For Ryan Jimmo, getting the chance to step inside the cage on fight night is easy compared to the work put in during training and practice.

Jimmo, who will defend his Maximum Fighting Championship light heavyweight title on October 7 at MFC 31 against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, is spreading himself around several different camps to become a complete MMA fighter. He will be looking to defend his title for a second successful time this year, having already topped Zak Cummings in April.

Fighting well-known fighters is nothing new for “Big Deal,” has he owns victories over the likes of Wilson Gouveia, former MFC title holder Emanuel Newton and Marvin Eastman while compiling a 15-1 career mark. In fact, Jimmo’s lone loss came in his pro debut in 2007 to Adam Braidwood by TKO.

For Jimmo, it is quite simple: work extra hard in practice and the results will show come fight time.

“I always train for 25 minutes. It’s a hellavious experience. I’m doing five four-minute rounds with 30 seconds rest between,” said Jimmo, in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “It’s pure hell on Earth. I hate it. Every time I know I have to train, I get nervous. I get a cold sweat. I get more nervous before training. You eat shit when you’re training and you eat steak in the ring.”

Jimmo went 6-1 in regional and MFC fights before being selected to appear on The Ultimate Fight during the eighth season. He was defeated by Antwain Britt in the opening round, forcing him to head back to local fights. Eventually, Jimmo wound up back in the MFC.

It’s been a long, rewarding road for Jimmo who started off small before working his way up to some of the bigger gyms in his area.

“I started doing jiu-jitsu in the summer when my karate club was shut down in New Brunswick. Then I went to Halifax, which was 4-to-5 hours from where I was from, and started doing MMA down there. It was positive and I enjoyed it overall,” Jimmo said. “I do my stand-up at Frank Lee’s, I wrestle at the University of Alberta, I do my jiu-jitsu at Hayabusa, and my conditioning at Athlete’s Nation.”

In Sokoudjou, Jimmo will be facing a fighter that is 12-8 overall and coming off three straight wins. He has been inside the cage with the likes of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Lyoto Machida, Renato Sobral and Gegard Mousasi. His lone win against those fighters came by knockout over Nogueira.