Jack Mason says he’s keen to put the disappointment of Saturday’s loss to Brian Foster behind him and is now setting his sights on a shot at the vacant CWFC middleweight title in 2012.
The 29-year-old (17-9-0) was submitted by Foster after 2.15 of Round 1 of their 181lbs catchweight bout at Cage Warriors 44, giving the ex-UFC star a winning return to the cage after an extended lay-off due to health issues.
Mason was winded by a heavy kick from Foster, before the Oklahoma native pounced and locked in a guillotine choke. Reflecting on the fight, Mason said: “I’m still feeling gutted about how it ended. I was hoping for a career-defining performance but I guess this time just wasn’t my time.
“I’ve been working on lots of things over the past few months, such as being the more aggressive fighter, pushing forward and trying to finish the fight as I know I’ve had some fights recently which have been slow and boring to watch. “I really wanted to make it an exciting fight this time and really go for the finish. I genuinely wasn’t expecting Brian to throw spinning kicks in this fight and that definitely caught me off guard.
“I think I got a bit excited, over-extended with an overhand right and walked into a solid kick to the body. It knocked the wind out of me and I couldn’t recover in time, before he locked in a choke when I had no air in me whatsoever. I was passing out almost instantly.
“It was at a high pace from the outset but I felt very relaxed and comfortable in there. I expected Brian to be aggressive and explosive and he definitely was, but I felt like I was handling myself well until the kick landed.
“I maybe do feel that the luck didn’t go my way, as if the kick had landed an inch or two in any other direction it may have been a different story, but all fights are won by fine margins.
“I was extremely disappointed that I didn’t get to show what I had been doing in my sparring leading up to the fight and, at the end of the day, Foster did what he needed to do to get the win.”
While acknowledging that his opponent was of the highest quality, Mason insists that he was in no way intimidated by the prospect of facing a fighter of Foster’s ability and experience.
“I know it was a step-up but I definitely wasn’t daunted whatsoever,” said the Chelmsford man. “I was very well prepared for the fight, despite having a change of opponent two and a half weeks out, and I know I’m on the cusp of beating guys like this very soon.
“Foster is a savage. He’s aggressive, clinical and a consummate professional. He was controlled and tight when he needed to be and brutal when the opportunity presented itself.
“That’s the difference between the guys fighting at the very top level; there’s no margin for error. You make a mistake and they’ll finish you.
“Fighting Foster has made me realise just how well trained and well prepared these top guys really are, so I’ll take a lot from this fight and make improvements where I need to. I wish Brian the best of luck in his next few fights and hope to see him taking heads back in the UFC very soon.”
Mason, who recently signed a multi-fight deal with Cage Warriors, says he thoroughly enjoyed his third appearance on a CWFC card, despite the defeat.
“The atmosphere at the show was incredible and the card was brilliant. The Cage Warriors team do an incredible job. They’re so professional and they’ve got some of the best judges, referees, ring girls, commentators, MCs and matchmakers in the game.
“I’ve had so much great feedback from all the people who came to support me and they can’t wait to come to the next show. In spite of the result, I feel privileged to have been part of such a great show.”
Mason concluded: “I need to get back to training now and make the adjustments I need to in order to move forward and improve. I need to tighten up my striking and I’m going to be working with some specialist coaches on that from this week.
“My goal is to win the Cage Warriors middleweight belt in 2012. I’m going to need to put on some more impressive performances if I’m going to achieve that.
“I’m going to train hard and wait to hear back from the boss man about when my next fight on Cage Warriors will be, but I’d like to get back in as soon as possible and get rid of some of this frustration I’m feeling right now.”
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