MMAFightCorner.com:        Now joining us on the Fight Corner, Strikeforce welterweight fighter Jordan Mein getting ready to fight Tyron Woodley this Saturday night. It’s a pleasure to meet you, my friend, thank you so much for joining us.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now Jordan — I’m sorry, Jordan — you’re 21 years old, you look like a kid here. I swear, I thought they were going to ID you when you walked in.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        22, now, he said.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        22, so I mean, 30 pro fights?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        30 pro fights by 22 years old.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        What’s up with that?

 

Jordan Mein:   Well, when you start when you’re 16 and then fight professional since then, and six fights a year, five or six fights a year, it happens.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Right. You must be the guy that everybody goes out with and goes, don’t mess with that guy, and parties.

 

Jordan Mein:   I avoid all that, I avoid it.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Did you even go to parties in high school?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You’re Canadian. I’ve known a few Canadians in my day, and I know how they did it.

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, it’s a good time.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Are you a big hockey fan too?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, all my friends play hockey.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        What’s your favorite team?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        It’s a Canadian team.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        It’s got to be a Canadian team.

 

Jordan Mein:   I don’t really have a team, I just, have watched those 24/7′s recently?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I don’t like hockey, and I love those shows.

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, they’re awesome. I like the fights and the hits.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Do your hockey-playing friends ask you for lessons, like hey, train us to get ready?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Have you ever tried to fight on skates?

 

Jordan Mein:   I haven’t. I don’t think I can skate, to be honest.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Wait, I think that’s a sin in Canada. It’s a total sin.

 

Jordan Mein:   It is. It is, yeah.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, you grew up in a martial arts households, pretty much. Now, I know that your father was a promoter, but is it true that he was trained by Bas Rutten at one point?

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, Bas was coming down and doing seminars, and my dad went up there and got certified under him and now is currently a certified instructor and goes and teaches and does seminars for Bas and whatnot, yeah.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Because it’s really funny, when he’s commentating on your fights, how he’s constantly saying, look at the liver kick, the liver kick. That’s a trademark Bas thing.

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, and the liver’s where it’s at.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        El guapo.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Watching your last fight, your first fight in Strikeforce, which I’m sure was a big deal for you, but against Cyborg, what you did to him in that — was it the third round, I think it was? But, those elbows were ruthless.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I said before, you had elbow fists.

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, they’re harder than my fists.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Are you planning on using some of those elbows Friday — or excuse me, Saturday night — against Tyron?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely. I’ll be using them off my back, on top of him, standing, everywhere.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, it’s funny you mention on your back. Is that somewhere where you see this fight will eventually end up? And I want to go back to seven fight — you’ve been on an awesome seven-fight win streak, but your last loss was to Jason High, who was able to use the wrestling to kind of nullify your game. Is this something that you’ve prepared for, or what change have you made to counter the wrestling of Tyron Woodley?

 

Jordan Mein:   Definitely just set my mind toward certain things for wrestling, and trained on certain aspects, certain scenarios and positions, and being off my back is definitely one of those positions, and using my elbows is going to be a big part of it if it goes there?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        And did you actually, have you done a lot of wrestling for this fight? Did you bring in any particular wrestlers to help you get ready?

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, I’ve done a ton of wrestling rounds, a ton of five-minute MMA rounds as well, just to get ready to go for, you know, a nonstop high pace, which I want to do. And yeah, I was training with all my guys at Canadian Martial Arts Center, and then also in BDB Martial Arts in Calgary, another top 185-er in the UFC, Nick Ring, been training with him. So, he’s a great…

