God bless America, and Jake Heun [MMA]
Anchorage’s Jake Heun loves America as much as the next guy, but don’t expect him to start chanting ‘USA! USA!’ before he fights Saturday night.
The crowd might, though.
That’s because Heun is part of a Global Warrior Challenge fight card tabbed as the ‘British Invasion’ with fighters from the U.S. and U.K. duking it out in Kansas City.
“As far as patriotism goes, I love our country,” Heun told me. “But I’m no lunatic about it. It doesn’t add any extra juice for me.”
Heun, of Palmer High fame, is 5-2 in his professional MMA career and carries a three-fight win streak into this match.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Alaskan will face fellow light heavyweight Dayman Lake [3-3].
Heun is a standup striker who has won three fights by TKO.
His opponent stands 6-2, weighs 261 pounds and is nicknamed ‘Godzilla.’
Heun sees this opportunity as a way to advance his career, not a chance to show that Americans are better fighters.
“I am fighting a guy who happens to be British,” Heun said. “I don’t give a shit where the guy’s from. My eye is on victory and getting to where I wanna be in [the MMA world], and that’s on top.”
Heun recently moved to Florida from Hawaii, where he played football for the University of Hawaii.
He now trains with American Top Team in Coconut Creek.
“I’m training with the best in the world every day,” Heun said. “It has been a huge, positive change in my career.”