Twisty Fries In Thailand

Summary

Combat Confidential #031 Twisty Fries In Thailand | Eimear Darcy Eimer Darcy sits down for one of my favorite interviews yet. We talk childhood, confidence, body image, combat sports origins, taking a 10-year break, returning to martial arts at 26, signing with Cage Warriors…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Go back. >> All right. Um, everyone, welcome back. Uh, welcome back to the podcast. Um, today's guest, uh, I don't think is a stranger to the spotlight. Um, and certainly shouldn't be a stranger to you. Uh, Miss EMR Darcy, thank you very much. appreciate your time coming on to talk to me and um just jump right into it real quick and then we'll >> I'll start with the questions. Yeah, >> cool. Thanks for having me on. >> Um so you are what I consider one of Ireland's top young rising talents. Um right out of here at Compound Martial Arts, you're currently a three in one flyweight >> uh cage warriors. Uh and you most recently fought when it was like about a month ago. >> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, Cage Warrior Cage Warriors 194 against >> Christina >> Dina. >> Justina, apologies. Uh, >> Ken Kolinska >> Kolinska. Yeah. >> All right. >> Yeah. >> Uh, unanimous decision. >> Yeah. >> Congratulations on that. >> Thank you. >> Um, so like welcome to the show. >> Thank you. >> U, but here just a few questions. Uh, first thing come to mind. Don't really think about it. And, um, >> yeah. So, coffee or tea? >> Coffee. >> Coffee. >> Yeah. >> Always been that way. Coffee? Uh, no. I wouldn't have been allowed to have coffee when I was younger. Um, so >> rebel. >> Yeah, I only really started drinking coffee when I was older. Um, so yeah, coffee. But I would have drank tea when I was a kid. >> Yeah. What was I? Coffee. >> Drink it black or with milk? >> Oh, no. I have it with oat milk. >> Yeah. You do sugar? >> H sweetener. >> Yeah. And I got a frother right off Amazon. And I always saw people using them. It's probably the best for your tea. >> No, for my coffee. Oh my god. It's one of the best things I've ever gotten in my life. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So, I froth my coffee as well. My Yeah. My milk. >> Yeah. >> I I got I got a frothther, too, as well. Um and it's one of those things I've used twice. >> Oh, no. I love it. >> It's just the effort, >> you know, and I I just need >> I'm willing to make Yeah. Oh, it's so good. Yeah. Just like creamy milk cuz I used to love getting a cappuccino when I was younger. Um and then I just like drink all the milk off it. They wouldn't have the the coffee and I just have like the frothed milk. I used to have like an espresso machine and uh it was nice at first because you would get good coffee out of it, but it was just like the novelty of it. Like it's like I have to clean this thing after like it was just such a pain and now I just have like one of those uh >> really good for the environment plastic cup machines, you know, little >> I just I I just want the caffeine. >> Oh, I just use the granules. The Tesco coffee is the best. Yeah, Tesco brand gold coffee. That's my >> sponsor go. Yeah. >> Tesco Gold. >> Um, yeah. The the instant coffee is pretty good. Uh, >> yeah. I don't like the pods. >> No. >> No. Just honestly, like I bring the granules on holidays with me, the Tesco ones. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> You know, that's funny. Like I have heard of people bringing their own tea bags. >> Yeah. I bring like coffee and then I bring decaf coffee with me as well, but I just drink the decaf coffee from Little, the blue little branded one. Yeah. Some real. >> Right on. Uh, you have a like a guilty pleasure song. >> Um, I probably have some questionable choices such >> as um I don't know. I like I like a a wide variety of music. Um, so anything that I choose could be hit and miss for somebody else. I don't know. >> Yeah. I just I like >> What's on Okay. What's uh like what's on repeat for you at the moment? Um, the minute I'm listening to songs that are kind of getting more hyped up for fighting when I'm like that. So, yeah, probably more. >> Okay. >> Yeah, that's stuff that I'm at the minute. >> But in general, I just Yeah, I love music. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I really really like music. So, yeah. I I like bands. like anything even that's on the radio and stuff as well. Yeah, >> I hate the radio. >> Yeah, but then you're sitting there and you start singing a song. You're like, why am I singing that? Cuz it's on the radio. And it actually turns out that you like it. >> No. >> I I only have radio I only have the radio on if um I don't have internet access on my phone. It's just Spotify. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And I I weird thing. I used to hate Spotify. >> Really? Why? >> Yeah. I used a different uh like streamer. Okay. >> In the States, you have uh Pandora. >> Okay. >> But Pandora's garbage now. I don't know why I resisted Spotify because Spotify's >> Oh, yeah. It's great. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Um All right. Well, what's a fun fact about you that maybe a lot of people don't know? >> Nothing. You have like web toes or anything like that or >> No. >> Um front. I don't know if I have any fun facts. This is very hard. Uh >> anything did you get lost once as a kid? I remember when I when I was about God, I was only thinking about this the other day, probably like five or six. Um I was at my dad's house. I was playing in the back garden >> and um like this snowmobile trailer that was in the back and I was playing on it and I was lifting it up and then like dropping it. M >> there was another kid that was with me and they were stood on the other end and they lift or I lifted it up and there on the other end and I was underneath it then they jumped off and it fell down on top of me. >> Oh my god. >> So like I like split my face open. >> Yeah. >> That had to do >> I went to Australia as a kid. My mom and dad um we we went to Australia. I was seven. So I have two brothers and a sister and uh they brought us all over to Australia and we traveled around Australia for like six months in a camper van. That's cool. >> So, that's cool. Yeah. >> Yeah, that's really cool. Come across any uh deadly insects or animals? >> There was a scorpion under my brother's mattress before in the camper. Um and then we camped out like the these people. I don't they were friends of like my mom and dad's cousins. Um and we stayed out there back in the camper van. There was like kangaroos and stuff all out in the wild and so uh >> That's cool. >> Yeah. Yeah, that was like the >> Well, kangaroos are kind of dangerous. Yeah. >> Yeah. Say kangaroos are dangerous if you hit them. >> And it was my brother's bed, not my bed. So, yeah, that's his fun fact. >> Right on. Right on. Um, what's the last TV show you binge watched or movie? Yes. series >> that I binge watch. >> I'm so bad for watching. >> Really? Me too. I don't watch many things. >> Unless like I'm over my boyfriend, then we'll watch something. But we had had to stop watching someone cuz it was freaking both of us out. We have a few trips planned, so we can't watch it. Um in Well, we watched that one. Oh, I can't name it now. Loads of people watch it. >> What's it about? >> Um, the family and your man's kind of Irish. Uh, oh, what's