James Slavin interview

Summary

James Slavin is an amateur MMA fighter representing FAI I'm Belfast, originally from Derry he made his professional debut on @chaosfightingchampionshipold and unfortunately coming up short, he talks about his redemption in his next fight whilst returning to his home town once…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

What's up, doc? >> Okay, it's been a very, very long time, but it's my absolute pleasure to have Mr. James Lavin. I commentated on his debut, which unfortunately didn't go his way, but he's going to be fighting again in Derry, which is coming up next month as well. It's not too far away. It's just over two two weeks away now. It's Yeah, just over two weeks away. How are you feeling and how are you doing? And how do you look forward to fight? Cuz we also we've had a bit of a scare this week where obviously we wish Dilan Douglas a speedy recovery from whatever's happened to him, but you had a bit of a scare. Well, you you didn't even realize. So, just talk to us about how that happened with the new opponent. >> All right, so two weeks out now. I was saying the day before we started, I just thought everything was going a wee bit too smoothly. Preparations been going like really good. Just I put in hard work in and seeing results from it and just I getting really excited to fight again at home, but uh I woke up yesterday morning with a message from Shandal. Just let me know that I don't pulled out. I think he's got a bad a bad a bad cut or something. So, look at it as what it is. Um So, I had I only had maybe like two hours of thinking that I don't have an opponent and then they got on to me then, but uh God there's a a new fellow coming and I think he's English. He's like had like a little bit of a burnout goal boxing fight. So, it's good to just get somebody at this stage. Two weeks out. I don't care who it is or I I never really care about like I just just good to get somebody get somebody to fight at home again, which is two professional fights at home is uh amazing. I I I only thought I maybe would have had one. But, it's nice to be able to do it again and rectify what happened in May losing my debut. So, yeah. >> Yeah, and like that is >> well. It's always good and you savor these moments because like obviously Cage Warriors has been the longest running and it will continue to go on, but a lot of people don't get to fight in their their hometowns. You know what I'm saying? Do you cherish these moments as they happen cuz obviously as your career goes on and there's the likes of Cage Warriors, Octagon, or whatever route that you decide to go down, you're not really going to be in Ireland that much as a pro. So do you cuz a lot of people will go I want to get here and instead of enjoying the journey they kind of try to skip through it, but do you enjoy this as a well it looks like you enjoyed it from your walkouts and having the crowd there, but do you really cherish these moments now knowing that as you go further on it's less likely you're going to be fighting in Derry? >> Yeah, yeah. Especially after the last one. I felt like I put a wee bit too much pressure on myself. I didn't enjoy it as much as I felt like I should have. But again, it's it's all hindsight, isn't it? Looking back. I'm there to do a job at the end of the day. That's I do want to enjoy it, but at the same time I don't really care about enjoying it either. I I need to get on and get the results. That's what professional game's about. Um So but I am enjoying it. I love I love being from Derry. Like I love Derry. I love the people of Derry. Like being able to be a professional athlete and perform at home is like I it's a dream like it actually is my [clears throat] dream coming true. So to be able to do it twice probably doing it twice because of the last time, but it's nice to be able to rectify it and uh I No, I do I do I am cherishing it a lot more this time. I felt last time I was just kind of like oh, let's get it happening. Let's just get it happening. I can't wait to go on and just scrap and No, I'm just enjoying each each day now and um I can't wait for it to be fight week and just I be in it. >> Yeah, I I like that. What was it like there when you come out cuz I I assumed you played the same song all the time cuz I never realized how iconic that song was until you came out to it at one of the previous KOs and everyone crazy. What's that feeling like walking out to that song because it's so iconic? And just to to have the crowd, I know obviously said there was a lot you put yourself under a lot of pressure, but you look like you enjoyed the the walkout. What's that like walking out into family, friends, and fans all there singing along the song with you? >> Uh it's hard to explain. It's a lot of them a lot of emotions to be honest, but I just just I would just want to buzz like to be honest. I would just I would just buzzing off it like I I'd be nervous, but like I'd be buzzing and happy at the same time. It's a it's hard to explain and when you see like when you see everyone that I've kind of grown up with and my family, my friends, and stuff, I just it's I'm trying to be focused at the time, but like just for a couple of weak seconds, I'd be like, "Oh, focus is uh this is amazing." So, again, I'm going to cherish it again. But, I'm going to perform this time. I have to perform. Um I I set up a pressure on myself the last time. I probably shouldn't have put pressure on myself now, but I put pressure on myself every