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        We know Nick. Nick’s a friend of the show.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        He does a great Nick Ring impersonation, listen to this.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        It’s great to have you here, Jordan. Gee, we’re going to have a great time this Saturday.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You’ve got to tell him you met Billy Mira, and he did the best impression of him. He’ll start laughing.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        He’s like, I’m going to go over there and beat him up. I’m going to beat Billy up. I’m going to do the whole rest of the interview as Nick Ring, promise.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, this is a huge fight for you. You signed a four-fight deal with Strikeforce. This is your second fight, I believe. Now, but you’re not used to — this is nothing new to you. You’ve been in there with some top-ranked contenders. I mean, you’ve been in there with Zaromskis, you’ve been in there with Josh Burkman, and this is like we said, your 31st professional fight. Do you still get the jitters?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, yeah, I get nervous for just competing, right? And that’s why I love to do it. I mean, it doesn’t overwhelm me, by any means, but…

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        How do you feel about a fighter like Tyron Woodley?

 

Jordan Mein:   I think he’s a strong athlete and a top wrestler.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, is there title implications for this fight? I mean, ever since Nick Diaz vacated the belt, there’s no talk about that. So, I know Tyron was definitely on the radar there, and you’ve got to figure a win like him throws you right in that mix.

 

Jordan Mein:   No, definitely. He’s, I consider him the number one guy in the division and in this organization, so I don’t see why not, right?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, I want to take it back a little bit, because your first fight ever as a pro wasn’t the best one, didn’t go the way you expected, but you fought a UFC standard now, Rory MacDonald. What’s your relationship like with Rory, both of you guys being Canadian standouts, and is that a fight you want back?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, any loss that I have, I’d like back, and like to get a little bit of redemption, but yeah, he’s a tough competitor, and he’s doing even better now.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Did I say, Rory Mark, not Rory MacDonald?

 

Jordan Mein:   McDonald, you said it.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I was like, wait, did I get the right Rory? How many times do you hear the name Rory, and then we’ve got two of them in the welterweight division?

 

Jordan Mein:   And then there was a Rory McDonal, and Rory, there’s all types.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, Joey brought up an interesting point, saying now, being the fact that the two of you are Canadian, what type of relationship do you have? What’s the MMA scene, how’s it coming along in Canada?

 

Jordan Mein:   It’s great. There’s so many shows all over the place, and just that Rumble in the Cage that my dad puts on, you know, there’s so many shows just in that a year, and then all over Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, you know.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Are there any provinces where it’s still illegal?

 

Jordan Mein:   I don’t believe so. Now that Toronto is all good to go, I think New York is basically the only place.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Yeah, don’t talk to me about it.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        My God, that’s where we’re from, New York. It’s like, what’s going on over here? You know, we’ve got to talk to some people about getting it sanctioned over there. It’s amazing, because the city is so ready for the sport, you know, and it’s a shame.

 

Jordan Mein:   I’m sure if there was a show there, it would be sold out in seconds.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        In seconds, especially the first show at Madison Square Garden.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        In the Garden.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        In the Garden. That’s not Boston, you’ve got the wrong place there.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now Jordan, I’m sorry, this is your first fight in Vegas. How’s it feel?

 

Jordan Mein:   Yes, very exciting.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I mean, this has got to be a little overwhelming, right?

 

Jordan Mein:   Oh, it’s very exciting. I’ve got about 30 people coming to watch, lots of friends and family to party, so it’ll be a good time.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Is this your first time in Vegas?

 

Jordan Mein:   I came here once before when I was 20, just to train, so I never really got the same experience.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        So, it doesn’t count.

 

Jordan Mein:   No.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You didn’t have a fake ID, either?

 

Jordan Mein:   No.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        They didn’t card you. By the way, they didn’t card you on the way in, did they?

 

Jordan Mein:   No.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        We’d have to talk to some people.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Where did you train when you came here back then?

 

Jordan Mein:   I trained at the [unintelligible] Gym, actually, with Shawn Tompkins, and he invited us down, so it was a good time.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Very cool. And did you — I know Shawn came up under there — I was an assistant coach for Shawn for like five years, so I know Shawn came up under the Bas Rutten system as well. Did your father and your camp have any relationship with him?

