James Wallace interview · Ireland news

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Okay, I've got Mr. James Wallace here. He's going to be competing against Tom Bley for the first ever featherweight championship on Rack Combat Champions. H it's fight week, so I want to thank you very much for taking the time cuz it's really close to the show. How are you? How are you feeling this fight week? Another uh title fight on the horizon. >> Yes, bro. I'm glad to finally get the title fights. Feeling good this week. Everything's went smooth. Um I was actually meant to get matched for the title in June on Wrath this year and they couldn't find me an opponent for it. So, I've been eagerly waiting to win my first title. I've had that in my mind for the last two years in MMA that I've wanted to be the champion. Now, it's unfolded perfectly for me here. Yeah. No, and obviously it's a new promotion. So, it's like the first ever champion for Rat. It's the first ever like the the championship for you in the grand scheme of things in the whole wide world of MMA. It isn't a big deal for for yourself and ourselves. Uh I keep saying ourselves with Arno obviously and Rat as well. It is a big deal. How does it feel to be potentially the first ever champion of the promotion? No, it feels good. I know Arnold will run a good showdown here on Saturday and it'll be a good atmosphere. So, I'm I'm excited to win my first title. Um, and the belts the belt looks unreal as well. So, I'm excited to bring that home. And I'll be the first person to actually own this belt. So, I feel like it's mine. It's been meant to be. >> Yeah, you'll be the first name in the history books when people go back and look on topology. James Wallace. Obviously, you have to get through Thomas Bley who you who you faced before and you have beaten. Obviously, that was a while. It wasn't too long ago, but you know, amateur people improve. Are you expecting more of the same or are you expecting a different Tom this time? Cuz I'm expecting a different fight from both of you cuz you both have improved since then. What are you expecting from him? >> I'm expecting a different fight. I mean, a year, just over a year it's been now an amateur is huge. Like especially for us so young developing like I'm I'm interested to see what he brings different on Saturday. Um but it's it's a good change this time. Last time on Akuma, I had just got back from England and was offered that fight against Tom on about 2 and 1/2 weeks notice. So, I didn't really have much time to actually prefer like he's a bit elusive. He's a weird um striking style. So, I didn't really have much time to prepare for him. I just focused on myself coming into the last few weeks, whereas now it's been 12, 13 weeks of preparing for a guy I've already fought. And I've watched his last two fights. I'm pretty sure it was down at Nuri when he fought Robert. And then um Pablo was fighting Tom or he fought Thomas McVey. I was watching Pablo's fight. Ended up seeing that in the undercard. So I've watched his last two fights and I've obviously studied and rewatched them from then. So I have a lot to bring in this time around to show for my own game that I didn't get to show in the last fight. >> Yeah. Know obviously he finished the last one as well, so you can't ask for any better than that. And you're right, he is I like his style because he is very elusive. He's got a different striking style. Is that hard to kind of decipher going in the first time? I say it's hard to try and decipher at the time, but you've been in there. When you were in there the first time, were you like, "Oh, I'm not like Joe." What What were your thoughts on the striker side? Because he is he's kind of in and out. Was it something that you hadn't really seen from an opponent outside of your gym before? >> Well, yeah, not really cuz we're so lucky up in the gym just to have so much different styles. So, honestly, I think it's I like the style for me. It's a fight that I think suits me very well, too. Um, but I do think Thomas does or he does deserve this rematch. I mean, he's 5-1 now and I am the only loss on his record. So, there's no doubt in saying he does deserve the rematch, but I'm going to go in and show why I'm the champion and why I will be the champion on Saturday night here. And I would like to finish him with the hands this time. I got the submission last time, so we'd like to get a KO here on Saturday night. >> Well, it it's going to be an exciting fight I'm actually going to be commentating on. So, it'll be a pleasure to commentate on the fight with two. You're two people that I'm really really high on. I just think the level right now across the country especially and FI is another place. It just seems like people are just flocking to there now. I've seen a couple of people. I won't say names on here if it's not official, but I know there's a couple of big names that have moved over. Um, how is it feel like to be an FAI? Obviously, you know what it's like. Obviously, everyone from the outside have seen what it's like now. Obviously, with these pro fighters coming there, what's it like for you to be in FAI and be powerful? What does it mean to you? >> I mean, when I joined Fed, I