once Sanchez had a chance to try fighting, he took it.

Puerto Rican fighters as motivation

When the conversation turned to Puerto Rico, Sanchez spoke about the effect of seeing people who share his roots excel. He described that connection as inspiring and motivating. He also said he has family from Puerto Rico.

Wrestling and watching UFC with his father

Sanchez grew up wrestling, giving him a background in grappling before he decided to pursue MMA. At home, his father was often watching UFC. Sanchez began watching too and came to feel that fighting was something he wanted to do and excel in.

He said the sport felt right to him. When an opportunity to participate came, he took it without regrets or a desire to look back. That early interest now sits alongside the wrestling and grappling work he emphasized ahead of his first bout.

What did Jaylen Sanchez say about Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz?

Jaylen Sanchez named Conor McGregor as his favorite fighter growing up and singled out McGregor’s first fight against Nate Diaz as the first fight he watched. What stayed with him was McGregor losing that meeting, then returning to beat Diaz in their next fight.

Sanchez specifically brought up the 170-pound setting of those fights when explaining why they stood out to him. He was drawn to seeing McGregor come back after a loss and change the outcome. It was a concrete example of the fighting he had started watching through his father’s interest in UFC.

He did not present McGregor’s career as a template for his own first bout. After talking about the Diaz fights, Sanchez turned back to the immediate task in his gym: getting to work for the fight in front of him.

How is Jaylen Sanchez handling the nerves before his first fight?

Jaylen Sanchez acknowledged being a little nervous because this is his first fight, but said he expected to be ready on fight day. During the final stretch, he planned to listen to music while cutting weight, relax and get mentally locked in.

He put particular weight on mental preparation in the short time left before the bout. His plan was not to add a dramatic last-minute change to camp; it was to settle himself, keep his attention on the fight and arrive ready to compete.

Sanchez did not reveal a walkout choice when it came up. He said people would see it on fight day. His answer kept the focus on what he could control beforehand: the weight cut, his state of mind and the preparation he had already done.

What does Jaylen Sanchez expect from his next fight and opponent?

Jaylen Sanchez expects to press forward against an opponent he said accepted the fight on short notice. He predicted a physical performance, said he would not let off the gas and made clear that he wants to leave with his hand raised.

Sanchez gave the bluntest statement of his intentions when he described what he wanted people to expect:

I want everybody to expect me to just ragdoll this guy

He also said he appreciated the opponent taking the fight on short notice, even as he warned that he intended to make it difficult for him. Sanchez described that attitude as nothing personal. His point was that, once the fight begins, he has to pursue the result he wants.

Sanchez identified the fight date as November 14. The first rule MMA event was set for the bridge water event center in Columbus, Ohio, with a MILLIONS pay-per-view stream available. For Sanchez, it would be the first chance to put his wrestling background, grappling-heavy camp and fight-week preparation to use in a bout.