Eoghan Gorrell interview

Summary

Okay, so I'm here with Garl who's a 4-0 amateur fighter out of Yola Martial Arts which is headed by Ryan Rody. He's had four fights in just about a year now, I want to say. Just less than a year you had the four fights, wasn't it? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, he's been very active…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm here with Garl who's a 4-0 amateur fighter out of Yola Martial Arts which is headed by Ryan Rody. He's had four fights in just about a year now, I want to say. Just less than a year you had the four fights, wasn't it? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So, he's been very active. So, >> fighting a year. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, we're going to talk to about the start of his amateur career, how he got into MMA, but thank you very much for joining me. How are you? Uh, how's things? >> Thanks for having me. Yep. All good. All good. Definitely in the in the thick of training now for this next fight and um yeah, things are good. >> Yeah. So, like you're 4 and0 now and you've three finishes I believe in that uh four fight span as well. How does it feel to have 75% finish rate uh in your first four fights? >> Really, really good. Um obviously I had have had a bit of experience with the National League and then novice MMA kind of ups and downs. Obviously, that's your time really for learning. Amateur is as well. But I feel like I've definitely like I'm happy with my performances so far at amateur and I feel like each fight I'm showing more and more myself. Obviously with the three finishes too, four wins and three finishes like you can't really beat that. Um but that's definitely I want to keep keep the wins, keep racking them up and keep racking up the finishes too. >> Yeah, that last fight you had actually with Caesar, I didn't see it now live. Uh, I've watched bits here and there, but from what I believe, everyone is saying that's one of the fights of the year. How did it feel coming out of that fight and especially with the finish in the third round? Felt good coming out of the fight. Um, I feel like like you watch my fights, all amateur fights at least. And I've definitely been proven to kind of make people pay for mistakes. Um, I think it's just in our preparation and how we train. Um, obviously it came a bit later. you know, if I can finish it in the first round, if I can finish it in the first 10 seconds, that would be ideal. Um, definitely got a bit of stick from the likes of Adrian and stuff after he had finished Caesar in the first round, but obviously you can't beat getting a finish. Um, so it was definitely was very very happy with that. >> Yeah, it is like that. You're looking for plenty more. But you're in Yoda. Yoda's a fantastic club. I think it's a club that doesn't get as much credit. Not as maybe it's not as much credit, but it doesn't get highlighted as much as maybe it should have. Uh I think I think you've got fantastic coaches up there. You've got fantastic fighters. Conlet is someone who I'm quite fond of as well. Obviously, Adrian Barrow, you've got Pierce there who I'm quite uh who I talk to quite a bit as well. Talk to us about that club and and how what what it's like for you right now and the guys that mean because you've got a good little there's a good team coming through into the amateur scene. Talk to us about the club. I feel like really it is it's the place to be like yeah there's no other gym that I'd rather be at right now like you said we've got a great stable of fighters now small enough team still you know like you said we've con with Adrian these are all active amateur fighters we've shade only now coming through broy like so it's really five or six of us actively fighting an amateur now but like you said like I feel like it shows in the success that we've had recently you know like it really is like this is the beginning of what I believe And what all the other lads do believe is like the Yoda takeover really like we are coming for everyone and it's class like it's we're all obviously around the same way too bant and featherweight all pushing each other on and I honestly there's no there's no other place that I'd rather be than at Yoda with with Ryan. talk to us about Ryan and what he's like as a as a coach and a mentor because I find him when I I see him at shows he he wouldn't really know me but I find him quite not quiet but he doesn't say much but he uh he does what he needs to do with you to get you to the and when he competes himself he doesn't talk much but he goes and does what he has to talk about Ryan and your relationship with Ryan and and what he's doing at the minute for the club >> 100% like Ryan Ryan's the man you know like he's he's the only MMA coach I've ever had um just he's so so so knowledgeable. you see him working with the likes of Paul and stuff and there's there's a reason that the best in the world are looking to work with him, you know, like I see it, we get to be around it every single day, day in