Inside of the octagon opportunity can be the hardest thing to find. Whether it comes as the result of a misstep or shifting weight in the wrong direction, when an opportunity is capitalized upon, a fighter’s senses ignite and thousands of hours in the gym come together in one perfect moment. For Jake Ellenberger (22-5) this window of opportunity opened when 7-time “fight night” bonus winner Chris Lytle was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Carols Condit at UFC Fight Night 19 and while the end result may not have been perfection it certainly introduced Ellenberger to the UFC. Ellenberger dominated Condit in the first round with powerful striking and a concrete wrestling foundation as he took the former WEC welterweight champion to the wire. Condit was able to recover in the second round and shift the momentum of the bout and ultimately the judges awarded Condit the split decision victory. The loss may have eluded Jake in his official debut but Ellenberger opened a few eyes that evening in Oklahoma City. Ellenberger found redemption with his next visit to the octagon as he stopped Mike Pyle by TKO in the second round of their bout at UFC 108. The victory added momentum to Jake’s career and when the call came for Ellenberger to face John “Doomsday” Howard at “UFC Live on Versus 2” on August 1st in San Diego, it was an opportunity that he could not resist. Howard is coming fresh off of a highlight reel knockout of Daniel Roberts at “UFC Live on Versus 1” back in March and the winner of this fight will be propelled into the next level in the highly competitive welterweight division of the UFC. In a BJPenn.com exclusive, Jake Ellenberger talked to Pedro Carrasco about his training camp, his teammates fighting on the same card and how August 1st will be Doomsday for “Doomsday”. When Ellenberger was asked about camp and his mindset going into the bout with Howard he said…

“I’m getting anxious to get back in there. I couldn’t feel better and here at Reign there are so many great guys to train with, push me and beat my ass. I feel good to go and it’s been a great six weeks.”

Every fighter looks for marked improvement from battle to battle and when Ellenberger was asked about the areas of his game where he plans to show improvement in he replied…

“I think the level of guys with Munoz and Mo and guys that have helped with little things like technique and skills have been a huge help. Being out here with guys that have a lot of experience, phenomenal striking in addition to the great wrestlers that we have here has given me a lot of confidence going into this fight.”

Ellenberger’s opponent on will be John “Doomsday” Howard, a fighter known for his sharp and powerful striking abilities. When asked what he expected to see in the fight he replied…

“I think being able to push a high pace will be most important. I think it’s mostly, being able to stay in there and not give him any positions at all. I’m ready and there is nothing he is going to do that I haven’t seen. It’s going to be a show. John Howard is an athletic kid and I’ve seen him fight a few times. I think he’s snuck under the radar and he had pulled off a few wins. It doesn’t really matter because I know he doesn’t want it as bad as I do. He’s a decent striker and it will be a good matchup. It doesn’t matter what he’s done or who he’s beat…it just doesn’t matter because I’m going to be ready.”

The card for “UFC Live on Versus 2” will also feature two of Ellenberger’s training partners as James Irvin makes his return to light heavyweight and fellow wrestling standout Mark Munoz looks to establish himself as a contender in the middleweight division when he faces Yushin Okami. When asked about the advantages of having his training partners fighting on the same night he replied…

“It’s been an absolute benefit. With Mark and I being on the same card that means we are in the gym training side by side everyday at the same time. We go hard and all of us on the card are getting in sparring rounds and it’s been awesome with all of us going in together. With Mark on the same card it has been awesome and we are pushing up the conditioning and ramping up at the same time so it’s been a huge benefit for all of us.”

Wrapping up the interview Ellenberger took a moment to give his final thoughts leading up to the fight. Jake once again confidently reiterated that no matter what Howard brings to the octagon on August 1st it will not be enough to keep him from getting what he wants.

“It’s going to be an exciting fight and I think a lot of people are looking forward to seeing me and Doomsday going at it. He’s pulled a few close wins out and I don’t think he’s going to be able to get away with that stuff that he has gotten away with in the past when he faces me. He can brings wrestlers into his camp…he can bring whoever he wants into his camp it still won’t matter. I train with some of the best guys in the world out here. I’m excited. He can talk and do whatever he wants but when it comes fight night I’m not going to walk out of that cage without having my hand raised. I’m going to be the best Jake Ellenberger that I have ever been. I’m excited to get in there and strike and I’m ready for wherever it goes. John Howard will lose because he just doesn’t want it as bad as I do.”