his name? Pierce Broen is the actor. >> Oh, I know what you're talking about. That was um >> goodness, I can't remember either. I know what you're talking about. I watched that as well. >> Yeah. obviously didn't make much of an impact >> on you or me. >> I just watched u like because like you spent so like you have all the the streaming services and then there's like this we're spoiled for choice, right? So um >> I always find myself not wanting to take a risk. I just fall back on something that I've seen. >> Yeah. >> But I I did just watch uh like I've been like on a Taylor Sheridan kick. >> What is it? >> Taylor Sheridan. He's like a bunch of uh he he he's the writer producer for like Yellowstone and 1883 and >> here we go. Go go go go go bing. >> My sister's actually told me about Yellowstone. Yeah. I keep getting confused. It's not about volcano, is it? >> No. Yeah. >> No. Um but anyway, there's another like uh like because I've seen all of them. Um but there's another one on Netflix called America Prime Evil. >> That's it. No, I don't watch scary. >> That was pretty. It was No, it wasn't scary. Uh, well, >> America Prime, Evil Sam. >> Yeah, it was like scary. >> Um, you ever seen The Revenant with uh um >> Leo DiCaprio? No. >> No. >> Is that a movie? >> Yeah, that that's a movie. Anyway, >> yeah, my coach always. Yeah, >> he uses movie references. We have some issues over that kind of stuff. >> Um, anyway, it's it's very uh it's raw. Okay. >> You know, it's set in like the 1850s, >> pioneers going west, something like that. This is very raw of that time period, which I thought was pretty good. >> Um, let's see. Where we at? >> What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done? >> Ever done? I've basically forgotten everything that I've done in my whole entire life right now. While we're talking, >> you ever been bungee jumping or skydiving or anything like that? >> Um, no. Uh the most ever know I don't like not sounds like I don't do anything. I really can't remember anything to do with my own life. Um I I'm not like adventurous. Like we were always out when I was a kid. So like we're always like my dad was always bringing us spaces and >> um >> like camping was like the holiday that we went on as families and stuff. So uh >> like in a camper or on a tent. >> Yeah, we had a camper. Well, we had like a trailer that clipped onto the car and then we camped around Ireland and then we actually got a big camper. Uh and then we traveled around France with that one. >> That's cool. Um, and then when I was a kid, we were in Australia, so that's pretty adventurous. Me as an adult, always adventurous. >> We get an adventure coming up. You'd said earlier going to Thailand for the holidays. >> Yeah, going to Thailand over the Christmas. So, that will be really out of my comfort zone. Very far from home. Yeah. Um, and I'm going at Christmas, too. So, I will obviously miss my family, but I'm really going to miss Christmas dinner. Um, where are we at? What's the last thing you Googled? Oh, >> so last night I Googled uh, do they sell twisty fries in Thailand? So, they stopped selling twisty fries here. I can't remember. Maybe twisty fries. >> Twisty fries, curly fries from McDonald's. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. So, they stopped selling them here maybe about two, three years ago. And then I was wondering if they had mac flurries in Thailand because cut my a lot of things going through my head. So then I Googled about the McFlurries and then I was like, "Oh my god, I wonder do they have twisty fries?" And yes, I Googled and they have got twist twisty fries in Thailand. >> So then I Google mapped how far the McDonald's was from the hotel that we're staying in in Bangkok 7. That's funny. You know, that reminds me of um uh I it was like this Instagram reel thing I saw of like these damn Americans coming over here to Ireland. Um but they they had come over here and um you know they're like, "Hi guys, we're you know in Ireland here." Um and then they're like, "We're going to McDonald's cuz we want to see you know like >> what they have in the venues." >> Like I get it, but like >> I'm I'm what I'm trying to say right now is I'm judging you, you know? When my brother moved to Australia, he was like, "Look what they have in the McFlurries over here. That's the kind of information I want." >> Oh goodness. Um, is there a song that you know like all the lyrics to? >> Uh, oh yeah. I'd say there's a few songs and I know obviously not. Uh, you know, one that comes to mind is uh The Beautiful South, Rotterdam. >> What is it? >> You know, the Beautiful South. You know the band The Beautiful South? >> What kind? And no, in short, but what kind of >> They're like a They're a band from like years ago. Um, >> I'm not going to sing it, but it's called Dam. And then they have um >> what's it called? Oh, loads of songs. Beautiful South. Yeah, they're I can't remember where they're from. Yeah. >> Pause for 4 second clip so I don't get copyrighted. >> Okay, there it is. >> Okay. Uh here's here's a fun one here. Um would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck- sized horses? >> I'm allergic to horses. >> Really? >> Yeah. >> Oh man. >> Yeah. Yeah. I'm allergic to horses. So >> you have to take the duck then. I would take the ducks. I wouldn't want to fight them. >> Yeah, >> I wouldn't. >> Yeah, >> I wouldn't. I was I was at the the park recently with uh my girls and um >> the swans I understand a sw or a swan is not a duck, >> but um we went to go feed the the ducks and the swans and those swans are aggressive. >> Um they were coming over and I didn't realize um >> that they were like kind of like nipping at us. Yeah, they're like >> And then Yeah. And they were snapping at me and just swatted the thing. It was almost It kind of looked at me. He's like, "Hey, you can't do that." But >> yeah, they're huge as >> hell. Seagulls are turning into swans, too. >> Oh, yeah. The seagulls are quite seagulls. >> Well, going back to McDonald's here, one of my favorite signs that I've ever seen is uh I'm sure they have them in more places around here, but the the McDonald's in Tawa um they have a sign that says, "Do not feed the seagulls. They may become aggressive." >> Really? People are obviously feeding their seagulls McDonald's. That's what's happening. They're wellfed and that's why they are ginormous. >> And I love too like uh like on trash day in town, the the the seagulls will go in and they'll just park the the trash. >> Yeah. >> Um >> All right. Here's a fun one. This is due to cause some controversy. >> Okay. >> Uh would you rather go three rounds with your toughest teammate? >> Yeah. >> Or your coach? >> Um >> your toughest? >> I've gone three rounds of both. used to spar when I first started here. Um, and yeah, it was it was not fun and also not fun going three rounds with my with my toughest. >> Who's your toughest teammate? >> Um, Dan. Yeah. Yeah. He helps me get ready for my fights. So, yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah. He can like morph into every fighter that I've ever fought. