Know Your Fighter: Jack Hayes

Full Name:

Jack Hayes

Age:

30

Where were you born:

Adelaide

Where do you live:

Seaford, South Australia

Which gym do you train out of:

M16 Fight & Fitness

Who are your coaches:

Myles Simpson for MMA, Declan Moody for BJJ, Adam Collet & Tayla Ford for wrestling

What belts or rankings do you currently possess as a martial artist:

Bjj Brown Belt

What sports or activities did you participate in growing up:

Grew up playing footy and tennis

When did you begin to take MMA seriously as a hobby and then as a potential profession:

I started training at Ringworks in 2012 doing Muay Thai casually to get fit with no intentions of fighting.
After about 2 years I ended up training 5 days a week and started doing mma and had my first amateur mma fight in 2016.
I had a terrible amateur career going 0/5 and in 2019 I thought fuck it. If I’m going to do this I’ll have a crack professionally and went on to win my professional debut.
Coming into 2024 I’m currently 2/2 as a professional and looking to get the ball rolling for a big year.

Favourite aspect of training or favourite session of the week, and why:

My favourite session of the week is wrestling, easily the hardest and most demanding aspect of mma.

I enjoy it for the simple reason of hard work, there’s no places to rest in wrestling like there is in jits. It’s just a constant chain between attacking and defending.

What are your greatest strengths as an athlete or a fighter:

I believe my greatest strengths as a fighter are my wrestling, striking power and decision making.
I might not be the tallest, fastest or even strongest but I believe my ability to choose when to mix my striking in with my wrestling makes me a dangerous fight for anyone.

How would you describe your fighting style:

I’d describe my style as a brawler/ wrestler.

What is your favourite sport and why:

It would have to be MMA because of how exiting it is to watch and the fact there’s so many variables with it. Martial arts is the only sport where you could be whooping ass for 14 minutes and your opponent lands one good punch and you loose. You don’t really get that vulnerability in other sports

Who is your favourite athlete:

Favourite active athlete would hands down be Alexander Volkanovski.

Who is your favourite combat sports athlete:

Alexander Volkanovski / Frankie Edgar

What are your immediate and long term goals:

Immediate goals is simple to have an active year.

When fans see your name on a fight poster, what should they expect:

They should expect and exiting fight with a good mix of striking and grappling.

How do you see your upcoming fight playing out:

See me getting the finish within the 3 rounds. Either submission or KO

A final message to any friends, family and supporters:

Thanks everyone for the support, always appreciate it. Can’t wait to go out there and do my thing!

Where will any fans or supporters be able to find you socials:

Instagram: @hayzelnut6