UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Tywan Claxton is ready to show Jay Jay Wilson that he’s not in his league.
Claxton (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) takes on Wilson (5-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the main card of Bellator 242 on Friday and admits he wasn’t too familiar with Wilson prior to their booking. But, after researching his name, he thinks Wilson basically ripped off his motto of the fight game.
“I looked him up, saw some of his interviews, he basically stole my blueprint,” Claxton told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “I’m the prospect that says, ‘I want to fight five times a year,’ (and) he comes out and says he wants to fight five times in a year. He thinks it’s gonna be a wrestling match and just that he wants to throw hands – all the same things that I said. He just kinda tried to run with my blueprint and real recognize real, and he ain’t real, so I’m going to go out there and show him that there’s levels.”
Wilson, like Claxton, is a proven finisher in the cage. He’s finished four of his five wins by submission and while Claxton won’t be taking that aspect of his game lightly, he thinks Wilson hasn’t faced the level of competition that he has.
“He gets on anybody’s back, he’s a problem,” Claxton said. “His jiu-jitsu is very, very slick. I just haven’t seen enough to know what he’s capable of under pressure. He’s fighting guys that are 4-5, 0-1, 2-0 that’s fought 0-0’s and 1-0’s, I can’t make an assessment off of that. No one can really make an accurate assessment out of that, so I guess we’re going to figure it out July 24. That’s when I’ll make my own assessment, I’m on top of him trying to bash his face. We’ll see how slick his jiu-jitsu is then.”
Claxton is looking to build another impressive win streak following his first-round elimination in the Bellator featherweight grand prix. He bounced back from his loss to Emmanuel Sanchez with a decision win over Braydon Akeo at Bellator 235 in December, and said that he sees his bout with Wilson as an opportunity to not only register another win, but chalk up the fifth finish of his professional career.
“I’m going to stop him,” he stated. “If he makes it to the second round, he’ll be done in the second. I’ll finish him in the second, maybe ground and pound most likely because I have a feeling he’s going to be trying to pull guard a lot. He says he wants to stand and bang, but I don’t think he wants to stand and bang, but I do.”
Bellator 242 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and DAZN following prelims on YouTube and DAZN.