and day out and the training he puts on for us, but even just the the attitude that he brings to the gym and the just the values that he instills in us like is again if it was a different gym and Ryan was a coach, I'd be with Ryan, you know, like Ryan is he he's going to be the biggest asset in my career obviously like I'm the same as the rest of us from the gym. like he's honestly in my opinion the best coach in the country, you know, from from being around other coaches and seeing other coaches. And I honestly think that he's he's the best. He's the best to do it. >> Yeah. And you can see with the temperaments and and the fighting style of the lads and I love when I see Shay's another one I actually forgot to mention. He's another one I love watching fighting when there's a Yoda lad on. You know, it can go obviously jiu-jitsu would be the B. Like you can all strike, but when it goes to the ground with Yoda guy, this one I'm like, "Oh, this is about to pick up here." It's is it's I think the ground game that you have is is sensational. Um it's really really good and it's really exciting. Like most fights want to stay on the feet, but when it's a Yoda guy, I'm like, get this fight down cuz the transitions, the the reversals, everything is quite fun. Um but talk to us about your start. What what made you get into MMA? >> I was always like kind of in and out of combat sports. Um I didn't really even find out about MMA until I was maybe about 12 or 13, but from an even younger age than that. I was always in and out of, you know, like the local karate clubs or taekwond do clubs, but nothing ever really st. Um I don't really know what it was about them. It was maybe just like not that I found them boring, but just hard to maybe just didn't find them interesting enough or whatever it was. But then I started jiu-jitsu then whenever I was about 13 or 14 with Ryan, you know, it was from like a post on Facebook or something. and my mom had mentioned it to me and went down and like the very first night we he showed us a bit of side control or whatever it was and then we were rolling and you know yourself like you're rolling it's it's 100% it's full on like it's exciting and I think after that first session getting to roll like that from that I was just hooked and I've always definitely been a very very competitive person I've definitely got a competitive drive and I think just it was just that's definitely where the love started like honestly from the first session I was like this is what I want to do And then I was in the kids jiu-jitsu classes then and maybe when I was about 15 or 16 then Ryan had mentioned like how do you feel about coming up to the the MMA classes which there wasn't really a kids MMA class at that time. So it was all adults that I was going up and kind of training with then but I was like absolutely you know from watching the likes of UFC or whatever and highlights and stuff on YouTube. I was like that like that looks like the best crack. And again, like I said, like I've always been a competitor and I've always had like a very competitive personality and to me it's like I remember watching even from a young age and just thinking like that is the ultimate form of competition. Like it doesn't get any more real than that. Um so whenever he mentioned to me about trying it out I was like obviously and since then it's just been absolutely full steam ahead. >> Yeah. And and you can see like that you've gone through the novice uh the way you have to go through the novice. You've gone into amateur. Talk to us about your next fight coming up. You're going to be fighting on Akuma. It is Akuma. Yeah. So talk to us about what it's like to fight on Akuma cuz I think that's such a good show. >> Yeah. I um I've only actually fought Akuma once and it was a novice fight against Kilo Stewart again. I think he's went on now to go 3 and0 or 4 and0 at amateur. Um it was a good fight with him. I definitely learned a lot from it. Um but very well run show. Um personally I think Steven is a is a really good guy and you know like obviously from being a fighter himself and owns a gym and whatever like he knows the crack and he's very very good to to work with. So very excited to get on Akuma. Um in terms of the fight you know Johnny Dan is uh definitely he's going to be a step open competition from anyone I've fought before which I feel like is has been pretty you know that's been the course of the amateur career. like that's who he wanted to be. Like each fight tougher and tougher and bigger and bigger and like you look at his record like he's fought and he's beat some of the best guys in Ireland, you know, very uh very unique style. Um obviously like he's been competing in martial arts from I must have been about freaking five or six years old, you know, the experience that he's going to bring in and stuff like so. But that's that's honestly what I what I live for. Like I like the bigger the fight, the harder the opponent, like the more that I want to go out there and just absolutely put a show on, you