Jason Andrada Talks Food and Fighting – FightBooth Exclusive

Newly signed Lion Fight Muay Thai fighter Jason Andrada dispels the myth that the lower weight classes do not possess knockout power. He has recorded three of them in his first four fights going 4-0 to start out his professional career. Even when he is not knocking guys out he still puts on a show. He has quickly become a fan favorite with his exciting aggressive style of fighting. He himself is a fan of food and as a resident of Las Vegas he lives in one of the best food cities in the country. He was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule to talk a little Muay Thai and about some of his favorite foods. Warning! Not only will you find yourself eagerly anticipating the upcoming Lion Fight 13 on February 7th after reading this interview but you will also be craving food.

Dwayne Wolff – You have participated in a donut eating contest or two. What is your favorite kind of donut? What are your three favorite donut shops in Las Vegas and your must order donut from each one?

Jason Andrada – Haha, the contest with the guys from Can’t Stop Crazy. I felt so sick after eight and a half donuts lol, never again! I do love the occasional donut though. I would have to say my three favorite donuts (because I can’t just pick one) would be a powdered donut with strawberry jelly filling, the glazed donut with coconut, and that donut that mimics a glazed cinnamon roll mmmnomnomnom.

My three GO TO donut shops in Vegas are:

1. REAL DONUT (Valley View & Charleston)

They get my #1 spot so much variety and quality old school donuts. I can’t really choose one donut in particular they are all very good. Even their cake donuts which I’m not usually a fan of. They even have huge donuts that must weigh at least 2 pounds

2. GLAZIERS MARKET (Warm Springs & Durango)

Their donuts are top quality and are all very huge. The texture resembles soft fresh bread and they make their donuts fresh from scratch. I remember bringing these to a past Lion Fight weigh ins to share, everyone loved them. Even though every donut I’ve gotten from here was excellent I really enjoy their jelly filled variety.

3. PINKBOX (Buffalo & Lake Mead)

This place is the only gourmet donut spot I know of in Vegas. They have awesome flavors like maple bacon with peanut butter and banana filling (think Elvis). I personally don’t go after the gourmet flavors too much, I like my donuts pretty basic but if you are in the mood to get fancy this would be the spot. As for a must try donut, try out that Elvis one, it was pretty bomb!

DW – What are your three favorite restaurants and your must order item for each one?

JA – WOW this is a tough question, I’ll have to break it down by my favorite foods (you guys will have to explore the menu lol)

1. Sandwiches – BEACH HUT DELI – Huge delicious sandwiches!!! Awesome quality and variety, good prices, great service, and chill seating.

2. Sushi – SUSHI BAY – AYCE!!! You can order half rolls (to try more rolls), great appetizers, they have “no rice” rolls, lots of variety, you can order multiple desserts on ayce, great service.

3. BBQ – LUCILLE’S BBQ – Great quality meats, good portions, the sugar dusted biscuits with apple butter they give you in the beginning…bomb!

4. Buffet – PALMS BISTRO BUFFET – THEY HAVE THAI FOOD!!! Granted it’s mainly curry (4 types) and thai bbq chicken, it’s still freaking awesome! The rest of the food is really great quality and the addition of more “exotic foods” unlike the typical American, Mexican, Italian choices most buffets offer. FYI get a players card and you’ll save quite a bit of money.

5. Pizza – SETTEBELLO PIZZERIA – Freaking bomb.com pizza. This place offers more traditional Italian style pizza not the greasy NY style (even though that style is delicious too!) the crust alone has amazing flavor, the toppings are top-notch, each pizza is about 10” and you have to order it to be cut. The pizza is thin too, I can finish one pie easily and not because I eat a lot. The prices are fair as well, about $12 a pie. One major reason to go…NUTTELLA PIZZA, that is all!

6. Little bit of everything – SKINNY FATS – They have delicious “not so good for you” food and delicious “I’m watching what I eat” food. Their menu is pretty off the wall offering super creative dishes for all kinds of picky or not picky eaters. I’ve had about 1/3 the menu and everything I’ve ordered is really delicious.

DW – What are your three favorite fast food places and your must order item?

JA – 1. FIVE GUYS – For those of you who argue “IN N OUT is better” ONE WORD…BACON! (I win) Their fries are awesome too!

2. CHRONIC TACO (inside the palms) Every time I go I order a burrito with pastor, asada, AND pollo (that’s right TRIPLE MEAT!!!) with Spanish rice, plenty of cilantro and onions, and sour cream. Sometimes I get the baja sauce too.

3. SONIC – I love the real fruit slushes with a burger. Strawberry, lime, and pineapple slush!

DW – What is your favorite after fighter meal?

JA – Pizza or sushi, always!