fight. Every fight's so important to me, but um just going on a a wee bit more relaxed this time and I um being about about smarter. Let's say just being about smarter and knowing that I've got 15 minutes. Um I was nearly too eager and got too into like the walkout and I was like, "Right, let's go. Let's just go and scrap now. I'm going to go and take this boy out." But, um in the professional game, I can work, but it only takes one shot as whoever I you were there. Whoever watches it seen that as well. So, um just being calculated at that. There was no reason for me to fight that way. I needed to get on the fellow's face, but I'm a smart fighter, too. Like I and uh I can fight wherever the fight goes, so it's just about being being smart in this one and um it don't make it all so much more sweeter whenever I get my hand raised then. >> Yeah, no no it will be. I I like that. You said you put that pressure yourself and obviously the crowd were going wild. But when you kind of initially don't, once that kind of set in and you realize what like you see you don't have to go into this. So I want to ask you how kind of hard was it as a fighter because you'd you'd gone you'd you'd seen the improvements we'd all seen the improvements and we're all looking forward to that and like that that's the fight game you can just get caught like that and then to be fair he was very very good and very quick, but what was your initial kind of like mentality? Was it hard to deal with or did you want to get straight back in or or what was going through your mind? I'm not saying like you want to give up on it, but like as a fighter how hard was that to have that happen that night? >> fair. Very hard. Very very hard worst night of my career by a long long long stretch. But with everything time heals and like four five days later I'm chatting to Pat and chatting to Shando and we're talking about what's next. And we got a fight lined up quick enough to be honest which which which helped, but and the the the night of the fight awful. The next morning awful. As you could imagine like I as I said at the start I love being from there. I love everyone that's there, all my friends, people I've grown up with since I've been no age. Um you feel a lot of emotions probably embarrassment and just feel like you're letting a lot of people down, but like ultimately I'm not letting anybody down. I let myself down and I I'm in control basically Dave of how I feel and listening and so is everybody. So a couple of days went by like my wounds Got back in the gym and I had a goal to look forward to then I fight again. Shando just I he got me another fight set up pretty fast which which definitely helped. Um but I can be honest [ __ ] really really low couple of days. But look at it's a game, isn't it? There's going to be massive high nights which I'm envisioning in two weeks and there's going to be low nights too. So um again I'm just learning to try and be a wee bit more like level with not getting too high, not getting too low on it because the sun rises the next day, you know what I mean? Life goes on and uh this is my life I bought I have friends and family like that care a lot about me and my coaches they care about me more as a person, do you know what I mean? So um I didn't answer your question that was rough but look it's in the past now and I've I've definitely learned from it and I've became a better definitely a better fighter, a lot better person as well. So uh I it's it's in the rearview mirror mirror as well to be honest. I know I'll probably talk about it a lot over the next couple of weeks just because it's recent see bias, isn't it? Like it's my last fight, whatever but um I'm just buzzing to go again lads. Same as any other fight any other time that I've lost. Once I have another goal to look forward to and another fight they they they work towards, I'm just picking up the tools lad and putting heavy work on at the gym and slowly your confidence starts to come back with that. For me anyway, my confidence comes from the work that I put on and the sparring rounds that I do and the conversations that I have in the work I put on at the title gym. So um rough but look it is what it is. It is what it is. >> Yeah and I love you say that cuz I was going to say it to after you said like ultimately you're letting no one down cuz I was about to say number one you should never be embarrassed and two you're not letting anyone down because you're doing something that 99% of the world won't do. Like if someone for me goes in and and is zero on 10, they go on the cage 10 times more than anyone ever did which takes a lot of [ __ ] courage and a lot of [ __ ] balls. But in terms of between then like that you got to fight looks and you've had a couple of fights fall out. Were you trying to get active as quickly as possible or or what was it cuz I know you always want to be active. You've taken fights like a day's no I I believe that was a chaos as well, wasn't it? Um you've taken fights did you want to immediately get back into? How frustrating wasn't it obviously getting injuries and and sometimes fights falling through? Was it frustrating cuz you wanted to kind of write that wrong? >> I I definitely. I just want to be active anyway Dave as you said like I I would fight on a day's notice no problem like I'm always if I'm if I'm healthy I'm on the gym every week. It's I don't want to be taking weeks off unless I'm injured like obviously I've I've had a but I'm on the gym all the time. I want to be