Interview by Scott Proffitt from www.Matfighting.comSP: Would you mind telling us about your self? Where are you from, what weight you fight at, what color your hair is and where did you get the platinum teeth from?
JM: Are we gonna start dating after this? Do you want to know what I`m wearing right now? Did you find me on MySpace or something? HA! I`m from Atlanta, GA home of Jacare` and Velocity kickboxing, and some donkey booties, but I live in Vegas now. My hair is currently black, because the Probation officials think that it`s brown, just kidding. My teeth come from a spot in Atlanta called Eddie`s Gold Teeth- I think they even have a website now a days, even though that spot is in the hood- like some Ludacris neighborhood, East Point I think.
SP: Dating? naw man I never date those I do interview with! So why the nickname Mayhem?
JM: That`s what people who know me call me, or if you seen me flip out, and go ninja on someone, you know, blow them right outta their shoes. I used to be a loose canon, but I now keep in all inside the cage, which is a dangerous thing for the man standing across from me. It`s just who I am. I talk mayhem, I fight mayhem, and I brush my teeth mayhem. My boys didn`t take long to slap that one on me, and I`ve grown into quite nicely.
SP: You beat Ronald Jhun at Super Brawl 37 for the 170lbs Title, which isn`t an easy thing to do! What was it like preparing for him and what kind of strategy did you focus on?
JM: I knew that guy was one of the toughest 170 pounders out there, so I prepared for the toughest. That was a huge personal victory for me, not just because Ronald is such a high quality opponent, or the fact that I didn`t take much damage in the fight, but all the things I was dealing with outside of the ring. It was far from the perfect fight, but I came out on top and put all the silly b.s. behind me, once and for all. They changed up the rules a little bit too, so my main training partner in Atlanta, Tom Nguyen took a lot of stomps and soccer kicks for no reason. Sorry pal. We`re now using what we`ve learned from that fight to make sure that Jay Hieron finishes the Machine Gun in the first round. Sam Zakula and Marc Laimon focus on the game plan; while Joe Stevenson makes sure we`re in DOG shape.
SP: what did you like most about being in Hawaii?
JM: The FANS. I always fight for the fans- but Hawaiians treat you like no other group. Of course you come in from the outside and the locals are gonna look at you sideways- when ever someone tries to come up in my area, I look at them sideways, but if you prove yourself, and show some character, you end up getting respect. I mean its Hawaii, what`s not to like right? But the people are like southerners with nice tans, instead of red necks.
SP: When did you start fighting and who do you thing has been your toughest fight?
JM: I started fighting in organized competition when I was about 17 years old… instead of going to the prom I fought my first pro fight. The girl I was dating was pretty stoked that I won, especially since we had our own hotel room. I`m not sure who my toughest fight was, probably Tim Kennedy, who beat me up in Salt Lake City. We had a war that the fans loved, but he definitely gave me an ass whoopin. I know he`s in the Special Forces, hunting Bin Laden or something high-speed and crazy like that, so if he`s reading this, “Tim, get your ass home safe- I know you got a baby here in the states. Besides, I owe ya one, and you probably haven`t been training.”
SP: I heard about you for the first time when you beat Jay Buck then again when you beat Egan Inoue. Both those guys are studs and great wins for you do you think that those matches are what are getting you into the UFC?
JM: I think the reason that I`m getting in the UFC is that Dana White hates me and wants to see Georges St. Pierre smash my ugly face, and snap my arm like a chicken bone, but I hate to rain on his parade, and no disrespect, but that shit ain`t gonna happen. It`s just not. I don`t need yoga to let me know that I`m going to take this fight.
SP: I just realized I have some pictures of you from UP 1 when you fought Brian Warren! (So that last statement is a lie I just didn`t know it!) I think you came in the underdog on that fight as you had 1 fight to his 5 or so fights and in his hometown (kind of) and all! Do you feel or hear that you do that a lot?
JM: Bro, I`m a ninja. Nobody knows who I`m is. That`s not a grammatical error either. They just don`t know who I`m is. But they will.
