Jorgensen to George: Pick Your Poison

By Frank Curreri

If Scott Jorgensen could have handpicked his next opponent, it would have been Miguel Torres. Instead the Idahoan drew Chad “Savage” George, an up and comer who lacks the name-power and cachet of the former bantamweight champion.

“I was all hyped up that I was going to get Miguel, but it didn’t shake out that way,” Jorgensen said. “I was bummed because I knew that if I beat Torres I would have gotten a shot at the belt.”

George is the former collegiate wrestler’s consolation prize, and when it comes to their looming clash, he and Jorgensen don’t agree on much. A Hollywood defector and training partner of Mac Danzig, George sincerely envisions a nip-and-tuck battle that will merit Fight of the Year candidacy. Jorgensen, widely considered to be a Top 10 bantamweight, foresees a one-sided thrashing, with him overwhelming the considerable underdog much as he mashed Takeya Mizugaki in his last bout.

A strong dose of reality awaits one of the fighters come March 6 in Columbus, Ohio.

“I’m going to do what I want to do in this fight just like I did with Mizugaki,” vowed Jorgensen. “If I want to keep it on the feet standing, I will. And if I want to take him down, I will. It’s going to be my fight – I dictate it. Pick your poison Chad because I’m coming and you’re going to have a lot to handle.”

George admits that when first informed of his next opponent, his initial thought was, ‘Wow, that’s a big step for my second fight in the WEC.’ But the Los Angeles-based fighter has nevertheless embraced the challenge.

“I think it’s a great matchup,” said George, who owns an impressive 11-4 pro record and has won six straight. “On paper we’re almost identical: We’re both wrestlers that like to box. Realistically it’s got all the makings to be fight of the year … Beating Scott Jorgensen will get me instantly recognized in the division. The spotlight has been on him and he’s had his time, but now it’s my time to shine.”

George, whose takedowns proved the difference in his conservative WEC debut victory over John Hosman, realizes that the same strategy will be hard to duplicate against Jorgensen, a three-time PAC 10 conference champion in college. The general perception is that Jorgensen has superior and heavier hands. So if Jorgensen (8-3) is in fact a superior clone of George, what strategy can George employ to win this fight?

“I honestly see him winging wild punches just trying to catch me, trying to get lucky,” said Jorgensen, who didn’t sound overly impressed by George’s debut performance. “I only saw part of his last fight, and from what I saw he just took the guy down, laid on him and didn’t do a lot of damage.”

George blamed his cautiousness on nerves, claiming his boxing and jiu-jitsu skills are much better than he demonstrated.

“I think I showed that I have the cardio and what it takes to be here,” he said. “I’ve got to match his intensity and take it to him with the same aggression and fast pace (that he relies upon) … I think this will be the fight where all my cards come out. I’m a huge underdog and I actually like that people will be underestimating my hands, that gives me the edge. When we get out there and people see otherwise it will be a big shock to everybody.”

Saying he has brought a couple of “big players” into his camp in preparation for Jorgensen, George declined to reveal the mystery figures or how they factor into his strategy.

“I want to keep a wrap on it until fight night and then I’ll come out with who I’ve been working with,” he said.

Jorgensen, who has been sharpening his Muay Thai arsenal under former WEC veteran Kit Cope, insisted that he is training harder than ever and takes no foe lightly, a lesson says he learned during 18 years of competitive wrestling.

“I don’t care who it is, just put them in front of me, tell me the date and the time,” he said. “I’m expecting the best Chad George that there is. He’s a tough kid and he wouldn’t be in the WEC if he wasn’t. But I’m on a mission. I’m going to win this fight and I’m gonna win the next one and the next one, and make a statement until I get my shot at the belt.”