active like I want to fight in two weeks' time but I want to be active like all being well I would love to fight again before the end of the year. So um I was the plan to just get straight back on there more more um Paddy Pimblett brought it to me and I wasn't even thinking about it at the time as I said he was just licking my wounds and just probably feeling sorry for myself but uh the fight came about and I think I had about maybe it was six weeks maybe between the two or seven weeks or something like that. So got back in the gym and I and I was I just just straight back they were left off. I was ready fit. And uh I ended up like uh I injured me ribs pretty badly. I think I like detached one of me ribs like me floating rib or something. I was in on way for I a a good few weeks. I couldn't I couldn't move for a few weeks. So, I just couldn't I couldn't I couldn't afford um which then I had like nearly suppressed everything from the day that my pro debut. So, then it all it all uh it all came back again. But look, as I say, the it's all in the past and to be honest, I even talking about it now is probably good to talk about it and speak about it out loud because I had like two really low points in my career like back-to-back. But if I look back now, I was actually chatting to someone this week as well about just the pull out this week with Douglas and whatever. See my amateur career, lads? And it's mad whenever I'm when people are talking about it and I'm like, "What are you all about?" But going through these moments make you realize that see going through like a really long amateur career, like I had so many pull outs. And like went through like so many injuries and whatever else. It's not as difficult as it kind of seems because of went through before, if you get me. Do you know what I mean? So, um I just then after that injury, I just had to heal up. Took me about probably about 6 weeks there before I could even like train again. I couldn't really get touched for a good while. I don't know what it was with my my body. Maybe it wasn't healing the way I thought. I ended up in hospital and stuff too. So, look, I'm I'm a lot better person for it. I think then as well, Dave, I I rushed I rushed it a wee bit trying to, you know, get back what I had lost. And there I was like putting nearly like overdoing it in training and maybe I was a a wee bit run down and tried to crash the weight a wee bit maybe as well, but I I've once I came back then, like I've had I've known about this Douglas fight for a good while now, so um I just slowly brought me weight down and got myself back to uh full fitness and I must say that I was saying to you like I nearly thought everything was going away but too smooth cuz uh preparation's been like really, really good. I would say it's been difficult and so it should be preparing for a professional fight, but um I I don't even know what your question was. I went a little bit of a mad one there, but I I'm feeling good. >> There was some good stuff in there. And one of the things I I I like that you said cuz this is a topic that's it is just randomly been coming up nearly in every kind of interview I've gotten on some and some and some. But you were saying about amateur, your amateur career with all the pull-outs and stuff like that that it prepared you for stuff like that going forward. Do you think a lot of times with amateur Well, it seems it for me it looks like amateur career is everyone wants to have a perfect perfect amateur career. Now, for me is is a bit silly because you you never want to lose. But if you're going to lose, you you you kind of do want to have you want to have And it's not just lose, but you want to have all these different experiences, pull-outs under like pull-outs of a fight week, uh different bodies, different places. Do you think a lot of people now it seems to me some fighters are like trying to rush into pro having maybe three or four fights. What would you give advice? Would you say not to This isn't any to a particular person, but stay amateur and fight as as much as you can and and feel cuz you you feel this has benefited you that like obviously the first fight didn't go your way, but mentally like you said, you were able to deal with stuff better cuz it happened to you. Do you think amateurs are better off experiencing as much as they can as amateurs before they go pro? >> They've 100% like Why What What rush What What Why are people on such a rush? Like a rush for what? A rush to get like to where? Like just fight as much as possible. See as many opponents as possible. Like I can't think of a style or an opponent that I haven't seen. I've fought tall orthodoxes, tall southpaws. I've fought small orthodoxes, small southpaws. Wrestlers, strikers, uh really good jiu-jitsu fighters, point kickboxers. I've seen every every type of style. So, why would you not want a fight all these people before you go professional? Um you'll still slowly start to build your style. Um nothing's a surprise to you then whenever you do come across it, but uh it's funny you're saying that. One of my one of my best friends at the minute is just starting MMA. And he's he's he's fighting novice. But whenever I first started like novice, I I don't even know if it was a thing about now. It was never even spoke about like it wasn't a thing. But he has the the the the route they they fight novice. He's had a He's had one novice fight. But why not have like five novice fights before you have 10 amateur fights? So, that's 15 