Mathew O'Neill | GladiatEire FC 1 · Ireland news

Summary

Caught up with Matthew O’Neal after his hard-fought unanimous decision win at GladiatEire Fighting Championship, and this interview is packed with heart, laughs, and reflection. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more content! 🌐https://www.combatconfidential.com…

AI summary AI-generated from the transcript

Combat Confidential speaks with Matthew O'Neill after his win on Gladiateire Fighting Championship 1. He fights as Matthew the Ardo Dragon, is 29, from North Belfast, and describes a pressure-and-cage-work approach: push to the fence, weekly twelve three-minute cage rounds on Wednesdays at ZKJ Dojo with strong training partners, using size as an attribute against younger amateurs. He had no rigid plan beyond enjoying a home-card moment he did not want to miss after sitting out the previous GladiatEire show; he had two bouts in 2023 and wanted two in 2024 but that did not happen. He won a unanimous decision over three rounds, survived a late armbar he believes might have finished him half a minute earlier, threw a spur-of-the-moment suplex, and noted blood from his opponent's nose without it derailing him. MMA is a hobby—he will not turn pro—and he wants one more amateur bout around November, then four meaningful fights total, coaching qualifications, and giving back to the gym where he has trained eight years and competed since 2021. He emphasizes real self-assurance, community, and urging beginners to find the right gym and keep showing up.