actually started originally, I had started jiu-jitsu when I was about 13 years old in a different gym. It was just really a pure grappling based gym. And I knew about Fighter Academy. I'd seen fighters like Joe and stuff from the gym. And I thought like these guys are doing at a professional level. Like I need to get up here. And I walked into the gym just before I turned 14. And I've just not looked back once. And I've watched the gym grow because back whenever I'd started, there was maybe four professional fighters from the gym. And now I couldn't even sit and name all the pro fighters in the gym. There's that many. And over the last couple months, we've had three, four new pros join the gym that already have like names established for theelves, like well-known pros. So, there's no doubt we're the best gym in Europe at the moment. I think for for us in the in the club, it's the best gym in the world. There's no better environment for us to thrive in like >> Yeah. Yeah. No, it is. I was there. I don't know if you would remember. I don't know if you were even there that day. It was a Sunday. I went up on a Sunday to do an interview with Pat Liam and it was the guys in medical when they were bringing in like the commission. remember that >> and I went in on sat Sunday I think it was and I was like oh my like the place was packed like said to me something recently all the procedures and all the things are in place basically it's up to you the fighter to to if you don't put in 100% you won't make it have they set up that if you show up and you're there every day that you will make it to where you want to get to have they made it that kind of streamlined in the gym with the classes and with the way they train you Is it that have they put that much groundwork in that basically once you show up you can go wherever you you want to go? >> Yeah. Like it probably sounds so good like when people hear us saying about it and they're thinking we're full of it or whatever but it is literally a conveyor belt for success up in the gym now. I mean the amount of work that you know Pat and Shando do behind the scenes studying doing their homework like they're always bringing that new level of MMA and especially like the last couple of months with all the pros coming in Paul's big fight and you know there's many more coming in the new year. So the level's just so high in the gym. It's hard for amateurs to not show up six, seven days a week and not end up being champions returning pro because it's just all there for you. The classes are running throughout the day to the night now. So it's it's impossible to not get better up in Fed Academy. >> Yeah. And we see that like that obviously you would know I have a good relationship with Damian McGwigan. I've interviewed him from novice and to watch him grow and go to Perau is just amazing. There's so many good people in the gym. But when you look at like obviously Jody came up a little bit. He came up short against MV. But for me is probably the best flyway in the world. You've got Paul Hughes. You've got so many people on so many different promotions. How does that does that inspire you to say like okay once we do it we can get there. the yard opportunities cuz for this little island we've got fighters in the UFC, PFL, Octagon. How's that feel for you obviously from your gym's perspective and the country's perspective that we're all over the world fighting right now? >> Um, no, I'm we're super fortunate, especially up in Fight Academy economy to see the likes of Paul go on and push on and show that he's literally the best lightweight in the world and that he's up there. Um, it just it just goes to show that if you do come and you do put the work in every night, you're you're going to get there. Um the levels are we're not missing anything up in the gym. We have the coaching. Everything there is there for you. So you just have to show up and put the work in as Owen said. Um but I'm very grateful because I know when I came up to the gym it wasn't um we weren't at that level yet. And I've just been there from enough time just to watch the gym grow and actually reach that level to where now it's inevitable for the likes all us young amateurs coming up. It's inevitable. >> Yeah. And that's what I've seen your novice fighters as well. I remember watching novices and going me these like these noviceses of fight academy could be nearly amateurs the sort of way it's the levels are crazy obviously fight academy stands out I just think across the whole country now we're kind of blessed with with the amount of shows we have gyms we have there's guys everywhere but I'm really looking forward to this fight it's a rematch I'm expecting a really really good fight I'm going to let you go cuz I know it's so close there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out and thank you so much for your time I really appreciate it >> no thank you very much for having me on bro I Just like to give a shout out to all my sponsors and my team up in Fed Academy Ireland and all my coaches just for preparing me and getting me these opportunities. >> Perfect. Thank you very much. It'll be a pleasure on Saturday. >> Yes, I'll see you down there at Saturday, Dave.