MMA fights before you have a professional fight. And what did I have? Eight eight 18 or 19 amateur fights? Um and if I could have five novice fights before that too, then that would have been great as well. Um but there's Look, I get people maybe you started the the the game a wee bit later. Um I can see why people would be in a rush then, but like if you're 18, 19, 20, then fight as much as possible, as much as possible. I would Lad, I would I would fight every month if I could, honestly. I just love fighting though and love competing. I get that it's probably not possible at pro, but it's definitely possible at novice or amateur to fight every 6 7 weeks, like why not? Why not? >> You know, you're completely right and like you said there's a lot of people who started later. So, to say Brian Manning for example who's fighting at Octagon tomorrow night, he started he was 27, 28. So, he needed to go right. But he still I believe he still had about 10 fights. I think he just plowed through them, went to pro. And but like you're saying, as you're young so 19, 20, 21. You can't reset it when you once you go pro. So, like that if you get if you come across something you haven't come across before, you're like, "Oh shit." You know, and then it's just like I can I can imagine that puts more kind of doubt in your head. Is there any style other styles I haven't but I really like what you said there. But in terms of obviously you're you're the opponent changing. Does that [snorts] how much does that to do for your preparation? Cuz obviously I don't know do you study the opponents or do you leave that to Shando? Obviously I'm not looking for you to give a game plan. Like would you have been looking at dealing yourself? Uh a huge amount, yeah. So, then now it's >> Not a huge amount? To be honest, like no not a huge amount of Again, going back to being an amateur fighter like I always remember I fought uh Ryan Shelley. So, tough like such a difficult style to go up against. But I was like watching all his fights like nearly way too much like focusing on him way way way too much. And then I was like I nearly like brought the things into existence that he was going to do in a way. I was like over-focused on his game rather than my game. So, I've learned over time to just I focus on myself. I do watch my opponents like definitely I do and it's part of being a professional fighter too. But to answer your question about Douglas I was preparing to fight to fight him and I was working on things that might work against him and things that he might want to do and I had specific sparring partners that were of his stature like height-wise and whatever but um I look at it it is what it is. I it's uh it's a wee bit frustrating whenever you do put work on the guy, but I've learned over the years to like not focus too much on who I'm fighting. We'll have a couple of things that we'll work on. But ultimately, I'm working on myself and and getting myself better. We'll have a game plan, but like it's I'm improving myself. I'm not making them better. Do you know what I mean? I'm not like bigging them up to be this super human person. It's a fight at the end of the day, and I'm going to just go on and do do my game and be smart about it, too, though. >> Yeah, no, 100%. I I like that cuz I I'd say I know Pat McAllister, he loves watching. So, Pat McAllister is probably going to be in overtime watching cuz anytime he puts something up on Instagram or something, it was just it was cracky combatty. You know what I mean? That's a bit mad. It's on the mat open. He was like, "This is crazy." Or maybe that was someone else, but he's like, "This is crazy, but I just love watching lads scrap." So, he just Someone said he goes home and he just watches tape. He just watches tape. And and then like they're going to obviously going to come up with a new game plan and kind of relate to you coming up. But also like it's a big it's actually going to be a big night as well cuz PA is that December with PFL. >> Ah, yeah. Reece is fighting on PFL in Dubai, as well. So, Pat and Sheldon will be at that. And Adam Adam will be with me me and Blaine and there he is. So, I it's a big big night lad. Every night's massive for the gym, whether it's someone having their first amateur fight or Reece McKee fighting at the top of the world. Um That's what's so special about being up there is like I know like everyone says like all their gyms are family or whatever, and there it is like a cliche kind of, but lad, if someone's fighting novice, um we train with them. Like that's it's big for all of us. It's big for Reece. It's a for me. It's big for people that are fighting for amateur titles. Uh it's a it matters a lot. They are so loud but how we all get on so I every night's big but I November 14th will be a big night as well for um the whole gym. >> Yeah, and the day it's a like like said I I think it was I think maybe when Reece was in France on a Saturday at PFL like you had Chando and McAllister back at our show on Sunday morning. It's not a so way back uh back there and it's like man you were literally in France or wherever it was like when it just goes to show what the dedication but I'm going to ask you one more question and I'm going to let you go. Um obviously you've got Blaine there with you as well. Obviously you've come through the ranks and stuff together. What's it like sharing the night and the event with him cuz he's also from Derry. He's got the love from Derry as well. What's it like the two of you? Are