UFC bantamweight Jack Shore is unbeaten in his MMA career and wants it to stay that way. The welch UFC star would like emulate the career of legendary boxer Joe Calzaghe, who retired without a loss on his record.
Shore (16-0) will defend his unbeaten streak against Ricky Simon (19-3) on Saturday at the UBS Arena. Since his UFC debut in 2019, Shore has earned five straight wins against Noehelin Hernandez, Aaron Phillips, Hunter Azure, Liudvik Sholinian and Timur Valiev.
With a win over Valiev in March, Shore captured a No. 14 spot in the bantamweight rankings.
The 27-year-old enjoys the comparisons to Calzaghe but explains that he doesn’t let his undefeated record take control of his fighting approach.
“People do say it, and I would love to retire undefeated and be MMA’s Calzaghe, but sometimes losses happen. Not that I envision myself losing any time soon, but I just don’t think about it,” Calzaghe told Mirror Fighting. “I don’t think about my record, I don’t think about my streak, I just go out there and fight, and every fight to me I’m 0-0 and I move from there. I don’t let it factor in.”
Joe Calzaghe is one of the best boxers that Britain has ever produced. The London native went 46-0 in his near two-decade career. He earned notable wins over boxing legends like Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins. Calzaghe also held and defended the WBO super-middleweight title for 10 years. In 2009, he announced his retirement from boxing.
Jack Shore Is Ready For Top Competition
Shore, a former Cage Warriors champion, has done his homework on the best in bantamweight division, including his next opponent Ricky Simon.
“I keep my eye on all of the top guys in the division, everybody whose ranked I make sure to watch,” Shore said. “I knew when they offered it, kind of what we were dealing with and I’ve watched him a little bit closer since, he favors the wrestling but he’s good everywhere.”
The matchup against Simon is the biggest test in Shore’s MMA career. Simon has faced tough opponents such as Merab Dvalishvili, Urijah Faber and Rob Font. He is No. 13 in the division and is on a four-fight winning streak. The 29-year-old is coming off a knockout win against Raphael Assunção.
“I’ve been telling everybody I’m going to be his first loss,” Simon said. “He’s undefeated as an amateur, undefeated as a pro but he’s never fought anybody like me.”
The upcoming UFC event will air on the ABC network for a third time. Shore is looking to add to his unbeaten resume and follow in the footsteps of Joe Calzaghe on the national stage.