 

Jordan Mein:   I think just through shows and through different things. We never got too much time to train together, but yeah, definitely. My dad was good friends with him, and we saw each other through the shows and everything. So yeah, it was a good relationship to have with him. He’s a great guy.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Great guy, and you’re originally a Kempo guy, right?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, Kempo, that’s where we started, and then jiu-jitsu as well, doing sport jiu-jitsu. In Vancouver, we’d go and do some tournaments there, which was you know, striking standing, and when it went to the ground, it would be just straight jiu-jitsu, so it was good, yeah.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You’ve got a belt in both those?

 

Jordan Mein:   In Kempo, I have junior black belt, I do, yeah.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Junior black belt, why not a full-fledged?

 

Jordan Mein:   Well, I don’t know, they don’t really give those out when you’re like six.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Damn, you got your junior black belt when you were six?

 

Jordan Mein:   Something like that, I don’t know.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Can you imagine?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I felt bad for the kid who tried to steal his lunch money.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Yeah, this is pretty much all you know, fighting and combat is all you know.

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, that’s who’s made me. Mixed martial arts, I’m very thankful for the sport and thankful for what it’s done for my life.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Yeah, because you’re that type of athlete/fighter that we’ve talked about as coming up now, as yeah, you’ve had 30 fights, but you’ve been training mixed martial arts pretty much your whole life. And so, you’re that new breed that they’ve talked about coming into the sport.

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, yeah. You know, back when I very first started, MMA wasn’t too popular, so it was kind of like pancration [phonetic] and sport jiu-jitsu, like I said. So, once I got a little bit older, it was really starting to boom, and now I’m in it hard.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You were 14 years old when you had your first amateur MMA fight.

 

Jordan Mein:   Amateur, yeah.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I had to smack it a little bit. My mic was acting crazy, so I had to slap it.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Teach it who’s boss.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        That’s right, but what was that like? You know, 14 years old, in high school, most kids are worrying about going to the prom, popping pimples, stealing Playboy magazines, and you’re getting ready to fight, probably fight grown men at that, right?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, you know, I was fighting…

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You’ve got to turn that towards your mouth.

 

Jordan Mein:   I was, I was fighting grown men at that time, and it’s what I needed to get me where I’m at now — lots of wins, lots of losses, and you know, it’s gotten me where I am.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Experience.

 

Jordan Mein:   Exactly.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Joining us on the Fight Corner right now is Strikeforce fighter Jordan Mein.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        And did you do any wrestling in high school?

 

Jordan Mein:   I did, for a week.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        For a week, then you’re like screw this?

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, I tried it out. I had, you know, like 10 fights by then, and I wanted to get into it a little bit, but it wasn’t — we had good coaches, but there wasn’t that many competitors, and no one really to push me, so it was kind of like, you know, I went somewhere else.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Seeing the way mixed marital arts has evolved and the predominance that wrestling plays in the game, do you look back at that decision and ever regret it, and say maybe I should’ve stuck that out and wrestled a little more?

 

Jordan Mein:   No, I think being an all-around mixed martial artist and being just, you know, a full fighter rather than just one area I think is a huge advantage for me.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        That is important. And you cutting weight? How much weight you got to cut?

 

Jordan Mein:   About eight pounds. I’m  light, I like walking around nice and light.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Do you usually walk around at 178?

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, usually, the highest 180 maybe.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Really? So, you’re not really, I mean, not a small welterweight, but you’re definitely not a big one?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely. I like it that way. I don’t like to stress my body too much, and I’m in good shape, so I know I can hang with everybody.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Do you think as you grow up — because you’re still growing, man, you’re 22 years old — do you think that one day it might become a problem, you might have to move up weight?

 

Jordan Mein:   It could possibly go there. We’ll see. And it depends what kind of training I’m doing as well. If I’m doing, you know, lots of weights, my weight’ll boost right up. If I’m keeping it light on the weights and circuit training and lots of sparring, my weight stays down.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Do you do anything special for your diet? You know, we talked to Keith Jardine earlier, and he’s moving down from light heavyweight to middleweight, and so he called in Mike Dolce, and he talked about Dolce has him drinking all this water, eating all these whole foods, and you know, lots of carbs, lots of vegetables and fruits. Is there anything special you do for your diet?