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Music] Mr. Matthew O'Neal, how you doing, sir? Uh, congratulations. Thank you. Um, first of all, I I I want to compliment you on that beautiful stash. All right. That thing is awesome. Thank you, man. We got that. Yeah. You know, uh, don't take this wrong way, but um, uh, you're coming out of this, you're uh, you're getting ready to raise your hand, right? And, um, I was thinking to myself, if you're Hold on, what's your fight name? Uh, Matthew the Ardo Dragon. The Ardo Dragon. Yeah. Tongue and cheek. That big tongue and cheek. Well, I I was thinking to myself, if if it wasn't Ned Flanders, then uh it's it's wrong. I would take that one as well. I would take that as well. It's like it's gorgeous. I love it. I I wish I could just rock a pure stab. I did it once and um No, I I looked like a pedophile. So, but um again, congratulations. Um, talk to me like what what you know what did did you have a plan coming into this and then did you stick to it? Um, no. I mean, most of the time it's just go in with pressure. That's that's my whole game is try and get pressure. Um, push to the fence, do my cage, get like we do cage work, you know, 12 rounds every Wednesday, 12 three minute rounds and we're I'm training with absolute monsters up at ZKJ. So, I know where I'm strong. I know I'm confident, you know, have a bit of bit of bit of big boy size. Not big boy size, but I'm an older fellow like so I have a wee bit of size on me compared to some of my opponents which, you know, I have to use as as an attribute, you know. And for play to CO, I was saying to him about the backer like he was, you know, he was quite strong. He's a few years younger on me, but I think he done really really well. Um, but my game plan was just to come out, enjoy the moment. I'm from North Belfast. I didn't want to miss fighting on my home card. I didn't get go going out last time. So, you know, I had two fights in 2023. I hope to get two last year. it just didn't really work out. So, I'm hoping get this one done and then come back in November. But, yeah, it was just just go in and enjoy it. And I loved every moment of it. Even even in the bit where I knew I was in a we bit of trouble, had the arm bar on me. Um, and I said to him out the back, I was like, "Listen, I was a wee bit wet at that point. I think if that was 30 seconds before, you would have got that on me." Yeah. So, even that I was just super proud of myself. I listened to my coaches. Everything they were shouting I was doing. Um, I wish I could have got the finish. I felt like if I had to maybe just overcome that we urge then you're know you're a bit safe and you're like I'll play it here. I wish I could have just said to myself pull out a we bit but it didn't happen. So but listen unanimous decision and I'm over the moon. I could go in our three rounds to be honest. I'm fed as a fiddle. So over the moon. Over the moon. That's great. Um no I I know you said you were kind of hoping for that uh to get that finish but it's also got to feel good to do a full three full three rounds. Absolutely. Yeah. 100% 100%. It's, you know, it's it's one thing doing it in the gym when you're training. It's another thing doing it in front of a few hundred people and nothing but a pair of shorts and, you know, you're underwear and you're pray on the line. So, you know, he nearly caught me a crack and kick actually at one point. Glad I got my handle back. It hit me in the body, but um and I have no idea where where the suplex came from. A suplex at one point was even when I threw it, I was like, "Where the [ __ ] did that come from?" It looked right. Yeah. Just just spur of the moment. That's very good. Uh I was sitting next to one of the photographers and I think he got some pretty good shots. Hopefully that's what that's what we do for is a few pictures for the Instagram. Um okay, so you said you were a bit older than the other uh the young folks in the in the How old are you? I'm 29. You're 29? 29? Yeah. But a lot of a lot of people that are amateur at my level are a bit younger. I know there's people probably a bit that age like but you know all of my opponents have been a bit younger. 29 is not older. I wish I wish I was 29. Yeah. No, it's just maybe I shouldn't have said that. Sorry. Sorry. old boys. I think it makes sense, you know, because a lot a lot of the folks I talk to are like and I I don't realize it at the time. They're like 21, 22, you know, and it just Yeah, it's fighting too. I mean, if you had to knock me out, it would look brill. I mean, it is what it is. I suppose like you just if you say on, you know, he thinks he can beat me, I think I can beat him. You just got to get in the middle, dust it up, and see what happens. Yeah. Okay. So, um, you're 29. Like, where do you want to take this? To be honest, mate, this is a hobby for me. It is. It's like I'm not looking to, you know, have a lot of other responsibilities in my life. So, it's uh it's more of a hobby, you know. I want to get one more fight. Do you think you'd ever go pro? No, no, no, mate. I have enough going on in my life going pro. Like, I let all them boys upstairs. Okay. Uh but no, I want to get one more good fight and and that'll be four decent fights. And you know what, mate? That'll be my f and then I want to get back to the gym. I want to get my coaching certificates. And I want to just get back to the gym. You know, I've been up there eight years now and I've been training for competition since 2021. And that gym Danny core and everyone else's upper has been you know it's been massive as my development as a man through my 20s and I want to just try and pass and impart a bit of that on. That's the next thing for me after one more fight in November I think we do another one and then yeah coaching I think after that. Awesome. Awesome. Uh okay so if you want to transition into coaching like what what would you Okay. So, um, part of my podcast, um, what I do is I like to talk about like kind of like the the not just the physical benefits of combat sports, but kind of like the the mental, um, what is the biggest mental health benefit that you think you personally have taken or gotten out of this, mate? It's just it's pure self assuredness in yourself. you know, if you're pushing yourself to your absolute limit, you're having your off days where you're getting your contact in, you know, and you have to come back to the gym all the time. Good days, bad days, when you're feeling down outside the gym, when you're feeling good, like you just have to come in and you have to push through those barriers all the time. And you know, I used to think I had confidence in my early 20s, but I realize now how much of that just is was fake confidence. You know what I mean? Like I have true self assuress in myself. It's not in a cocky way. It's just it grow grown me as as a man and as an individual in a proper positive way of masculinity. Do you know what I mean? So, I just it's it's it's unsurmountable the amount of mental benefits you get from going up there. The sense of community, camaraderie, the crack you have, the jokes, the laughs, the the ups, the downs. It's it's a complete microcosm of life. And I absolutely love it. Like, so I would recommend everyone do it. Just get get the balls to come in and do it. It's not as bad as you think. Amazing. And then, okay, so uh someone maybe who they're interested, but they're intimidated on going to the gym, what do you say to them? I think you just have to go. Yeah. Just go, you know, fair enough. You have to find the right gym, right? and and not all gyms maybe cater for absolute beginners and stuff, but you just have to go and give it a go. Push yourself. You're going to find it hard. I've done loads of sports, you know, um I played Harland and all for a long time, but there is no sport, in my opinion, like mixed martial arts in terms of how it pushes you mentally and physically. Okay? And you're going to your first couple of months, unless you're truly gifted, which some people are, you're going to struggle. You know, I struggled my first two years growing up or even with a you know, when I was in my early 20s and Donny's sons are 17, 18, they're punching the head and you're like, "It's not that this is humbling." Yeah, you know, but they're doing that because they just keep going and going and going and going and you just have to you have to get up and go and keep showing up even when it's the bad days like and that's that's the key thing. Just go. Excellent. And then I always like to say too like you meet some of the nicest people in in the gym as well. Like it's counterintuitive to I think what a layman might think. But yeah, well look, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Congratulations again victory and I hope to see you fight again later in the year. You too. All right. Thank you, sir. Thank you. All the best. I Wait, actually, hold on. I I did have one more question. Um uh the blood aspect, uh like have you have you dealt with that before where like your your opponent is or just in general like there's a lot of blood? Um well, not to that level. I didn't actually realize. I think it was his nose. Yeah. I don't even know how that happened to be honest, but I I noticed it dripping on me at one point. I was like, "Oh, I've" and then I I sort of felt that he was a bit weak, so I tried to get my head up at fair play. He sort of kept me in a wee bit. Um but it sort of spurred me on more than anything. I was like, "Right, I can smell blood now." But played him. He done amazing defensively and uh I just couldn't couldn't pull out and get it done. But no, the blood's like that's the crack, isn't it? That's that's what you do it for. Like so normal. It was uh it was fun. Like listen, I I wish him all the best. That's I say them out the back. I really appreciate him coming all the way up here from from down south and like I hope he just keeps pushing on, you know, really keeps pushing on. There's nothing to stop him uh getting the wins under his belt, you know. It's just today this was my day. I was fighting in my backyard. I'm from Around North Belfast. It's not far from here. you know, I didn't want to lose and I train my blex off for four months to win this fight. So, you know, that's a fair play to me. Right on, man. All right. I thanks again, man. Congratulations and uh till next time, brother. All the best. Let's go.