you buzzing off each other going in? What's it like the the camaraderie between the two of you going into this because you're both from Derry, both big names in Derry, and both well loved and respected in Derry and around the country? >> All right. No, it's like it's great. It's so good. Like uh last night we were up in up in Belfast just on the car. The gala just like buzzing off it all like like two giddy girls just laughing and like just buzzing to go like we've we've always loved fighting those since like Blaine's fought since he's like a proper kid like I've been fighting for a long time too so we love fighting like we just love fighting and to be able to be two professional fighters from Derry born and raised and to be able to do it together I only love. I know I to be honest I haven't really thought about that uh since the last time we kind of buzzed off it a wee bit but um I think this time as well like I have a couple one of my good mates he's fighting Nolan as well so it's like uh and I and I work with a a good of lads in Derry, too, from like they're fighting on it. So, I it's special that it's more than just what you see. It's all a lot of like relationships that you've built through the years. And like I'm seeing I'm making myself feel old now, but like younger lads that I work with and they're fighting on it. And like I'm a I'm fighting pro on it. And it's I it's a [ __ ] it's a mad one, actually, but I love it though. Like it gives me so much pride and like I a lot of happiness and just makes me buzzing to just do it. Like I want to I want to I can't wait for the just come about now, but just trying to be chill as well. And just take my time. Take my time. Each day, take a day at a time, but not many days left now. So, what is it? Probably like 13 13 days now or 14? >> It was 14. So, what's Is it Is it Saturday, isn't it? >> Yeah, tomorrow. So, 15 15 days. >> 15 days, yeah. >> Yeah, so. >> So, 15 days. Not long. Obviously now you've got new opponent locked in. We're going to really looking forward to seeing this the the redemption in Derry as well. I want to wish you the best of skill. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you shout out? And thank you once again for your time. We have to have We can't leave it this long in between next time. But I think there was a lot me and you were trying to get interviews in and fights were falling out and this was happening as well. So, it wasn't as if we weren't trying, but we will have one for your next fight as well. But the floor is yours if you want to say anything or shout anyone. >> Um no, just just like again, like my team and uh Pat Shando, Adam, all the boys. Like I've so many great training partners. Like you I'm I'm spoiled for choice. Like at my weight there's unbelievable. But also I have a lot of people in Derry that have like backed me and helped me. I have a lot of great sponsors, but also also have a lot of great people like in my life as well. Like family family or family um they play a massive part behind the scenes. Like you've just seen me walking on the the cage, but like uh the work that the people around me put on as well for me, like they're so selfless. So um for me lad fighting is more than just for myself. It's for all the great people that I have around me. Um so uh it's going to be special that special 2 weeks. It's more than just for me. It's for everyone that's helped me get those point and to the top of the world lad. That's where that's where I want to go and that's where I want to take my people is I want to be fighting around the world and this is just the start of it now in in 2 weeks. So um uh that's us. >> Yeah, no. And that's the one one last thing before I go cuz a lot of people go, "Oh, it's a it's a solo or you're fighting or you know." But you wouldn't be there without these other people. You wouldn't be there without the support of your family, your friends, and then your coaches. If you should should what you're going to do? No coaches. It's still a team thing. Obviously you're in there on your own, but I think if you didn't have those like I said these special people around you if >> There'd be no point. Like what I wouldn't get any enjoyment out of it. Like I know people say like you have to be selfish and all and like I do be selfish. Definitely, but if I didn't have my my team behind me and my people around me sure like what would how would I celebrate or how would I go through even the low points as well. Like you'd be nothing. You would I would be nothing without the people around me. So uh I don't want to say that I'm not selfish because I definitely am selfish sometimes. Um but I get a lot of enjoyment sharing this with the people that I love and and and my team as well. So it's a massive massive part for me. Like and I want to take uh these people around the world with me. especially the people from from Derry that I've came up with since I've been a kid and I my coaches and my family in Belfast night too, so it's it's more than just about me that way more than just about me. >> I love that about you do need to be selfless at times which you've obviously acknowledged and so I love I love your heart and and the fact that you want to share this moment with these people because they they have made you into who you are today whatever part they played in your life but thank you so much enjoy the rest of your evening and uh best of luck in two weeks time and the redemption is on. >> Yes, sir. Yes, Dave. Thank you. Thanks very much.