Tim Wilde: “If I do the job on Saturday, and I will, I deserve the next shot”

“This is a very big fight for me” Tim Wilde told SevereMMA ahead of his upcoming bout against Alexander Jacobsen at Cage Warriors 80. This is the lightweight’s last fight on his current contract with CWFC. Wilde and his management team are planning to talk to Graham Boylan (Cage Warriors President and owner) and Ian Dean (Cage Warriors matchmaker) after the event.

A few Russian-based promotions have offered him contracts with impressive financial incentives involved, but he hasn’t taken those offers into serious consideration as “they probably want me to go out there to lose to some Sambo expert.” The UTC Staffordshire fighter mentions that he has been impressed with the London-based promotion since Graham Boylan purchased the organisation, “I love Cage Warriors, especially how they’ve been building their brand over the last year,” he said. And the broadcasting deals Cage Warriors have with UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport are a big plus for a fighter who has recently decided to pursue MMA as a full time career and is dreaming of a UFC contract in the future, knowing that he can chase bigger sponsorship deals and grab the attention of the UFC matchmakers.

Tom Green was forced to withdraw from the bout and Cage Warriors brought in Alexander Jacobsen (6-1) to battle Wilde. ‘The Experiment’ was certain that a fight against Green would not have been competitive, and that it was going to be a fight where he could experiment with his striking. “I was literally going to go in and do whatever I wanted. There was no game plan, I was just going to have fun, and he wouldn’t have made it out of the first.”

This will be Jacobsen’s second outing with the promotion, he lost his pro MMA debut to Rioo Ibrahim when the promotion travelled to Copenhagen in 2014. Wilde expects to be more disciplined when he faces Jacobsen, with the Norwegian on a six fight win streak since that loss, but Wilde is confident he will emerge victorious.

“I don’t think he is a very good striker, but he is very strong. He’ll be a real handful in the first round. I’ll be looking to finish him, Id imagine it would come in a later round. He can take some big shots, he really is tough, so I don’t see a first round finish.”

Taking a moment to reflect on his last competitive bout, Wilde told SevereMMA that he was disappointed that he didn’t finish Mickael Lebout at CW78. “I perhaps should have ended it, I wasn’t gassed. I hit him with everything but the kitchen sink. I don’t think I wanted to gas out or make myself vulnerable by going for a finish. I do think I could have stepped it up. I won’t be making that mistake in this fight.”

The lightweight hopes to be next in line to face the Cage Warriors lightweight champion Chris Fishgold, who is expected to fight at the upcoming Cage Warriors card in Liverpool. “I think I deserve it,” he said, whilst explaining that he was disappointed he didn’t get that fight last year when Cage Warriors went to Fishgold’s hometown. “The only other person signed to the organisation that could have been ahead of me was Martin Svensson, but he has retired. If I do the job on Saturday, and I will, I deserve the next shot. Whether I get it is a different story.”

One sticking point would be the short turnaround required by Wilde, and he admits that he wouldn’t be able to rush such an important decision as he would not wish to underestimate Fishgold. “I do rate him a lot. I would want to do a full camp for him. I would take him seriously, I need to be switched on and prepared. I do think I would beat Fishgold,” he declared.

Graham Boylan also runs Intensiti Fighter Management, and has current CWFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Chris Fishgold, and a number Of other CWFC and UFC fighters, signed to his management company. This conflict of interest has been a reasonable concern for many, including fighters who worry whether the promotion can be fair to fighters who aren’t signed to Intensiti FM.

“It is a worry,” Wilde responded when asked for his thoughts on the subject. “I’d like to think that they don’t favour Intensiti fighters, but there is going to be some favouritism if you’re managing a fighter and promoting the card. Saying that, Paddy [Pimblett] isn’t being looked after in his next fight!”

“I just want to fight anyone who is considered a top 10 guy!” Wilde exclaimed.
He explained that he wasn’t happy when Cage Warriors matched him against Tom Green, he didn’t feel that his original opponent was at the level he wants to compete at. He explained that he was disappointed when he found out that Martin Stapleton would be on the same card, as that was a fight he has been asking Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean to make. “I think fighting at 150 is amateurish, either fight at 155 or 145. I would gladly fight him at 155. I want to prove to everyone that I belong at the top level,” he told SevereMMA.

Asked whether he thought Ian Dean was looking to build Wilde gradually rather than throwing him in with the toughest competition available so soon after a loss, he admits that he had not looked at it from that perspective. The two losses on Wilde’s record have come at times when he was finding his rhythm and the hype around him was growing.

Scott Clist shocked Cage Warriors viewers when he defeated Brad Wheeler last year, it was also an upset when he defeated Wilde later in the year. His only other loss in his career came to BKK Fighters’ Sean Carter at Cage Warriors 74 in 2014. And not one to make excuses, he congratulates both men for winning and has looked to improve his skillset to ensure that he doesn’t make the same mistakes again.

The two losses proved to be a blessing for Wilde, as he explained that he didn’t feel ready to chase a UFC contract back then. “I’m still not ready yet, but I’m getting closer and closer to that level,” he told SevereMMA. Almost every full time professional MMA fighter will struggle financially in their journey from UK MMA to UFC, but Wilde is looking at the bigger picture, understanding that no UK MMA fighter has returned to the UFC after being released, so it is imperative that he is able to perform consistently at that level when he does get there.

The Wilde family made a big decision when baby Quinn was born in September.
‘The Experiment’ sat down with his wife and they both decided that he would stop working as an electrician and focus on MMA, with Wilde relying on payment from fights, coaching and sponsorship deals to look after his family.

“It is truly special being a dad, when your child starts interacting with you and smiling at you. I want to set a good example to him. I want him to be proud of me. I’m in desperate need of money, it has added extra motivation and I am more determined than ever.”

Wilde is giving himself a year as a full time professional MMA fighter, hoping he can stay injury free and compete five times, and then he will sit down with his partner to assess what his next move will be if he hasn’t achieved the targets he has set himself.

“My life could either change in a good way or in a bad way,” he explained. “If it stayed the same, I would have to look at whether I could continue fighting part time or at all. But I’m focused on the positives, I’m 30 and have never been in better shape. I’m aiming to go as far as I can, hopefully to the UFC, so I can make enough to support my family.”