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's great. Yeah. It's good to kind of have someone who can uh um adapt their >> their style >> for you, they can that they can kind of take on like a uh someone else's um fighting style, >> and they'll just put aside their own training stuff to like they'll watch videos and they'll then do certain things that maybe my opponent's going to do or might possibly do. And yeah, they'll give me certain looks. Right on. >> Very lucky. >> Okay. All right. Let's let's get right get right into it here. Okay. >> Um All right. Growing up. >> Mhm. >> First of all, where did you grow up? >> Um I grew up in our town. >> Okay. So, you're not far from your home? >> No. Uh well, I don't So, I've moved lots of times. So, we've we rented when I was a kid. So moved house maybe six or seven times but all within the art area. Yeah. Yeah. >> Uh what school did you go to? Did you go to the same school or did you >> uh Yeah, I went to the same school. So I went to St. Vic um just around the corner. >> That all girls school? >> Uh no, it was mixed. >> Yeah. >> Did Did you like that or would you >> Oh, I loved it. Yeah, it was it was I loved school. Yeah, I love primary school. It was a great school. >> What kind of student were you? Um, I was I was like I was good in school. Yeah. Um, I liked going to school. Um, I knew if I didn't go to school, say if I was sick or something like that, then I wouldn't be allowed to do like I wouldn't be allowed out for the day, I wouldn't be allowed to go to training as a kid. Um, yeah, you weren't allowed to do if you're sick. So, I I I was only sick if I was actually sick. actually sick a thermometer up to the light or anything? >> I was just like just legitimately sick. Um but yeah, no, I loved school. Um yeah. >> Yeah. >> Did you have a like a >> Did you have like a favorite subject or uh >> um I really liked English. Yeah, I like reading but in primary school everything is everything's so all over the place. I just like school itself. I I I liked doing work. like I liked like you know I like switching into different things and >> this is what we're doing next and Yeah. Yeah. And I had like really good friends in primary school. I still have like my best friend now Laura since we were in primary school together. Yeah. We're still like best friends now. >> I feel like that that's kind of not maybe it's just my upbringing cuz like I went to like several different schools. Um, but like I feel like it's kind of common here, uh, where you would have kind of these, >> excuse me, like these lifelong friends that you meet when you are, you know, like five or six in school. >> Yeah. >> Um, >> and not everyone has those positive experiences either. So, some people might not have friends in primary school or secondary school and then they could join something like this and they have friends. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I think it's really cool. Um but yeah, in school I had a really really positive uh >> we kind of like shy or outgoing or >> uh No, I wouldn't have been shy. Um I would have been quite like outgoing but uh not like scream around face but like I was like I would have always like got involved in everything. I played sports in primary school. Um, I would have always like liked to get involved in. So, yeah. >> Did you do like kind of like the traditional sports here in Ireland? Like they do like the god and then the football. >> Did you do anything else like basketball or >> uh No, we didn't have we just had Gaelic and uh Mi in I don't actually know if we had a girls. I can't remember for a primary school. Definitely football team. Um and then yeah, that was just it. It was it's in my primary school anyway and in a lot of the primary schools back then anyway. It's kind of different now and because there's more sports uh involvement like Dublin City Council and stuff like that in primary schools now but uh it would have been you play Gaelic or you play Hurlem um and then there's like leagues and primary schools and then people try to go to play in Parnell and Crow Park. So yeah. Uh, like what was it like in this area growing up? Like what what was our tain like, you know? >> It was it was it was just quiet. Like it was grand. It was just um just quietish. Like there's no um there's no trouble really. Just Yeah, it was just a it's nice area. >> Everything I've heard about the north side is incorrect. >> Um no, every every area has its difficulties. 100%. Um, but like Artane traditionally is not seen as an area. Um, that would be anything in comparison to maybe other areas in the north side as well. But that's because um, other areas are not looked after very well by the people who should be looking after very well, which is the the government, not the people in um, so yeah, but our 10 was it was gone. We didn't like we've art castle. Um like when I was a kid, we used to just like well I wasn't so I was only allowed to do things at certain ages. So >> okay, >> I was probably not allowed off my road till I was like 10. But >> I we used to just go up to like our castle and that was all he did. He could like we didn't know about like youth projects or anything like that. Um so yeah, we just used to go up to the castle or we'd go to McDonald's. >> McDonald's again. speak some sort of obsession here. >> Don't get me started. They got rid of the Sundays few years ago as well. But anyway, we won't get into that. Um, yeah. Or just like hang around in parks and stuff. Yeah. >> Did uh I know like for me growing up it was uh the the city I'm from is probably the same size and area but >> far less populated. Okay. Like like a quarter million people at the time. um and couple million in just this Dublin Dublin greater area. Anyway, um so like from like six seven I had like free reign of the entire city. >> Okay. >> Um like what what am I trying to say? U so like did you kind of like take any liberties as like a kid like or let me back up. My mom had no idea where I was at. >> Okay. And it's not because she didn't want to know where I was at. >> It's just I took off. >> Um like but like did you kind of like were you did you push the boundaries or whatever or whatnot with your with your like with your family or with your >> as a child? >> No. Because uh my mom and dad would be very strict. >> Okay. >> Um so there would have been like consequences to our actions if we did something as kids that we weren't supposed to do. So like we would have jobs in my house like we would have had our own jobs like so like I would have had a job as as a kid and then like we'd have to like do our jobs and obviously we would be like my mom and dad would be shutting us out the door to like go out and play but like we would only do >> what they would say really. Well, no, sorry. We were supposed to only do what they would say, but obviously as kids >> well kids, >> boundaries and stuff, but like we would have gotten like big trouble for for um for doing things. Sorry, I'm laughing >> thinking about my brothers getting in trouble for stuff, but that's not appropriate to say. Um, so yeah, no, as a kid, no, but as a teenager, things were different. >> Yeah, >> I pushed the boundaries. >> So, Um, so when you're when you're a little bit older, like uh um like you know you're into secondary school and stuff like what was what was kind of like you what was a normal day for you? >> Um well so when I was older I would have went to the second school down the road then as well Mercy Bow Mount. Um, and like a typical day up until I was maybe like 16, 15, 16 would have been or even like 14 15 would have been come home