know? Like I feel like I really do rise to rise to the level of whoever it is that I'm fighting and always do find a way, you know? So I'm I'm very very excited for this one. Very excited. And I've honestly I've felt myself like each camp getting better and better and the support going into them is just growing and growing. So it's it's again it's just keeping that ball rolling. Now go out, get another win, another stop you. and then go from there. >> Yeah, it is a good fight. And and speaking of your opponent, he's someone I'm quite close with as well and I've had a lot of conversations and his style is very >> I've watched a few interviews. Yeah. >> His style is very unique to to MMA. Not many people have that. So, that's obviously going to be a benefit is facing that style in amateur cuz most people will go through their pro career and not fight fight someone with his stance or or his kicking like you've got obviously like Wonderboy and stuff in the UFC. So you might if that comes up in the future at least you've been able to see what it's like amateur and be able to what way to combat what did I do right in that fight what did I do wrong and go on and like you said you want to always have a better person and Johnny is a very good fight I I really really like it but after this fight and we're not looking past Johnny obviously do you have any more plans for the rest of year or you just taking it one fight at a time have you anything else booked >> obviously yeah like you said like I'm not really thinking ahead for this fight. I have I'm nearly sure I have a fight booked on Case Conflict, which is another exciting one. Um, and then after that, I would like another fight before the end of the year. So, that would be I think one, two, three, four, five fights this year, which again would be perfect. And, you know, really in my eyes, it's like two or three more fights, two or three more wins, two or three more stoppages. And it's like I'd like them to be fighting for titles really like really making that push to be fighting for the best like for that spot to be the best in the country you know like fighting for belson when I'm like that's that's kind of what my eyes are on now after these next two or three fights. Obviously it's it's still keeping the head down for these fights but I feel like that's that's definitely close and like I'm getting close to that stage I think now. Yeah, I definitely do and like that if you would finish someone like Johnny and then someone else though I think those title fights are there for you and and how do you feel with the amount of shows that we have at the minute currently? You have so many options as an amateur fighter. It's deadly especially like for me being up in the north you know like everything's like local enough like for example this one this next to so I it's answer somewhere I think that's about it couldn't be any more than half an hour down the road you know even that last one up in Ohio was about freaking 45 minutes away like it's everything's so close too which is which is absolutely great >> yeah there's so many options right now for fighters and it's brilliant you just see the level of Irish MMA it's just getting better and better and better and and the level for such a small island. I think what we're producing is is unbelievable. But look, it's been fantastic to talk to you. I'm going to let you go. Is there anything else you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out and thank you again for your time? >> Um, thanks for having me on. I'd like to say just uh thank you to a few of my sponsors here. So, I'd like to thank firstly Mark Shields from Superhero Fit. He's been on board now with me helping me out with strength and conditioning for it must be about 6 months now. really like he's honestly leveled up my game so much. So really really appreciate him. Want to say thanks to Michael too, my my barber. Um he's been a big supporter of mine now for the past probably about a year. Um recently come on as a sponsor there too. So huge thanks to him. Um and then Gen Moore Fost and Cree they've come on as a sponsor there. One of my favorite cafes. If you're ever looking breakfast or lunch or anything and you're local to Marfeld, it's honestly just the place to go. Breakfast Avocad class deadly and then thanks as well to Glor Mackerfield. They've been big supporters of mine too again few months. Um so that's really it. Just thanks to all those guys for coming on. It's the first fight two of me going in two with sponsors. So um I'm looking forward to representing Yeah, it it's essential now to have sponsors because fight cams cost so much at amateur. You don't get any money for the fights. H you see and it's fantastic see a lot of sponsors like a lot there's a lot of fighters in this country and they all have sponsors. So it's really good to see people with business getting behind the amateur fighters. But it's been a pleasure to speak to you. Hopefully I'll have you on again. Best of luck with your fight and I will see you soon. Thank you.