Jay ‘The Thorobred’ Hieron
By Dave Carpinello

Welterweight free agent Jay Hieron took some time to talk with PDG about his recent victory at Affliction II, Jake Shields, the International Fight League and his training.

PDG: How has training been since your last fight in January?

Hieron: It has been great; I'm back in the gym now full-time and healthy.

PDG: Your last fight, a victory over Jason High at Affliction II didn’t last long.  Were you able to find things that you need to improve on?

Hieron: Everything went great during the fight but no I wasn’t able to really breakdown my performance since the fight was over in a minute. Under the circumstances, everything went well. They moved my fight and made it a swing bout so I wasn’t able to fight until after the main event. I was still able to come out and handle my business though and that is what I am most happy about.

PDG: That had to be tough; what was it like not knowing when you were going to be fighting?

Hieron: It really just wasn’t a good situation to be in. Its one thing to know you’re the swing bout but when you show up at the arena and get all warmed up and mentally prepared for your fight. Then they show up as you are getting ready to walk out to fight and tell you to wait that your fight has been switched to the swing bout. It was very disappointing but that is life and I learn from those types of experiences. It makes me a better competitor knowing that I can still perform under those types of circumstances.

PDG: What did you do to keep mentally prepared and warmed up for the six hours you had to be ready to fight?

Hieron: I have great people around me! Everybody at Xtreme Couture’s, my head trainer Shawn Thompkins, Randy Couture and I had been working with Ray Sefo leading up to this fight. So everybody helped me keep my focus and in the end everything worked out great.

PDG: You have won five fights in row; what’s next for you?

Hieron: I want a fight that is going to propel my career. A top 5 or top 10 fighter in my weight class would be a welcome fight. A title shot would be nice and we are currently talking with Strikeforce about a fight with Jake Shields for his belt. DREAM has also contacted me about one of their upcoming tournaments. So I definitely have options out there and I just need to pick the right path for my career.

PDG: Do you have a preference between DREAM and Strikeforce?

Hieron: If it is a title shot against Jake Shields in Strikeforce, then definitely Strikeforce. He is ranked 3rd in the world right now and that is a position I want to be in and he is a great match up for me. That is the fight I am looking for! Nothing has been signed as of yet so if both opportunities were available I would be taking the one with the most promise.

Jay Hieron vs. Jason High from Affliction II ‘Day of Reckoning’

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PDG: Since you haven’t fought outside of North America, do you want to fight overseas?

Hieron: One of my training partners fought in Japan and I went with him to be in his corner. They were very respectful and treated us like professional athletes so I would have no problem fighting there myself.

PDG: You have fought 21 times for several organizations since your career began; what fight was most rewarding to you?

Hieron: When I won the IFL Welterweight belt by beating Delson Heleno in the IFL Grand Prix. It meant a lot to me and I had lots of family and friends in attendance. So it was a great feeling to win that fight in front of them.

PDG: How disappointing was it for you to work your way up the ranks in IFL only to have them go out of business?

Hieron: That is the story of my life, ups and downs and I have learned to just roll with it. At this point in my life....nothing surprises me. I made it happen for myself in the IFL by becoming a world champion and now it is time to get another title. I want to fight the top guys in this sport and reap the benefits.

PDG: What is your current training schedule like as you wait for a fight?

Hieron: I am doing regular training as opposed to a fight camp and helping out the other guys here that have fights upcoming. I am sparring, working on my strength and conditioning and concentrating on getting stronger. Also working a lot on my technique with my wrestling and grappling. I love to train and it is my therapy, I go to the gym and when I leave I leave all my problems and stress there.

PDG: Thanks for your time; is there anything else you wanted to add?

Hieron: Thank you and I wanted to thank my sponsors; Gamma – O, Affliction, everybody at Xtreme Couture’s and the rest of my sponsors that keep me going.