from school, do your homework, have something to eat, and then I'd go to training. >> Um, cuz I was still doing I was doing kickboxing as a kid. H, and then into like early teenage years. And then when I was like 15, 16, 17, things were different. Who who did you have like a were you fortunate and enough to have like a kind of a role model who was not necessarily like immediate family? >> Um did you kind of have someone you could look up to and that maybe kind of guided you a bit? >> No. >> No. >> No. Not other than like immediate family. But when you're when I was a a kid and when I was a teenager, I didn't necessarily see the role models that I have that I can that I see now. Like I did I took for granted as a as a yeah as a kid and a teenager like how much my mom does or like how unreal she is as a as a person and as a woman like so like those little things but like externally outside and obviously like my sister as well but outside of my family no I wouldn't have thought that I have positive role models. That's why I think it's something that um I've been thinking about the last little while is that role models for adults is something that's not um that's not focused on enough >> because there's I think there's all this talk about you know having role models as teenagers and having role models for people and stuff like that and which is so so important as well but then we kind of forget that like as adults we actually need role models as well because maybe we didn't have that as like children and as like young people. Um, so we're only getting around to that as adults, like realizing that there's these like positive people that we can look up to. So, yeah. >> Yeah. And looking back as a kid, like you're right, like we kind of take advantage or what's uh >> there's like less of an emphasis put on that as we get older because it's like, well, you're older now. It's like, well, no, actually, am I? when when I remember uh it was recently kind of have like a like a self-reflection and um thinking back on just kind of some of the like teachers and whatnot uh like man like they really tried because I was not a good student. >> Okay. >> You know um and >> in my later years so pre-teen teens I was not a good student >> and then as soon as I could drive I was never at school. Okay. And um uh yeah, but then then I remember just you I think back like some of those teachers like god damn it, they really tried. >> Yeah. And I I look I was I had a different experience in school. It was the same for me in secondary school as it was primary school. Like I was in school as much as I could be and like that. I knew still even as an older teenager that if I was in trouble in school, I was in trouble at home. So I needed to sure that I was not trouble. Yeah. >> Like, so I guess who who were your role models? Like would like be would have been kind of like you know just your parents or >> um I don't know if I would have really thought about role models as >> or just someone you like you looked up to. >> I looked up to my sister. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> The scary one we were talking about earlier. >> Scary. Yeah. >> What's your sister's name? >> Seline. >> Seline. >> Scary Seline. >> I looked up to my sister. I was only laugh because now I like I work with kids and teenagers. So like I would have uh young people that I work with that have an older sister and they'd be telling me stories about how they'd be like doing stuff to annoy their sister and like I then it makes me think of like all the stuff I did to like like be around my sister when I was younger. Like she'd have sleepover for her friends and I used to go sit down in the rooms if I was invited. She'd be like >> how what's the age difference? >> Uh six years. >> Six. Okay. So >> yeah. Yeah. >> It wasn't just a year. Yeah. >> It was just me sitting there. >> I was like they asked me to be here get out. >> That was funny. >> But uh yeah, I would have looked up to my sister and I still look up to my sister now. Um so yeah, and then my uh I have a big brother as well, so I would have looked up to him too. Um and then like my mom, my dad too. So yeah, it would have been my role models would be more like internally in my family rather than like external kind of role models. Yeah, >> I think it's probably it's probably pretty typical. >> Yeah. >> Did like uh uh did your older brother or sister did they like look out for you in school? Did they like did they? >> Yeah. >> Did uh someone was picking on you? They'd come and sort of >> Yeah. Me and my So I used to play um I used to play football uh for White Hall. So me and my sister were on the same team for a while. Um, so like if anybody said that to me on the page, my sister would go up to the school, sort it out, handle it for you. That's good. >> Yeah. And then >> that's that's the thing I I I I miss or >> I I wish I because I'm an only child. Okay. >> And like I So I never had that. And uh you know and I I had a a cousin that I was really close with growing up you know and her and I uh like there's >> three or four year difference between us but we didn't live near each other so like you know but >> you still have that. Yeah. And then my I have two younger brothers as well. So like I'm I was well I was going to say I was like their big sister but I am their big sister. But um we all would be we'd be we'd all stick up and we'd all look out for each other. Yeah. 100%. Even as much as like they'd annoy me or I'd annoy them, if anybody said that be like, "Yeah, you'd stick up for them." >> What? >> Yeah, they did. >> That's cool. Uh okay. So like combat sports like what what what is it? How did you start all this? like what why uh like what what what drew you in you know to your first training session and how old were you >> um here in compound >> period >> uh so I started semicontact kickboxing as a kid so I started when I was five or six my brother and sister were doing it um so then when me and my two younger brothers were old enough we joined as well um >> where was that at >> that was in St. Vicris in the PE hall there. Um, so we used to go around there and train, but my younger brothers didn't they they just could they couldn't they were I think they could have been four and five and maybe I was six and they just didn't have the they just couldn't be standing around. They they couldn't focus. Um, but yeah, so I did that as a kid for up until I was around 15, 16. Um, and then I stopped and then I joined Compound when I was 26. >> Okay. >> 27. >> A big gap. 10 years roughly. >> Yeah. >> What What was it then? Why did you decide to stop? >> Um, I just kind of fell out of it as an older teenager. Um, I definitely think like drinking and just being a teenager played a really big role in that as well. Um it really made it difficult for me to actually stick to to doing something. Yeah. Um I also would have really struggled with like myself like I would have um like I wouldn't have felt great about myself then. So I think that really played a role in it too. Like I I definitely wanted to be really good, but I didn't have the confidence and I didn't actually I was just really hard on myself and I didn't ever think that I was like good enough. So that would have been a thing that I would have struggled with from like that 17 to like that that big gap of time. Yeah. So so that's why