Jensen on McGee: 'Hasn't Fought Anybody Yet'

In his six fights in the UFC, Ryan Jensen has yet to make the live televised broadcast. However, all that will change when the Nebraskan middleweight takes on “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 winner Court McGee at UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez” on Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

While this will be Jenson’s first opportunity for TV viewers to see him perform, the 33-year-old fighter has been around for quite some time.

“I'm one of the old dogs and nobody really knows that about me because I'm not one of those guys that comes out and talks all kinds of crap to people,” Jensen told the Sherdog Network's “Beatdown” show last week. “I just do my job. I started this game back in 1992. I was in Steve Jennum's corner when he fought Tank Abbott at Ultimate Ultimate (in December 1995). I was here before Dana (White), before Joe Silva and now I'm fighting at UFC 121 on the main card finally.”

With 17 years in the sport, Jensen understands that certain fighters, like his opponent McGee, will naturally be promoted more than others. Still, he sees it as a tremendous shot to make the pay-per-view telecast.

“I'm finally fighting in a main event myself and me fighting in this main event has nothing to do with Ryan Jensen and has everything to do with Court McGee being that he won ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’” said Jensen. “I totally understand that. Still, this is a huge opportunity for me.”

Jensen earned “Submission of the Night” honors for his 76-second guillotine choke of Jesse Forbes at UFC 114 last May in Las Vegas. He’ gone 2-1 in his last three Octagon appearances, dropping a first-round TKO loss to wrestler Mark Munoz at UFC 108 in January and earning a first-round submission victory over Steve Steinbess at UFC Fight Night 19 last September.

Jensen believes the McGee fight will play out in his favor.

“I think it's just real bad timing for him,” Jensen said. “I feel like I'm coming into my own right now and I don't really go with what guys are doing. I just focus on myself. I'll watch some tape and look at his body movements and stuff and see what he's doing wrong. His standup blows and his wrestling's not great compared to some of the wrestling teammates I have and guys that I fought. It seems like this is a really good matchup for me.”

Jensen calls himself a “MMA mutt” who learned every major discipline from the start and isn’t particularly strong in any one specific area, like a lot of today’s fighters. He credits his willingness to travel and seek out new training partners as a part of his success.

“I've traveled around with all the best MMA camps in the world when they were at their height, when they were at their dynasties,” he said. “I was down at Pat Miletich's (gym) when Jens (Pulver), Tim Sylvia, Matt (Hughes) and Tony Fryklund and a bunch of other dudes (were there)… I was at Team Quest right after Randy (Couture) left and Dan Henderson left with Lindland and those guys. I was there when they were IFL champs. They were the head guys on the block at that time. I was with those guys for three years. Now I'm part of Team (Greg) Jackson and it's great and they're the dynasty now.”

Jensen said he isn’t bothered that many will consider him a stepping-stone for the 24-year-old McGee, who has recently joined John Hackleman’s Pit team in central California.

“A lot of guys have egos and stuff. I don't have an ego at all. If I get in there because they think I'm some stepping-stone, I'm all for it,” said Jensen. “It kind of feels like I'm the underdog. It just makes me train even harder. I'm going to train this like I'm fighting, who's the best middleweight in the world right now? Chael Sonnen. I'm going to fight like I'm fighting Chael.”

Jensen said McGee’s inexperience will come into play in October.

“It's a huge factor if you match up who I fought against who's he's fought,” said Jensen. “He fought Jeremy Horn when Jeremy was a little bit longer in his career at the end of his career. Besides that, there's probably no one else who he's really fought. He fought Jeremy not in his prime. He hasn't fought anyone really. “