“I don’t know what my problem was [before] but I suffered a little bit. [But] every fight I feel better, I feel better in my body, and I promise you this camp was one of the best in my career. I didn’t get injured, my stomach was good, everything was good, and I’m ready to smash this guy.”
“This guy” refers to his UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Yan opponent, Brendan Allen. Like Meeschaert, Allen is a very dangerous opponent during grappling exchanges, and Jotko sees very similar tendencies between the two middleweights.
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The best camp of his career happened down in Coconut Creek, Florida, at American Top Team, a world-renowned gym known for hosting some of the world’s most talented mixed martial artists, including UFC stars Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal. Having dozens of the world’s best fighters train and spar with you day in and day out can seem daunting, but it’s helped Jotko grow into what he feels is an elite fighter.
“I’m at the best gym in the world, American Top Team,” Jotko said. “We have the best sparring partners there, so I had a very hard training camp. I sparred with Bellator [middleweight] champion Johnny Eblen. They’re such athletes, such monsters, so I’m very confident and ready for this guy.”
