By Kelsey Mowatt
As the year 2007 came to a conclusion, Tim Jenson remained one of Canada’s more highly touted prospects. At just 22 years old, Jenson carried an impressive record of 6-1, with his only defeat coming via split decision. Like his Toshido teammates Gary Wright and current UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald, many observers throughout the Canadian MMA community expected big things out of the Kelowna fighter.
Despite the expectations and speculation that surrounded Jenson’s fighting career at the time, however, the responsibilities and economic pressures of life continued to interject. After much deliberation, Jenson made the difficult decision to put his professional fighting career on hold.
“In my mind I never really wanted to stop competing,” Jenson recently told FCF, while discussing the circumstances that led to a three plus year absence from the sport. “Life just kind of got in the way. I wanted to do a career. At the time, no one was really getting paid in Canada at a level where they didn’t have to also hold a full time job; it was really a struggle for me.”
“I had some good working opportunities for my career so I put my fighting career on hiatus,” said Jenson, who continues to work as a warehouse technician for a major Canadian cable provider. “I kept training the whole time I wasn’t fighting though; I never walked away from my club...in my mind I’ve always been a fighter since I first fought in 2004.”
Since Jenson’s last professional bout, the landscape of Canadian MMA has continued to evolve, as more promotions have sprung up across the country. In addition, not only has the UFC held several events in the northern nation, but many more Canadian fighter’s have made their Octagon debuts, including Jenson’s former training partner, the aforementioned MacDonald.
“Yeah for sure it did, but it wasn’t just because of Rory, it was also because of the success of our whole team,” said Jenson, when asked whether the success of MacDonald contributed to his decision to return to competition in 2011. “Watching all of our guys win and fight continuously. If you look at our team's record we all have winning records, and we’ve fought tough guys in our losses....I’ve been told over and over that I have all the tools and training partners to do well in the sport.”
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| Jenson in his November, 2007 bout with Tim Thurston |
Jenson, now 25, will begin the hunt for his seventh pro win on March 11th, when he faces Kurt Southern (7-3) in the opening round of Aggression MMA’s upcoming lightweight tournament. The event will be hosted by Edmonton, Alberta’s Shaw Conference Centre.
“I’ve been training really hard for the last four months or so, trying to get back in it, and then David (Lea) told me that there was going to be a lightweight tournament and that he wanted me to fight in it,” Jenson said about the tourney, which will also feature Canadian vets like Ryan Machan, Brad Cardinal, Mitch Clarke and accomplished kickboxer turned MMA fighter Shane Campbell. “I said yes right away; I’ve always wanted to do a tournament, although I’m a little disappointed that it’s not taking place over one night, like old school you know?”
Jenson acknowledges that he’s somewhat familiar with his next opponent Southern, who has competed on the Canadian circuit since 2007. Most recently in October, the lightweight submitted Mukai Maromo at Aggression MMA’s fifth event.
“I’ve seen two of his fights, one of his losses and one of his wins,” said Jenson. “He’s strong, got a good top game, really solid on top, but he’s never been out of the second round. All of his wins and losses have come within the first two rounds, so he’s kind of like me in that respect.”
“I don’t think this one will go to a decision. I never fight for a decision, I fight to finish,” Jenson added. “I’m prepping for everything, as anyone knows; all of our guys at the gym are really well rounded. We’re good everywhere. So I can fight on my back or on my feet; it’s not a big deal.”
