One of the best Lithuanian fighters, 26yr old Ignas Barysas returned to Lithuania after more than a month in training sessions in the United States with the best specialists in his field.
I.Barysas, along with Tsunamis Gym fighter Ernesta Kareckaitė, worked at the famous Jackson Wink MMA Academy and trained with well-known fighters such as Diego Sanchez, Joby Sanchez, Mike Perry, Yair Rodriguez, Kenan Song, or John Dodson.
Along with I.Barysas, the former UFC champions John Jones and Miesa Tate also worked. The fighter has already returned to Lithuania and will appear in Kaunas on September 21 in the Dream Boxing & KOK’59 World Series 2018 tournament, but his opponent is still unknown.
How Ignas Barysas did in the USA and what he went throught in the “Jackson Wink” academy, the fighter told the portal “Sportas.lt”. “I had a whole month and three weeks. I stayed in Huston for ten days and until we decided to travel, we spent a month and a week in the camp. We trained with the best and left a very good impression. We have shown that the Lithuanian fighters are worthy of it: fast, technically, and do not leave anything to the others. Even those good fighters have asked for help with hand and foot strikes.
Personally, the UFC fighter D.Sanchezo asked me to show my leg movements. He also showed me some new moves. The audience is simply unrealistic, everyone is eager to improve there, “Barysas said. “Of course, we also came ready and we did not disappoint. We have shown that Lithuanians don’t only play basketball. ”
I.Barysas was asked what he was the best in, he did not want to distinguish the most important things, but he described his weaknesses, which he hopes to eliminate in the next half a year.
“We have room for improvement – it’s a fact. I realized that I’m not ready for the very highest level yet. I do not recognize certain situations, although I understand them, but I use too much power. However, I think that a half a year from now, everything can be fine, we just have to work, “said I. Barysas. “I may have improved in wrestling, but although i do feel really good, I have to see the coaches and they will be able to evaluate. I just worked really hard and I did what the fighter should do. I did what the coaches told me and worked with the best.
The camp was very friendly. Some were wrestling Olympians who help each other, others were boxers, etc. T.J. Dillashawo was a training partner, a nine-time Japanese jiu jitsu world champion, has a Judo black belt. The camp was all specialist in our field, and our advantage was a kickback. They were all amazed, wes howed great speed. I felt amazing and at a really high level. However, the fact is that there is a lack of knowledge of jujitsu. Although I’m wrestling, it’s not so easy to chew on me, but in some situations, I’m going to use up too much energy. It’s not like the way you want, so after such episodes, when you stand up, you no longer have the strength. It comes with experience and is trained precisely in such workouts, which might not be in Lithuania. There were people from all over the world.
We were better at some things and they were better at the others, and that is what makes this fun, the ability to improve and move forward. I say: it’s better to be the worst among the best than the best among the worst. I realized that I needed a lot of work and I did not say that I was good here and greatly improved. I am not bad, but not good and I need to work and work. I am ready for it, although it is not easy to go there, knowing how our sports representatives are supporting Lithuania. But there is an idea, a dream, and you dream of having a cahnce to prove yourself.
Let’s be honest, there aren’t that many sparring partners in Lithuania. I have to train wrestling in one place and the other thing somewhere else. I am traveling to stand up for training. In order to have a rest, you have to travel to Klaipeda. In order to travel around Lithuania, you need supporters because you are doing this from an idea. We have a good team, but we do not have a lot of training partners who live in it, “said I. Barys.
In May of this year, Barysas was fighting for the first time in the MMA cage when the MMA Bushido 74 event was organized at the Siemens arena. This time, the Lithuanian defeated Alexei Torchuk in the first round and won the champion’s belt. However, the imminent battle of I. Barysas in Kaunas will be held again in the ring. The fighter himself revealed why he liked fighting the cave more, but did say that the ring feels more like home.
“I liked the cave more. The cage is a little bigger and closer to my beloved sport “kudo”. Ringer is small, hit on the ropes, staggered, entangled, harder to run, harder to station. Even though I’ve only cradled the cage once and I really liked it there, the ring is also my home “, – said I. Barys.
The last five fights for Barysas ended in the first rounds, and from 2011, when his victory was over, he needed a judge’s decision. The fighter claimed that the trip to the United States made him very motivated and told not only his schedule, but also a few interesting stories with Jones and a true rival in the fight.
” You go there and work with the best in the world. You always have to think how to get out of certain situations. It’s a fact that you can not get rid of all five minutes, and through it you get in a “loupe”. Do not be afraid to take a break, it’s hard, but do not stop and bite your teeth again, because doing it with the best is the biggest motivation.
It’s time to get up in the morning, Don Sanchez comes and says, “We are getting ready to work.” You just live in the hall, not in some kind of hotel. Get up in the morning – go train, get up in the afternoon – go back to the gym, five steps to the hall. Live in your dream – open the door and see all the best fighters. There was also John Jones, who presented me as a kudo master to Jakcson Wink’s manager. Jones asked me to show what I can. I began to show him what i can do, I showed a combination and he said to me: “This won’t work kid, show me something better.” There are no uplifting or self-defeating fighters, we are all ordinary people. People who want to help themselves learn about it.
Of course there are intrigues. I once fought with all my strength and I was thinking how it will be here. I got hit and I answered and fought til we got split up. Then you do not know what to expect here, maybe after that, some kind of Mexicans will come. This time I warned him and said why you are fighting here with all your strength, because I will not let you go and if I blow out of my strength, I will do the same. I’m not some kind of a toy and if he wants to fight, we will fight. You have proved your authority. You get a real fight because you just made a great deal. Usually everyone works reasonably, but there was a situation like that.
I am very pleased, I want to go back, I want to train and I want to leave behind my mark. I hope that we will succeed in further consolidating the United States. The key is to have health and success, because I will have opportunities, “said I. Barys.
Although Barysas, like all the fighters, had micro injuries, he managed to avoid more serious injuries.
“I had some micro injurys, but they happen all the time and you just close your eyes and do not think about them. If you just stop, there will be no way back. It’s good that everything is in place – both doctors and fighters. I had one of the best doctors who works with all UFC fighters, he rebuilt my neck and otherwise helped, “- said I. Barys.
These trips by I. Barysas would not be without sponsors, which help Lithuanians to achieve their dreams. Although such trips are not cheap and are difficult, but I. Barys has a good team around himself and is still hoping to return to the United States.
“I would like to thank” Neodentai “who supported my trip and my whole dream. Without them, I would not have done it. I want to thank my friends who have know my situation, how difficult it is in Lithuania and did not allow me to think that it is difficult. Of course I thank my dad, my mother and my brothers who are doing everything to help me. Without sponsors, without a family, there would be nothing without support from a girlfriend. I have a really good team and dream and I hope that I will get it,
