Jake Ellenberger
Ellenberger goes in-depth on family, friends and fighting in the UFC
The life of a professional fighter is filled with uncertainty. Success and failure play out in the public eye for all to see.
When the cage door closes and the battle of wills begin, it becomes a matter of opportunity. One fighter walks away victorious, the other defeated, the outcome sometimes determined by only the slightest of margins.
What happens under the bright lights is what the fans are left to debate, but rarely are they given a glimpse into what it takes to make the walk to the cage in the first place.
This is what the climb looks like – told in their own words. This is “The Fighting Life.”
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Passion can be an amazing thing. When the body reaches its physical limits and the mind is stretched thin, passion alone can be the intangible factor that drives an athlete further than he previously believed possible.
For UFC welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger, passion has made all the difference.
“I’ve never been the best at any certain aspect of MMA,” Ellenberger said. “I’ve never been the best submission guy. I’ve never been the best wrestler. But my passion to compete and my heart are what set me apart from other fighters. My brother and a lot of other guys I’ve looked up to have shown me that hard work pays off.
“MMA is not a sport where a single attribute makes the difference. What has gotten me this far is the fire that burns inside of me. I have a passion to compete and I’m always going to have the heart to push further, no matter the circumstance. I’m still young in this sport. Looking down the road, I can see myself being the champion. It may not be 2012, but I’ve dedicated my life to becoming a world champion. I’m confident I’ll accomplish it.”
Ellenberger was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the perfect place to craft a blue-collar work ethic. While Ellenberger would go on to be a standout in both football and wrestling, it was his time spent knocking around with his twin brother Joe that truly shaped his visions for the future.
“I grew up in the Midwest, and there is a big wrestling community out there. My brother Joe had been wrestling since I was really little. I used to follow him around all the time. Going to the gym for workouts and watching him compete sparked that desire in me.
“My brother was definitely my inspiration to get into mixed martial arts. We actually both fought on the same night the first time I competed. We more or less did it for fun. It was one of those situations where you think you’re tough and you want to see what it’s like to go through a fight. We did and we both were immediately hooked.”
To say mixed martial arts was a good fit with Ellenberger is an understatement. Just shy of a year since the night he TKO’d Cameron Wells in Omaha, he’d already packed eleven more victories under his belt. The heat he created on the regional circuit earned him a call from the now-defunct IFL. It was a natural progression.
“The IFL was a good experience for me. They had a lot of good competition and a lot of solid fighters in the organization. The biggest attraction for me was the coaching. There were so many people I looked up to who were involved in that aspect. At the time the IFL was doing well. They were taking care of their fighters and it was kind of the place to go.”
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Jake Ellenberger
The next three years would have its ups and downs for Ellenberger, tasting both victory and defeat while continuing to work on his game. As he skipped around to several organizations, he kept his eyes on the sport’s biggest stage. When the call finally came from the UFC, it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“I kind of knew what it was going into that fight with Condit. My manager Monte Cox called me three weeks before the fight and told me we had an opportunity in the UFC. Regardless of what I think happened or if I feel that I won, the judges saw it differently that night.
“To be honest I’m actually kind of glad things worked out that way because it gave me a new perspective. It really motivated me to work harder. You can’t be a part time fighter, and you learn that very quickly at this level. It has to be your life. After I lost that fight I refocused and here I am. It’s definitely been a crazy two years.”
In the aftermath of his bout with Condit, the loss wasn’t the only issue on Ellenberger’s mind. Things came to a sudden halt when his brother Joe was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. PNH (paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria) is a blood disease which causes bone marrow to produce red and white blood cells that lack a specific protein code. This causes the body to treat the blood cells like bacteria and attack otherwise healthy cells.
The issue of his brother’s illness has created an emotional storm of hardship and inspiration.
“He’s been through so much adversity and it’s been extremely hard on me and my family,” Ellenberger said. “Without him I wouldn’t be in this sport. He showed me how to compete and how to win. It’s a hard thing to deal with, but he still trains with me and pushes me to be better. Our relationship is very important to me and it makes me want to work harder.”
“He’s really an inspirational part of my life. The way I see him go through things motivates me to work harder than I ever have. There is a lot of anger, frustration and different emotions I feel because of it. My family goes through those as well. I find a way to turn all of that into something positive. It’s given me a different perspective on life in general.”
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It was during this period when Jake realized the changes he needed to make. He contacted Riley Ross to become his strength and conditioning coach. Together, they set about implementing the tools for Jake’s improvement. Since Ross was also working with his brother, he saw firsthand how Joe’s illness affected Jake.
“The funny thing about Jake and Joe is their answer to everything has always been to just work harder. You put in the time and effort and things will work out. It’s a part of that Midwestern work ethic that makes a lot of fighters out of this region great. The issue with Joe is that nobody knows how to deal with it. I spend more time with him than probably anyone, and the medical community is just stumped by it. Most people with his condition, doctors are concerned with helping them get out of bed and make it through the day. In Joe’s case he is training and trying to break into the UFC.
