Jake Butler On Training With UFC Light Heavyweight Tom Lawlor at Evolve MMA in Preparation for his ONE FC Debut

Jake Butler is set to make his MMA debut next month at ONE Fighting Championship: ‘Return of Warriors’ and he has been getting help from one of the most experienced light heavyweights in the business.

Tom Lawlor, who competes at 205 lbs just like Butler, is a TUF veteran who has fought no fewer than eight times for the UFC. He is currently at Evolve MMA in Singapore to help the American prepare for his fight in Kuala Lumpur on February 2nd.

Butler, who will be going up against Indonesian wrestling champion Antoni Romulo in the opening fight of the night at Putra Stadium, is a former NCAA Division One wrestler and a full time member of the Evolve MMA Fight Team.

He took time out from training to talk to Combat Asia about how ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor has been helping him with his final preparations…

How much has it helped having Tom Lawlor to help you prepare for this fight?

Training with Tom has been great! He has been helping me in all aspects of my game and really pushing me hard in training. He is a very well rounded MMA fighter with a lot of experience competing on the highest level. I am learning a lot from him, and am very grateful he made the trip to Singapore.

Was the timing of his visit coincidental or did Evolve MMA deliberately get him to come in time to help you prepare for your debut?

The timing was deliberate. Heath and Chatri wanted to bring in a seasoned fighter in my weight category. At Evolve MMA they give us every opportunity to succeed and grow as mixed martial artists. This is a perfect example. Both Chatri Sityodtong and Heath Sims, along with all of our World Champion Muay Thai and BJJ coaches, work very hard to make the Evolve Fight Team the best in Asia. We often have high level MMA fighters coming to train with us, and it serves as a great opportunity for the entire team to learn new things and improve our skills.

You have trained with Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson as well as Tom Lawlor in the last year., how much has this helped your development as a fighter?

You forgot Ben Askren, Renzo Gracie, Greg Jackson and a bunch of other great fighters and coaches who have come here to train with us! It has definitely been a big help but I also get to train daily with the Evolve Fight Team and our Muay Thai World Champions, and BJJ World Champions. When these guys come to Evolve it is awesome, and I always make sure to learn as much as I can in the time they are here. However, it is through the daily work with Coach Heath Sims and Chaowalit Jockey Gym and the countless other world class coaches at Evolve MMA that I really develop as a fighter.

Butler’s fight with Romulo at ONE FC: ‘Return of Warriors’ will be available to view online completely free of charge at www.onefc.livesport.tv and is scheduled to start at 7pm local time.

http://combat-asia.com/index.php/jake-butler-on-training-with-ufc-veteran-tom-lawlor-at-evolve-mma-in-preparation-for-his-one-fc-debut/