‘No matter what cards you’re dealt, you can always chase your dreams’
By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
Jake Scott of Maverick MMA Academy in Oxford is now Michigan’s number-one ranked flyweight after winning the WXC flyweight championship on Oct. 25.
Warrior Xtreme Combat (WXC) brings fighters from across Michigan to compete in its cage on its mats.
Scott was having a difficult time finding opponents to fight in the state before agreeing to a contract to fight Jesse Bazzi – a veteran who has been fighting professionally for almost 10 years.
Scott, 24, was always involved in sports, and called baseball his first love. He also played football and basketball, but never enjoyed needing to depend on a team.
When Scott found MMA at around 16-years-old, and discovered he was good at it, he realized the benefit to competing by himself.
“There’s nobody that I have to lean on except myself,” he said. “There’s no one else to blame … other than myself, and that’s what made me fall in love with this sport.”
Scott cited fighters like Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz and TJ Dillashaw as motivators, but said MMA’s individuality is what motivated him most.
There are no days off for Scott. He trains every day. Monday through Thursday mornings are spent at Maverick MMA, and are dedicated to MMA training. This includes bag work, cardio and more, according to Scott.

These mornings are also for self work, which Scott describes as training alone in the gym and working mentally.
In the same days, Scott then travels to his home gym in East Lansing to train from 7-9 p.m. with his coach, Joaquin Rodriguez.
“And that’s just straight MMA,” Scott said. “Whatever coach has planned for the day.”
Scott also does strength and conditioning training every day of the week.
Recovery is also especially important, according to Scott, because fighters use every part of their bodies. For Scott, it comes in the form of sitting in saunas, cold plunges, and in stretching and meditation.
“I think your mental side is the most important,” Scott said. “Because you’re constantly waiting for a fight.”
Other than waiting for fights, Scott said meditation helps with many other mental struggles that come with MMA. When Scott wakes up, he tries not to use his phone, and instead gets his daily plans in order and gives thanks before starting his day. Meditating at this time allows Scott to shut out the world and control his thoughts.
Meditation also helps in the cage. According to Scott, meditating, and shutting out the world in the process, every morning makes it easier to shut out the crowd, other noises, and to “lock in” faster during fights.
Scott said he had around eight weeks until the championship once the fight’s contract was signed. At this point, many fighters would spend this time training in fight camps in preparation, but daily training helped Scott stay ready.
“And I like it that way just because, if you do get a short notice call, you’re already ready,” Scott said. “So maybe you don’t have eight weeks to train.”
Preparation went smoothly. Scott had no injuries, studied film and trained with people who had the same fighting style as his opponent.
Bazzi entered the fight with a record of 13-11, and has been fighting professionally since 2015, according to his Tapology profile. The 33-year-old fights out of Dearborn, and is a kickboxing jujitsu fighter.
Scott, considered a freestyle fighter because he trains every martial art at his home gym, was looking to stay undefeated in his professional career and did so by earning with a seventh straight victory. He won by unanimous decision after five five-minute rounds
Conserving energy is crucial during any fight. According to Scott, knowing when to explode with shots, when to use his energy and when to relax helped in the 25-minute fight with Bazzi.
“During the fight, it’s mostly just experience and knowing when to use that energy and when not to.” Scott said.
Just as important are the lessons Scott learned to use outside of the cage. He attributes fighting to him being more relaxed, more respectful and helping with becoming more humble.
“No matter what cards you’re dealt, you can always chase your dreams,” he said.
Scott’s goal is to be the UFC flyweight champion in the next five to 10 years. He teaches every Friday at 6 p.m. at Maverick MMA.