“The hardest thing for Jake is control. They both feel that there is always something that can be done about any situation. Right now with Joe there are a lot of intangibles. And for Jake it’s difficult because he doesn’t know what is going to make it better. Nobody knows. The biggest thing is that we spend a lot of time praying and believing in Joe. It’s something that drives Jake on a very deep level. Jake wants to do great for his family but I truly believe he wants to succeed for Joe.
“Jake loves his brother, and it’s hard for him to see a guy who has always been in better shape than everybody else have to go through this. It’s a really tough thing for their family but it has brought them so much closer together. Their family’s faith and bond has been amazing.”
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As things came into focus for Ellenberger, he began to carve his way through the welterweight division. Four impressive victories, with three coming via stoppage, put him on the UFC’s radar for title contenders. Things were moving in the right direction.
But, feeling he needed to be pushed harder, Ellenberger and Ross decided to look for the next step. Ross reached out to his long time friend Mark Munoz, and Ellenberger headed to southern California and Munoz’s Reign Training Center.
“Jake and I were evaluating where he was at, and he made a list of all the things he wanted to accomplish. I could have been selfish and told him I thought the best thing for him was to stay in Omaha, but I wanted the very best for Jake and I knew the only place he could get the things he needed would be to go out to California with Mark. We went out there, I introduced them and they really clicked. They are great friends, great training partners and really push each other at a high level.”
Ellenberger also shared his thoughts on the move to Reign Training Center.
“I had been training out in California, going back and forth for about a year and a half. I finally decided to make the move and relocate there full-time. It has definitely helped me in many different aspects. There are so many good guys to be around, and Reign has a very positive atmosphere. The coaches are great, and Mark is a great leader. He is very selective on who comes in to be a part of the family. It’s obviously working out. We all help one another and push each other to bring out the best in all of us.”
Munoz, who is currently one of the UFC’s top middleweights, accepted Ellenberger with open arms. He wasted no time putting Jake into the mix.
“Jake is a special kind of guy,” Munoz stated. “He is one of the hardest working guys I know. Jake has the heart of a champion and he is been a blessing to have at Reign. Our entire team pushes one another to be the very best we can be and Jake is a big part of that. I’m particular about who I allow to train at the gym because I want to have the best atmosphere and always keep things positive. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Ross also shared his thoughts on what sets Jake apart from other fighters.
“He has an insatiable desire to improve, and that takes humility. He just got back from a trip to Brazil and he was rolling with third and fourth-degree black belts and getting tapped all the time , but learning every step of the way. A lot of guys with high level jiu-jitsu avoid those situations because they don’t want to get exposed, but Jake has tremendous humility. He is probably one of the most teachable guys I’ve ever been around.
“He’s such an incredible athlete and I won’t let him tell you anything different. He has an incredible gift and tremendous power. I haven’t worked with very many guys who generate such a huge amount of power in such a little space. He really only needs about a half turn with his hip rotation to really put a hurt on someone. He’s a special kind of fighter and I really believe he has all the tools to become a world champion.”
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With a new home in Orange County and a solid focus on the road ahead, Ellenberger was firing on all cylinders when the UFC tapped him to headline his first event earlier this fall. He knew he had worked his way towards the top of the division, but when his opponent was announced to be Jake Shields, it caught him off guard.
“I was surprised when I found out I was getting Shields,” Ellenberger said. “Everyone knows what he has done and accomplished in the sport and it was exciting for me to know I was going to be fighting him. I was excited for that challenge. The opportunity to headline a card for the UFC really made me feel everything was coming together at the right time. It was quite humbling.
“Going into the fight I definitely thought I could beat him. It happened faster than I anticipated. Shields is one of the best guys in the sport and I can’t sit here and pat myself on the back because I have to keep moving forward. I have another tough fight ahead of me with Diego Sanchez, so I just have to keep working hard.”
Sanchez is a long-time UFC veteran and former Ultimate Fighter cast member. Formerly known as “The Nightmare” Sanchez has gone through changes of his own. After tough losses to B.J. Penn and John Hathaway, Sanchez decided to focus on the positive factors in his life, even going so far as to change his nickname from “Nightmare” to “The Dream.” On February 15, he takes a two-fight winning streak into Ellenberger’s backyard for the UFC’s inaugural live event on Fuel.
“I think it’s a great match-up,” Ellenberger stated. “I think it’s exciting because he’s always ready and shows up to fight. He comes into his fights in shape, and he’s definitely a hard guy to finish. Diego is one of the guys I’ve been watching over the past four or five years, and it’s an honor to compete against him. I have to figure out a way to beat him.
“There is no other place on the planet I would rather fight than Omaha. It’s my hometown, where I was born and raised, and it’s definitely another motivating factor for me to go out and get the win.”
If Ellenberger beats Sanchez, he’ll almost certainly move into title contention. The welterweight division was once thought to be cleared out by Georges St-Pierre, but the past year has seen several new fighters separate themselves from the pack. Ellenberger isn’t concerned with title shots at the moment, but he knows he’ll get there with hard work and determination.
“A lot of people never believed in me. I’m okay with that because I have my brother and the rest of my family that do believe in me. My coaches are also a big part of that equation. But outside of that, I don’t need anyone else. I’m definitely not in this business to make friends. I’m here to be a world champion.”
