Ethan Wilson will be entering his Rise and Conquer 13 bout hunting for the finish on October 7th.
The Rainton Arena will play host to the Sunderland based promotion. Up-and-comers from across the country will make the walk with the goal of furthering their careers. Wilson will be among them, when he faces Jack Brennan after a late opponent switch.
Unbothered by the change of opponents, we had the chance to catch up with Ethan Wilson before battle.
Interview With Ethan Wilson
Rise and Conquer 13, you return for the second time this year and have been faced with an opponent change. Originally, the name was Jasim Beg, but now it’s Jack Brennan. Does an opponent stage this late out make much difference or alter your preparation in any way?
The opponent change didn’t faze me too much. As long as I got the replacement, I wasn’t bothered. Obviously, he’s had a change in opponent as well, so it’s fair both ways.
How do you feel about the switch when you look at both matchups? Are any of those guys you’d prefer to fight over the other, or are you happy to just get back in there?
I have no preference in opponent. Obviously, Jasim was more of a grappler/wrestler like myself, so I might have found out styles to cancel each other out somewhat. Jack, from what I’ve seen, is more of a striker who likes to use his range, so it will be an interesting bout.
In May, you returned to the win column at Almighty FC after stopping Sam Howard. Having had months to digest the win, break it down for me, and how pleased you were to return to winning ways?
The result is always the most important thing when it comes to a fight, so it felt great to return to winning ways, especially with another finish. Still, after a win, you need to look at areas you can improve and iron everything out.
I say winning ways, as last year at Goliath Fight Series, you were handed your first loss to Ellis Pilkington. How did it feel mentally to drop your first fight, considering you’d finished everyone up until that point? Was it a tough one to get over?
Of course, losing a close decision was hard. It was a tough lesson but one I needed to improve my game overall. After every fight, wins or lose, I’m always trying to improve on my last camp, whether it be my training, nutrition, or watching more drills/techniques on YouTube to try to bring my knowledge up.
How much do you know about Jack Brennan, and how do you feel you match up against one another?
I watched Jack’s most recent two fights on YouTube and was impressed with his performances. I don’t bother watching stuff from years ago, as fighters can change so much, so I wouldn’t want to compare them to the fighters they were a few years ago.
Funnily enough, I was at his second fight in 2018 as he was fighting my mate Thomas Owen. This was my first exposure to live MMA, and I started training the very next week, so I find it fitting that I’m fighting him for a belt five years on. I see him trying to put me on the back foot with his striking, but I’m prepared for anything he plans to throw my way.
Now, back in the win column and riding high on confidence. Tell the readers what they can expect from you on fight night.
When I fight, people can expect me to look to finish as I always do, coming into this feeling sharp mentally and physically. I’ll have a small army of 50 people supporting me, so also expect to hear a lot of noise!
