2012-08-23
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Bouncing Back

Fighter profile of Clay Wilkinson by

After going 7-0-1 in his first 8 MMA fights, Clay Wilkinson had his first taste of defeat at the hands of Mop Maipen. After spending the beginning of his career at the APG, Wilkinson was forced to look for a new home when APG relocated. Despite that turn of events Wilkinson chose to remain optimistic stating: “I actually feel that it might be a good thing. After the loss I knew I needed to change some things up. For the first 8 fights of my career I thought I saw a steady improvement, but in the loss everything just came falling down. I know I can beat Maipen, and I would love a rematch with him. Truth be told that loss still bugs me, and it’s hard to let it go. But that fight ain’t happening anytime soon, so I have to focus on my new home.”

When asked after the loss about Wilkinson’s standing in the division, his manger Gordon Clark seemed content about the future. “Clay is still right up there, he is still a great prospect. We’ve had a setback, but we’re still following the plan. We’ve learned from our mistakes, and made some corrections. But at the end of the day Clay still has the same strengths, and we’re still playing to those. Not that much has changed. It’s all about the minor details, and I think we have those down.”

Following that sort of statement, the stakes were high. Wilkinson knew he had to beat Fred Doo, or all the talk would be nothing more than just talk. Every normal human would have felt at least some pressure to perform well in this situation. If Wilkinson did he certainly didn’t let it impact his performance. He dominated and eventually finished his opponent in the 2nd round. When asked after the fight about his mental condition, Wilkinson revealed surprising details: “I was absolutely shaking during it, but hey maybe that distracted him.  It’s weird I’ve never felt that way, but that’s the sort of thing loosing can do to you. But considering that I really think this was perfect. I got to out there and show of my wrestling against a wrestler, get a full round of good action and then get a finish using my signature knee. It felt just like before. It was brilliant.”

When asked about the future, Wilkinson couldn’t reveal any details: “I can’t tell you, cause I really don’t know myself. I haven’t really received any word yet, but I do know what I want. I want to win that title, that’s why I came here. And I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but when I look at the top guys in this division, I know I can do it.” That certainly is a young man setting a tall order for himself, but Wilkinson has proved he can do the most difficult of all things. Bouncing back.

 

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