 

Jordan Mein:   Nothing special, but you know, lots of oatmeal, lots of salmon, vegetables, rice, you know, all that kind of stuff, and of course lots of water. But yeah, I don’t stuff my face, I don’t eat too much sugar.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Like us, you don’t do like we do.

 

Jordan Mein:   Christmas time was pretty easy — hard.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        How hard was that, training right now, at this time of the year?

 

Jordan Mein:   It’s good. I’m focused all year round, so it doesn’t matter, but it’s just good family time for me.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, I’m looking forward to this fight Saturday night, you know, you and Woodley. This is definitely a scrap, you know. You said you’re comfortable off your back. You know, I hope you’re able to stay off your back, because this fight, I’m telling you, Joey brought it up, that title vacant, I think this fight definitely has title implications.

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, it’s a good test for me.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Yeah, I’ve got to be honest with you, man, I mean, you know, I like Tyron, he’s exciting, but I don’t want to see this fight hit the ground. I want to see you standing up, I want to see him standing up. I want to see you…

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Elbows, fists.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Spinning kicks.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Elbow fists, yeah.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Elbow fists.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Do you have a nickname?

 

Jordan Mein:   Do I have a nickname? Young Gun.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        The Young Gun, okay, call, because if it wasn’t the Young Gun, it could be Jordan the Elbow Fist. I’m just saying.

 

Jordan Mein:   Elbow First, there you go. When I’m old, it won’t be that anymore, so Elbow Fist is good.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Right, you’ll be 90 years old coming in, I’m the Young Gun.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Can’t even straighten your arm anymore.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Here’s my fist.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Nice. Yeah, but cutting the weight, is there any special things you like to do the next day, or any meals right after the weigh-ins, any restaurants you have to go to?

 

Jordan Mein:   Back home, I like to eat at Moxy’s at lot.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        What’s that?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Eat what?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Moxy’s?

 

Jordan Mein:   Yeah, do you guys have a Moxy’s?

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        No. What is Moxy’s? You’ve got to explain that to us.

 

Jordan Mein:   It’s just a bar and grill.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Is it a local place, or is it like a chain?

 

Jordan Mein:   It’s a chain, all across Canada, I guess.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        What’s up, Moxy’s? Bring it to the US.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I like it. Yeah, come on.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        What’s up, I want some Moxy’s. What’s the best thing on the menu?

 

Jordan Mein:   I get the teriyaki rice bowl, which is delicious.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        That doesn’t sound like bar food.

 

Jordan Mein:   Or the honey-roasted steak, I guess. Yeah, it’s a little classier.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        A little classier. Bars in Canada are a lot classier.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        We get hamburgers if we’re lucky, and wings here in the States.

 

Jordan Mein:   We’ve got the best-looking girls, too.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Them you can definitely bring. We’ll even pay for the plane tickets next time.

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Now, this fight Saturday night, you and Woodley, I don’t want to make any predictions, all right…

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        I might, predication, I know he’s going to pick.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        You get the win on Saturday night, where do you think that’s going to put you in the Strikeforce division? Do you think, like I said, it would have title implications? Do you think you deserve that shot?

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely. I think he’s the number one guy, and if I beat him, I don’t see why I can’t be up at the top, if not number one, and fighting one or two, yeah. I see it right to the top after this fight.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        That’s great. We want to thank you so much for joining us on the Fight Corner, Jordan. We wish you the best of luck this Saturday night, January 7th, you and Tyron Woodley, and I’m sure we’re going to be talking about an amazing fight that happens next week.

 

Jordan Mein:   Absolutely, thanks, guys.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Best of luck, man.

 

MMAFightCorner.com:        Thanks so much for joining us.