I would have kind of like fell in and out of it a little bit as well. Um and I always wanted to go back but I just never did because it was the mix of like >> you say act of doing something else. >> Yeah I uh I did football that's I played football in Kamogi um for White Hall. I was not good. Um my sister actually cuz when I went to college I joined the football team there as well >> and uh my sister and my mom always slagged me about a match that they came to and I was like they were like you are so bad like I think at one stage I was over talking to them and they were like go back over there. It was really bad and I was always real confused why like maybe people didn't seem very enthusiastic about me being on the team. That was why. Um but I really really enjoyed um playing for White Hall for like the social side of things like the group of girls that's there is deadly. So, like it was just even though I wasn't good um or as good as some of the other people that were there, I just really enjoyed being part of the team. >> Yeah, >> that's cool. >> Yeah. >> Um >> Yeah, that's kind of having that uh team social aspect still. You know, you may have may not have been good >> at uh at playing, but you were sure you're a good crow. >> Yeah, >> that's why they kept your own. Yeah, >> I like to think I was anyway. That's funny. >> I can just imagine just on the sideline and you're having a chat and then you're like, >> "Yeah, I always like run the wrong way and everything." >> I wasn't ter I I wasn't terrible. I wasn't terrible. I was in those two matches. Yes. >> Um Okay. So, like what what was it that like why why did you come back? You know, it was 10 years. Um you had your break. um you know in your in your mid20s you know I assume by then you were out of college what real quick what did you go to college for? >> Um I went to college three times. I dropped out twice. >> Okay. >> Um so the first time I went I did philosophy for about two months. I really liked reading. >> Um so I really wanted to like think about why things are the way they are. And then I was like this isn't this isn't for me. And then I did business and German for a year. Uh it was supposed to be for like four years but dropped out. >> Um and then I went back then after that and I did social care and yeah that's what I I'm qualified social care worker now. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. So I love that. >> Um so like what what was it that like said what drew you back into the gym? >> So I always wanted to go back. Even when I stopped I I didn't want to stop. So, and I always always wanted to go back, but it's like these like things just kept I kept blocking myself from going back, whether it was because I was drinking or I didn't think that I was good enough. Um, and then I kept saying, "Oh, I'll go back when I'm good enough. I'll go back when I'm like cuz I used to be good as like a kid and a teenager. So, I was like, you know what? I'll get good again and then I'll go back. But then CO happened um and I was like why am I CO happened I stopped drinking and then I was like why am I waiting to get good to go back when I could just get good if I go back um so then >> good good thought process >> I just went back and yeah >> or it's a good uh good quote >> yeah I just like I was just waiting around and I was just like I just had overthought about stuff for what like nine 10 years yeah >> just happened you know >> would be a world record I'm not sure what happened. >> Um and then yeah, I went back and it was the best thing I ever did. >> But like what was it like the kind of the first day, you know, stepping in here? Oh, >> I was so nervous. Um because I this wasn't where I started training as a kid, so this was totally new to me. Um didn't know anybody here. Really nervous. Um and also I it was only a while ago my boyfriend had said to me that um for ages I like nobody had said that I was didn't need to wear I was wearing like my long semi contact uh kickbox and trousers here for I would say a good few months nobody said that I didn't need to wear them they just left me do it. like I was just >> that's funny. >> Um so yeah, I was really really nervous. Um but like was so friendly. He was so welcoming. Everyone was really nice as well. Um and I knew once like once I did like my first class, I just wanted to come back again again again. Yeah. >> Have a look back. >> Yeah, that's the a reoccurring theme. Um these gems like they they seem so scary. But you meet some of the nicest people and all. Everyone's so kind of calm and levelheaded. >> Yeah. Cuz it wasn't even it's not it wasn't like scary as in like oh that what's happening here is scary. It was the more like I was nervous because I was like coming to do a thing in a totally new place with totally new people. Um and also it was like I was finally doing the thing that I had said I wanted to do for ages and now I'm actually doing it. And you don't want to have a bad experience either because then it's going to >> Yeah. Then you're not going to do it and then you're going to still want to do it. Yeah. It's just going to >> um So yeah, but it's been working out. >> Yeah. >> Really well. >> How many years has it been now? >> Five. >> Just Yeah. >> Yeah. >> That's um >> feels like it's been so much longer, but yeah, it's been just a little over five. Yeah. >> So, how do how do you how do you kind of juggle um at the beginning? uh you know, you're kind of just starting back into this. What like what what were you did you kind of have like a a plan on what you wanted to do with your like kind of like your uh your career as a fighter or were you just I just needed to get back here to do it? >> Um no. So I knew so like I was walking around here and like I was like okay I'm going to go back and I'm going to I'm just going to go and I'm going to do the first class and I'm going to see what I think. And then but it was like this thing in the back of my head it was like no you don't you want to compete you want to compete like cuz that's what I had done since I was a kid and a teenager was competing. Um so I was trying to be very like you know I'm just going to go around and see what it's like but like the part of my brain was like no you're not. So once I got here and I remember it was I can't remember how many sessions into it was but it was only like early days and Ryan my boyfriend he was getting ready for a fight. >> Did you meet him? >> I met him here. Yeah. So he was getting ready for a fight. Alex was getting ready for a fight. I think one of the other lads could have been getting ready for a fight as well. And I was just watching them and it was like was so intense and they were just like training so hard and I was just like I want to do that. Like they were just like in this like other like zone of like you could just see it and I was just like that's that's what I want. Yeah. >> That's cool. >> Yeah. >> Like so you knew kind of early on then that like you wanted more or less make something? >> Yeah. I knew I wanted to compete, but I didn't necessarily know what was the opportunities that were available to me. >> Okay. >> And basically until they kind of happened, if that makes sense. Like I didn't even really know what K1 was cuz obviously I came here and I started doing K1. And then it was only like 2 years after two and a half years I started doing