DW – When it comes to Muay Thai, 2013 was a great year for you. You made your pro debut and ended the year 4-0. You were named Rookie of the Year by MuayThaiAuthority.com and your elbow KO of Muhammed Lemjardine appeared on several Muay Thai KO of the year lists. You recently signed a multi-fight deal with Lion Fight. What surprised you about last year? What did you enjoy the most about your first year as a professional? What are you excited about in 2014?

JA – First, receiving those two awards was a huge honor and totally ended my year right. The main difference was the exposure I’m getting now as opposed to when I was amateur so that’s pretty surprising and it’s what I’ve been enjoying the most. I’m glad I can put on a good show for people. I’m excited to start of this year against a super talented fighter, I know it will be nothing but fireworks and the fans will have a blast watching it.

DW – One of the things that stands out watching your fights is your sense of timing and your accuracy. Two knockouts that really illustrate that were the Eric Ruiz and Lemjardine ones. With Ruiz he was dropping his left hand and you landed a right hand off of a leg kick. Did you just see the opening in the moment? Or was it something you saw in the fight and then set him up with the kick to drop the left hand to open up the right hand?

JA – I have always been known to throw a pretty heavy right hand (for my size at least) and that was just a combination that we throw a lot in training so a lot of it was habit. I did notice his left hand was a bit low, I tend to see more openings during the fight but I always forget specifics.

DW – With the Lemjardine KO you seemed to cock the elbow, hold it for a half of a beat and then launched it. Again, perfect placement and timing. Again did you see this opening or was it something you setup?

JA – During this fight I can tell he was getting a little desperate he wanted to push me around and knock me out. I tend to feel really comfortable against the ropes too. I saw him lunge in with a right hand and my natural reaction is to counter back.

DW – Is your sense of timing something that has developed through time in the gym? Is it a more natural innate ability that has been honed by hours in the gym? Is it something you are conscious of in the fight or does it just come in the flow of the fight?

JA – I have to credit that to many many many, repetitious drills and lots of sparring bigger guys not letting them push me around. Starting out with Master Toddy also gave me an excellent foundation as well.

DW – You always look like you are having fun when you fight. Is this just a part of your personality that you bring to everything? Or is it something that fighting brings out?

JA – I’m usually a pretty upbeat positive person outside the ring but I would have to say the fight really brings out the desire to entertain and put on a show. When I step in there I know it’s all work though. I don’t train hard to fight easy, I train hard so I can fight harder.

DW – You obviously love the sport. It comes through in the way you fight. What do love about it the most? Many fighters describe the feeling as addicting. Do you find it to be so for you?

JA – The feeling is most certainly addicting, I found that out after my first fight back in 2007. I love how this sport brings a lot of people together. You make a lot of friends after being with it so long. Even the guys you were just in the ring with beating the hell out of each other haha

DW – What about training do you love? What do you hate?

JA – I love getting stronger and faster and the work you have to put in to better yourself. If anything I hate that on a Friday night I’d rather be at home eating pizza watching a movie, work comes first though!

DW – What is your favorite technique you have landed in a fight? What is your favorite combination you landed to date?

JA – I absolutely love body shots: knees, punches, or kicks. My favorite combination I would have to say jab high, cross to the stomach come up with a left kick to the liver. I threw that one in Lion Fight 10.

DW – Any thoughts on your upcoming fight you would like to share?

JA – Andy is a really tough and skilled fighter. We both train hard and fight with a ton of heart. I think it will be a nonstop five round war and I have no doubt its going to be fireworks from beginning to end. The fans will absolutely love it.

DW – Is there anybody you would like to thank?

JA – My girlfriend for always helping me through life, my fight camps and her constant support of my goals. My main bro Rob Williams, been my best friend since I was 14, always by my side. My family for supporting my dreams. My trainer Kru Jong for the past three years he has brought me to the top of my game and has always made sure I am ready for each fight. Coach Kirian, my coach from CSA gym has been a part of my life for many years now and has been a big part of why I am here today. Scott, Christine, and Lion Fight Promotions for having me on their show, every even is amazing and i am really excited to be a part of that. Skipper Kelp and everyone at Fight Capital for your support and motivation. The guys from Can’t Stop Crazy, constant motivation right there! Kevin Ross, you have always been there to inspire and help me. My sponsors VOIP DRAGON, SPEED FREAK, OCCINK, DOBEZDESIGNZ, MUAY THAI ADDICT, WRIGHTING DR, HOLTON TRUCKING COMPANY, and BEACH HUT DELI, thank you for all your help and support… and The constant love and support I get from my fans every text, message, tweet, post, and update is the reason I put everything I have in that ring.

You can follow Jason on Twitter @ridiculousj702 for his food and fighting adventures. Lion Fight 13 goes down at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Tune in next Friday night February 7th on AXS TV at 10pm EST for the main card. It includes the much-anticipated rematch of Kevin Ross versus Matt Embree, the first ever female main event between Tiffany Van Soest and Caley Reece, as well as Jason’s guaranteed action fight with the also undefeated Andy Singh.