Athletes
Jeremiah Wells Has Gotten Better With Age
Philadelphia Welterweight Talks Timing, Team Ahead Of Clash With Max Griffin
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw probably never envisioned his words being used to illustrate a truth about combat sports nearly a hundred years later, but his famous adage that “youth is wasted on the young” is a perfect encapsulation of how Jeremiah Wells views his journey to the UFC.
Born in West Hazelton, Pennsylvania, and fighting out of Philadelphia, Wells started training at 24 and turned pro in 2012, envisioning a two- or maybe three-year stint on the regional scene before he reached the Octagon and began competing on the biggest stage in the sport.
He finally made his UFC debut nearly nine years after that initial appearance.
“What it taught me was patience,” Wells said of his extended road to the Octagon when we spoke on Wednesday in advance of his 2024 debut opposite Max Griffin on Saturday night in Las Vegas. “It taught me a lot of patience, not just with other people, but with myself.
“It taught me that not everything happens overnight. When you’re young, you think it’s gonna happen overnight, but as time goes on and you get more mature, you learn that (everything) comes when the opportunity is right.
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“Yeah, absolutely,” he said when asked if he’s in a better position to succeed now than he would have been if he had reached the UFC on his original timetable. “I feel like I’m way more mature than I was before. I’m so focused now, and I appreciate so many things now; the gratitude is out the window.
“Timing is everything,” added Wells, who posted four straight victories to begin his UFC tenure before faltering last time out. “Back in the day, if I would have gotten in the UFC, I probably wouldn’t have lasted that long, but now I’m ringing bells, choking people out, getting bonuses, and it’s just the beginning.”
Another piece of the timing equation that helped Wells hit the ground running upon arriving in the UFC and fills him with confidence heading into this weekend’s clash with Griffin is the growth and development of the team he is surrounded by.
The Daniel Gracie / Marquez MMA squad has been making steady noise inside the Octagon for the last several years, with the team going a combined 15-0 out of the chute, and currently holding an outstanding 23-5 mark between Wells, fellow welterweight Sean Brady, featherweight Pat Sabatini, and middleweights Andre Petroski and Joe Pyfer, who faces off with Scandinavian veteran Jack Hermansson in the main event of Saturday’s fight card at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
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“The team that I’m with, I feel like I helped build it — motivating people to come into the gym and push,” explained Wells, one of the early members of the burgeoning all-star team from the city with a fighting-rich history. “Training with these high-level guys is so nice, because back in the day, I didn’t have that many high level guys to train with.
“Now these guys keep me pushing.”
And do not let the fact that he’s the elder statesman in the room and closer to 40 than he is 30 lead you to believe that the end is nigh for the powerhouse welterweight.
“The age thing doesn’t really bother me,” began the 37-year-old, who registered stoppage wins over Warlley Alves, Blood Diamond, and Court McGee in his first three trips into the Octagon. “I’m an old guy in numbers, but I’m an old guy in a young man’s body.
“These guys look pretty old and they’re younger than me; they can’t keep up with me,” he added with a smirk. “I’m blessed with this body and the gratitude is out the window.”
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In addition to gaining patience and a greater opportunity to stick around for an extended period of time by reaching the UFC later than many of his contemporaries, that longer journey and greater overall life experience has also imbued Wells with a greater ability to move on from setbacks and chalk them up as part of the game.
Last time out, he was up on all three scorecards heading into the third and final round of his bout with Harris, five minutes away from his fifth straight UFC victory and seventh consecutive win overall, but it all slipped away as he was caught in an anaconda by the dangerous veteran from Guyana.
Jeremiah Wells Finishes McGee With Vicious Left Hook | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Emmett
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Jeremiah Wells Finishes McGee With Vicious Left Hook | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs Emmett
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“S*** happens, man; it’s a part of the game,” Wells said when asked about the August contest. “I got too comfortable and got in a position he was (strong in). If he was a shorter guy, I don’t think he would have gotten that.
“I thought I was safe, and then I got stuck on the cage, and it is what it is; cheers to him. I will see him in the future, and I will set that straight.
“I don’t dwell on anything,” he added. “I learn from every mistake.”
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This weekend, he intends to take the lessons learned from that contest and all those that came before it and put them to use against Griffin.
The NorCal native was also a little older than most when he first touched down in the UFC, debuting in the Octagon a few months prior to his 31st birthday. While he dropped that short-notice assignment to Colby Covington and initially struggled to find consistent success, he’s lived on the outskirts of the rankings for the last few years, having developed into a veteran litmus test for ascending fighters looking to make waves in the welterweight ranks.
“I feel like it skyrockets me,” Wells said of a victory over Griffin, who landed on the wrong side of a decision last time out against unbeaten prospect Michael Morales. “I’m trying to go to the Top 15 — that’s my goal — and (a win over Max) makes me even more confident than I am.”
Though he clearly has an edge in terms of top-end experience, that’s about the only area where Wells sees Griffin having an advantage when they step in there this weekend.
“I really don’t see him bringing that much, man,” he admitted when asked for his assessment of what his opponent brings to the table. “I can see him taking damage and holding himself in there, but when it comes to power, speed, and even grappling, I beat this guy everywhere and I’m gonna show that.
“I’m gonna break him. I’m gonna do what no one has done,” added Wells. “He’s gonna feel my energy and feel like ‘this guy is different.’”
But Wells isn’t the only member of the team set to make the walk on Saturday, and the focused welterweight is just as excited about setting the tone for the evening before Pyfer competes to close out the show than he is about getting a victory for himself.
“It’s gonna feel ecstatic, man,” he said of putting a win on the board before his teammate looks to do the same in the main event. “It’s gonna feel like winning an extra bonus on top of the bonus I’m gonna win.
“Every time the team climbs, we all get motivated,” he added. “And we’re all fired up to do it again.”
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 10, 2024. See the Final Main Card & Prelim Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