MMA. So I didn't start off doing MMA. It was K1 that I had started. So, I started off competing in kickboxing and then Usheen had talked to me about doing MMA and because we had talked about like once I started competing, we kind of talked about like my progression and stuff and and where I would like to go and then we talked about going professional in K1 and then he said, "What about MMA if we if we do that?" And then I was like, "Okay, let's do MMA." And then I was like, "Oh, no. I better do some jiu-jitsu and I better actually learn how to do MMA. Um, so yeah, then I started competing in MMA. >> What uh like what what did your your family think about you competing in MMA? Cuz like it's quite a bit different than you know than than kickboxing stuff like this. Like how do they feel about it? Well, how do they feel about just even competing in like kickboxing? >> Uh like my everybody bar my mom is fine. Uh my mom even as Yeah. Even as like a kid when I'd be competing in kickboxing, my mom's super worried. So even now everybody bar my mom is fine. Um but she's like so supportive. So she'll come to like she came to like the fights in in the ord she didn't go to the fight. She waited around the corner um in the pub and then I'd like go around to her after and let her know it's all right. But that's as far as she's actually ever probably came to any place. Even as a kid when I'd be doing my gradings for semicontact kickboxing, she used to be telling my dad to go down and tell them to stop. Like he was like, "No, we're not able to do that. That's not how this works." Like she'd have to leave like she'd walk out of the school hall and Yeah. Yeah. She just isn't able to like watch it. But uh everyone is like really really supportive. >> That's good. I think it's like a kind of a Universal mom thing unless you are Alexander Sullivan's mother. Uh Deb Deb. Yeah. Unless you're Unless you're uh Deb then uh Yeah. I think you're >> She just can't. Yeah. And like she'd I'd sometimes I'd get a clip on my phone and I'd be like, "Oh my god, look at this." And she'd be like, "I'm not watching it if it's you." And then like I And then I'd show I'd be like, "It's not me. It's not me." And then I show her. She like, "That's you." And then Yeah. So she can't even watch clips. She wouldn't watch anything. I think she watched like a clip of one of my fights before. >> But um yeah, everyone's very supportive. >> That's That's good. That's good cuz uh even if she doesn't want to watch it live like and she's still happy for me and watching >> she's like very proud of me and >> yeah that's good. Um like >> hold on I I went through the time to to read or to write questions. Maybe I should actually look at them. Um there we go. Like was there a particular thing about this gym like compound that like kind of made you like know this was kind of your home? Like this is where you wanted to stay and really put in the work. >> Um yeah, it would have been us um as a coach. Yeah, he >> always I always whenever he comes up I always hear a good thing. >> Yeah. Yeah. He's he's great. Um he was the thing that like he he makes the gym what it is. Um, so he put so much time and so much work into me and into everybody else here. And he has really like created an environment that makes people want to train here, want to be here, want to compete if that's what you want to do. And he'll give you all the tools and all the help in the world that he can. Um, and even if you don't want to compete, he will just build people up to be the best training partners and for them to have the best training experience that he possibly can. So yeah. Yeah, it's a really really really it's a really special gym. Yeah. >> Like has Combat Wars made you kind of do you view do you view yourself a little differently than maybe you did a few years ago or like how has it kind of shaped you you know as a as a person as a woman you what is it? Um yeah like as I said when I was like I would have really struggled with like like how I feel about myself like you know I would be I would have been very critical of myself um I would have been very sad for a very long time um and I would have really struggled with like body image and stuff too whereas >> now I feel like I'm a totally different person because this sport has like given me opportunity unities to see how my body works so many different ways even though my body might not necessarily be like you know the body that you would compare but that's all comparison to like different things I've kind of stepped away from all that stuff now like the the fixating like the body and stuff so yeah it's given me like a totally different uh perspective on myself on my body uh I also just don't really feel very sad had anymore which is which is great. Yeah. Which is always positive. Um so yeah it has just completely and utterly like changed my life. >> Yeah. Um I don't drink anymore. Um I used to drink at all. >> No nearly 5 years and I haven't drank. Yeah. Um, so it's really made me kind of like look back and reflect on like different things that I was doing to myself that was not nice and just had like a negative effect on me. And I think that kind of has because I want to be the best that I can positively be. I'm always trying to do things that are going to help myself rather than like hurt myself in any kind of way. So like me thinking negatively about myself, that's not going to help me. me, you know, picking out stuff about my body that I don't like, that's not going to help me. Me not going to training, me drinking, me whatever it is. Yeah. It's not to say that things like, you know, you don't have negative thoughts every now and then and they don't like slipping in and stuff, but I'm in a much better place of being able to control that stuff now. So, yeah. And I I genuinely believe it's because of like what I do here. Yeah. >> Right. >> Yeah. Um, so like in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, you're a woman. >> Yeah. >> Um, u, but like have you ever like felt like kind of any like pressure to like kind of what should I say again? I wrote these. >> That's okay. Um, like have you ever felt any pressure to like kind of like prove yourself to other people because you're a woman, you know, and you're in this kind of, you know, your male dominated space? >> Um, like do you feel pressured to kind of, you know, go that extra step or do something that maybe you wouldn't do just to, >> you know, like to prove yourself? >> Um, no. Never. Uh, great. Good. >> Yeah. Never. Uh, at all. No. I I >> now do do you feel that's you know to do with kind of your atmosphere here or like and and like the kind of the people that surround you or is it that uh >> um just in general you don't feel that or >> um just in general I don't feel that h I do think it's because as well because of the atmosphere that's created here too. Um, probably only recently I have come to terms with the fact that I'm not the same size as the lads in the gym. Uh, it's something that I have struggled with. That is one of my most recent struggles in life is that I'm not the same size as them. Um, I'm still not fully sold on the idea. So yeah. Um, but no, I'm treated the exact same as any of the lads. The lads are treated the exact same as I am as well. Um, so there is no except for like, you know, people are mindful of size. >> Um, and people are mindful