SP: You`re taking on George St.Piere in your next bout in the UFC what is your game plan for a win against him?
JM: The cage door closes, they tell me I`m allowed to fight, then I clobber the guy who isn`t wearing a shirt, and has been to the tanning bed the most.
SP: How did you get the call to fight him? (Was it Dana, Joe Silva, or a message on your answering machine?) I think I already answered this one, Joe Silva called me up.
SP: Why don`t we see you on the TUF show? You`re the kind of flash I think they need! LOL
JM: HA! That show has enough flash to fill San Francisco. I really enjoy the show, but I`m glad it worked out so that I wasn`t on it. There`s no winning on that show. I know a few of the guys on the show, and really it didn`t do them justice. Some ARE assholes, but not THAT bad, and some are sissies, but not that bad, and some are weird as hell but, okay he`s weird… but so what, who is normal, right?
SP: You`re still a very approachable guy but do you think that people are a bit intimidated by you and how out going you are?
JM: Oh HELL YES. Normal America doesn`t wanna get too close. I`m a loud obnoxious white kid with platinum teeth. I don`t fit in much anywhere, but I`m okay with that, I never have. I`ve accepted it, and determined that, screw it, I`m gonna carve my own path, like it or not. The only thing is, I get along with everyone, every race, every creed, every color, every style. If you`re a gay black man doing shotokan karate, in the back of seven eleven- great! At least you aren`t smoking crack. Just no hate because of superficial things. If you see me out, come say “whatup”. I met the announcer for the UFC, Joe Rogan. The dude trips me out, super famous, and he`s laid back and cool, to everyone he meets, everyone who comes up and talks to him. That`s my goal- if I do end up getting immensely popular to never forget the important stuff. Gotta stay grounded. Then again if I had as much sex as that guy I would be chillin!
SP: What do you do in your off/spare time? Staying in Vegas has got to be pretty interesting?
JM: Yea yea, Vegas is great, and sometimes you can spot me at Club Ra break dancing, but I`m a fricken fight dork. I`m a fan, so I watch a lot of MMA and boxing, and kickboxing. It`s an entire lifestyle really. We don`t get paid a ton, so you better not just be doing it for the cash, or you might as well just lift more weights and get a job at Swinging Richard`s male strip club. The time I spend away from the fight scene consists of a lot of web time, a lot of reading, and the occasional game of Halo 2 on xbox live, I own some fools on that thing, but I get owned twice as much, damn little ten year olds. I used to do a lot of extreme sports, motorcycles, snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, you name it- but you couldn`t pay me to get on a bike now, I grew up a lot. I know my priorities. Even the girls I date know what`s up, I`m married to “MaidMaryAngela” -MMA, the best sport in the world. I love this dirty bitch.
SP: You fought Todd Carney twice. You lost the first time avenged that loss the second time. Are there any other guys on the list you want a rematch with?
JM: Where are you getting your factoids? I fought Crazy T 3 times! That tough ass mamajama! Hell yea there are guys that I want a rematch with, most of all someone who gotta hometown b.s. move pulled on me, and he knows who he is, and he fights in the UFC, but that`s neither here nor there. I have one sexy beast on my mind, and he`s Canadian. That`s all I care about right now. What the hell? Do you think that I think this is some easy fight that I just gotta get through to start beating up all the guys I have a problem with? Every fight is the biggest fight of my life. That`s how I look at it. This one is no different.
SP: Alright Jason thanks for this and I wish you the best! Is there anything you want to say (or do) before we end this?
JM: Yes, I know I play around and act a fool all the time, but seriously I would like to tell everyone to take a moment before training to bow your head, and remember the fallen warrior Sean Taylor, who died an untimely death that never should have to be repeated. The tornado storms on through all of us. Rest in peace, braddah, I know the waves are nice where you are now.
SP: I am sorry to hear about Sean! I know its hard to lose someone that you have an association with! Thanks for talking with me and I wish you the best!