of, you know, uh, maybe pressure when we're rolling and stuff like that. But, uh, there other than that, no, I'm given the same opportunities as the lads are, and the lads are given the same opportunities as I am as well. Um, so yeah, no, I've never felt any different to anybody here in the gym. And I've never really seen anybody um I've never seen anybody be treated differently either. And nobody uh even anybody that comes into the gym that's maybe a bit newer. Everyone is just everyone's all it's just the same for everybody. Yeah. >> Are there any like specific challenges that you face because you're you're a woman in this or >> No. Oh no. No. >> That's good. >> It is. It's really good. I've never faced any any challenges that I could >> think of. No. Um even like matches and stuff like that. Like I I didn't struggle for matches when I was starting. >> Really? >> No. Never. Because uh I >> You're a flyweight. So it's not >> uh Well, I was when I was fighting in K1, I was fighting from like 67 to 58. So I could fight anywhere with it more like in 61, 62, 63, then a little bit later. but then to 58. So, um, no, like I had like 13 K1 fights. Um, and then for MMA, I didn't struggle for matches either because I was very lucky that there was loads of girls that were super active. And I was only just starting, but I also had no issues with fighting people that were like more experienced than me once Usheen felt that it was like >> appropriate. >> Appropriate. Yeah. and I knew that he I really trusted his insight on things and uh yeah, so I never struggled for matches. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Cool. >> Yeah. Well, I've been very lucky so yeah, no issues. >> Um so circling back a little bit about role models. Mhm. >> Um like do you kind of view yourself as a role model for other women like when they watch you fight or they you know they they see you on social media or um you know other women here in your gym like do you kind of do you position yourself to be a role model for them or do you like how how does that work? >> Uh no. >> Okay. >> No. Uh, no. I wouldn't like I I so like I understand how things work because like not just like I understand that things work like I get that I do have like people that might look at I I struggle to think that people look up to me. >> Okay. Um, but I understand that like as somebody that is fighting like the way that I would see people fighting as well that people do I don't know why I get mad role model like yeah I would say that people do look up to me in a way but I wouldn't think of myself as somebody that people look up to but I would be conscious that the people do look up to me if that makes sense. >> Yeah. Absolutely. I would always want to like carry well I just am who I am but I would always be very conscious of things that I would put online. I'd be very conscious of like you know I don't like sell a fake idea of myself if that makes sense. Like you know >> every training session's not great. Every like I don't win every fight. Um yeah. So, like I I I understand that I would be a role model to some people, but it's not something that I would very like I think once you're out there with social media is like now a thing that like people have to almost engage in. You're promoting yourself online. you're promoting um who you are as a person and stuff to an extent as much as you can in like a snapshot of a post or a video or a real or whatever it is that like everybody has some level >> because you are in the public eye to some extent of social responsibility that's that's what I think about things so you now have influence whether or not you like it or whether or not you might know about it directly like somewhere in the back of your mind you need to be like you know I actually have some influence. People could be looking at what I'm doing. People could be looking at what I'm saying. So, it's very important that you are using that influence in as much of a positive and a good way. >> Cognitive or >> cognit. >> It's good that you have thought of that. >> Yeah. >> And you know, you're being you're thinking about that proactively. >> Yeah. cuz I know that I compared myself to people when I was a kid or when I was a teenager and that was a very big part of my life or even like early adult years like comparison was a massive massive thing that I struggled with. So >> and even just like you know people can be very like you know there's there is people out there in positions of like power in socially and stuff that like people could be looking up to not necessarily the the most positive role models. So, I think it's important coming to mind. >> Yeah. I think it's important that people have um I think there's so many deadly people out there. There's so many really, really respectful, hardworking fighters out there that people are very lucky to get to look up to and see little snapshots of their lives. So, yeah, I'm just mindful that maybe somebody's looking at a little snapshot of my life. >> I like how you said earlier that like you're you're kind of curating it to where it's not, you know, like a fake persona. >> Yeah. you know, uh, which I think is good and healthy and I think it's good for, you know, the people that follow you and uh, and watch you as well. >> Yeah. Like mostly just eating or >> hanging out with my nephew. Yeah. >> Looking for >> tune in for my Thailand vlog. >> Oh man. Um, on to like your overall career like where do you like how do you feel about your your current progress? like uh you know you've how many fights have you had in Kate Wars? Is it three? >> Three and one. Yeah. Four. >> Four. Okay. Then you'll have another one next year on the Dublin card. >> I have another one now in three weeks. Yeah. Okay. >> And then uh the plan is the Dublin card. Yeah. >> Yeah. So like how do you feel about your kind of your pro career so far? Like what what is it >> looking back on it? Like how do you feel about it? >> Well, I think it's mental though. I'm passionate fire. >> Yeah. Okay. >> I actually do think that's mad. Like I I think that like if I was like looking back if I was like a kid looking at it now, I'd be like, "Oh my god, that's mad." Like that's it's very cool and it's like very surreal sometimes as well. Um but also I can see how it happened because I can see how hard I worked to get to where I am. Um but it's very very early days. Um, and that's something that I kind of got a little bit u muddled in my head with at the start because you're because you're looking at people and they are so far ahead in their careers and you're looking at where you would like to be and you're kind of forgetting about the part where you need to just like focus on on really what's happening now. >> Um, but like right now I feel like I'm in the very early stages of my professional um career, but it's going well so far. are the boss still, >> I think. Um, I've been I've been following you since uh I think the first fight I saw and I think it was there uh you fought Sarah Elliot Sheridan uh >> on a war. >> Yeah, nearly. Um >> yeah, >> you know, so I've kind of had my eye on you for a while. >> Sounds weird. No, I've been following you for a while there. So, and I was um when I heard you going pro with Cade Warriors, I was very excited for it. >> Thank you. >> Um that was even before I, you know, kind of met you or even talked to you or anything like that. So, um truly you are one of my favorite fighters um in the country at the moment. Um so, I am >> I'm I'm excited for you and uh for your career and where you're going. Um where was I at? Um, so like what with your with your training for um your fights coming up like you being a pro is >> you know there's there's a vast difference between you know kind of an amateur and then like kind of like the like the like the casual amateur as well. um like what um um like how has your relationship changed when you kind of made that step to go from amateur to pro? Like what what what was it that you kind of had to start doing a bit differently? >> Um I think I don't know like be honest when I was training as like when I was fighting amateur I was training just as much as I am now. So, like I I was always pretty like just like locked in with my training. Like I just I I know like being in a routine with my training is super super important. Training as much as I can is is really important to me as well. Um so I don't know. I I I don't know if much has changed to be honest. I was always kind of just like >> What about like the like the business aspect? um like the social media stuff. >> That or like uh you know like trying to attain sponsors or even to try to in um um attract um promotions to, you know, want to sign you or want to even, you know, feature you or anything like that. >> Yeah. Like I I think Yeah. So like that's obviously like the social media stuff and the sponsorship stuff was something that was new to me because I'd never done any of that for amateur. Like I didn't do any SP like I didn't look for sponsors as an amateur and like my social media was on p like I had to turn even like turning my social media from like public to >> from private and stuff like that like that was all new. Um >> does did like Oshin did did anyone kind of like really talk to you about like about that kind of trend that that transition? >> Yeah, like Oshene talked to me about it like he talked about you know the social media side of things. He like just talks to me about everything. So like he's like my coach, my social media person, everything. Um so like he would have talked to me about the social media side of things. H he'd send me different ideas of stuff that I could do um and stuff that is things that I would do as a person. Like I never want to do like I'd never be doing anything that I necessarily wouldn't feel right with doing. >> Um >> so yeah, the social media stuff was new even like >> you know putting out in public. um the sponsorship stuff as well. Um you know, reaching out to sponsors. I'm very grateful for my sponsors. I'm so lucky with the sponsors that I have as well. They've been such a massive support. Um and they're people that are like really invested in me, like doing really well, too. >> Um so yeah, I am just really lucky in that kind of sense. But uh yeah that that side of things would be more yeah the social media the the I don't know you're people say that you need to think of yourself as like a a brand or something I've heard people say >> brand or business. Um I don't know me so like yeah >> um is there anything you didn't anticipate um turning pro like there any kind of like challenges that you had um like I said that you didn't think of or anticipate >> um anything come to mind? I think like you know I yeah maybe just how much more there is to this that I didn't necessarily like think about like you know the the small I'm really starting to understand a lot things a lot better. I think that's just because I'm um >> what things like >> like I'm I'm understanding the sport a lot better. I'm understanding training a lot better. I'm understanding like, you know, the concepts of of things a lot better, like with jiu-jitsu, with striker, with wall wrestling, >> and >> how little time I necessarily might have for how much time you need to really like go deep into all this stuff, which is like something that probably before it was like I was training and I was working as hard as I could, but I wasn't necessarily maybe like thinking about the stuff as much as I'm really thinking about it now. Um so yeah, probably that like I'm really like I'm really thinking about it now. >> It's good. It's good like yeah it's good that um you know a younger person has a benefit of you know not having to think about you know like you said mentioned of time like they have time in their side. >> Um you know so if you're >> 17 18 19 you know you can kind of >> Yeah. You have time. Yeah. Whereas like now I I have the time and I'm not it's I'm not because before I was kind of like overthinking about you know I have time but I do I have the time but I just need to be very very um conscious of how I spend my time. So it's just more that I need to be more kind of just like you know I do have the time. I don't need to rush anything but I need to make sure that I'm like using my time wisely. >> Yeah. >> Um five years where do you want to be? Uh, >> where do you see yourself? >> I want to be the UFC champion. >> Uh, I want to have fought for the cage warriors flyweight championship as well within those five years. >> See that coming up soon. >> Yeah. Um, hopefully February. Um, and yeah, five years is a long time. >> Yeah, it is. So, I'd like to I'm 30 now. >> 30. >> Yeah. Um, so yeah, I I would like to be UFC champion within five years. >> Yeah, definitely doable. page warriors champion as well within five years. >> Okay. >> And um yeah, keep doing what I'm doing. >> Like at the end of the day, everything's all said and done, like what what what does like success look like to you? Like what does that feel like? What does it look like? What the taste like? Like what does success to you? >> Um that I did the things that I said that I was going to do. Yeah, that's what it that's what it would be for me. like I feel successful now because I I went back to martial arts and um yeah so like now I'm I'm just looking for like the next like success added on to that of like you know winning the fights and and progressing going on and yeah so so for me it like success would be that like I I want to be known for one of the best um to ever do it in terms of MMA. >> Um, and >> yeah, I just also like for me to be able to sit back after it and be like, you know, I I I did everything that I could possibly do and I put like everything that I I had to put into it and I will look back and I'll be proud of the effort that I made. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So even if for some reason things don't go as I hoped that they planned or you know you know like I lost that fight and that wasn't what I planned to do but like that I can look back and I go you know what I I gave that everything that I possibly could and I'm like I'm proud of myself for it. Yeah. >> Awesome. >> Yeah. So I want to feel that many it is. So yeah >> that's great. All right. Look um I I I appreciate your time. Um thank you so much for >> for having chat with me. Um >> thanks for having me on. Uh, I I look forward to your next fight. Forward to uh watching you in Dublin again uh next year. Uh I look forward to seeing you in UFC too. >> Thank you. >> So um yeah, thank thank you. >> Thanks so much for having me as well. >> And until next time. Okay. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Let's go. Heat. Heat. N.