Dara Ward Professional debut

news_summary

okay so I'm here with Mr darl Ward who will make his long awaited well not long awaited because it kind of came out of blue we thought he was gonna be fighting but it's it's a very saw upon H professional debut he went six and one am he bet the who's who um he's had some…

news_transcript (youtube_captions)

okay so I'm here with Mr darl Ward who will make his long awaited well not long awaited because it kind of came out of blue we thought he was gonna be fighting but it's it's a very saw upon H professional debut he went six and one am he bet the who's who um he's had some cracking fights some atic electric fights H and now on a show that he featured on twice before Premier he's going to make his Pro debut so congratulations on your pro debut how is it looking and how does it feel to make it on Premier because I know you fought on them before and so obviously you know them how does it feel to be fighting on Premier for this show up in Dublin uh it's [ __ ] it's great listen thanks for having me on there first off but it's uh it's great to be able to jump on the premier they've always been they've always been very good to me and N has been good to me and he's always been getting me good matchups and stuff like that uh he's always tried to promote me well which I appreciate and um yeah I started talking to him about turning pro and he came to me with a good fight and I purely leave it up to H my coach is Chris and Phil um I'm just kind of like I'm just kind of like I want to fight and that's it and then it's up to them they can look at the guys that we get sent in and I let them make their decision I'm like yeah whoever I don't care if the GU is five and all 10 and all 0 and five or whatever like just whatever fight you want to pick for me put in front of me and that's what fight I'll do uh it kind of uh it came as it came as a bit of a it came fast to me turning pro but like it's um it's it's something that we've been talking about for a while and we've been planning for a while and it's something that was been putting my head by Chris and by Phil and like it's kind of like it's just in the last few months it's been realizing that actually I am at that level and I'm coming to that level which I didn't think I was going to be like I started when I was 14 and I was a kid so like coming to up to the level now and like they're saying that to you like it's nearly like you start thinking about like that move up that turn like and then I'm just like I'm just like it's just kind of it's it's mad for me to be like seeing all that happening now like it's actually happening for me I'm very happy that's it's happening I'm I'm focusing in now and I'm getting ready just for uh the go time now yeah and what a compliment obviously like you've got Chris and Phil like 10 something like that but we we'd seen it obviously you're out for a little bit as well like you got better and better every fight and and your last fight the r Manning fight kind of just showed kind of your skill level and where you were at um obviously I was looking forward to the Jess poo fight but I think me and you and talks you said that was going to be your last amateur fight anyways yeah there was no there was no one really else that kind of that interested you or you felt that would be kind of up to the level um with your opponent you've got a decent opponent front you it's not like it's a gimme fight this isn't going to be the EAS fight for you how are the preparations different for this fight than amateur or is there any differences um I've known a lot more Sprints uh I just want to I want to be able to run through this 15 minutes and I just want to be able to I want to be able to go in there and I want to be able to show me full arsenal and not be worried about anything silly like uh getting out bre or like that that won't be happening I've done like I've done a lot of road work and I've done a lot of uh crap to be ready for the 15 minutes and then just the only difference really is instead of doing five three minute rounds I've started doing three five minute rounds and moving around all the pros like I have been doing anyways I was doing that a lot anyways helping the guys out for their fights guys like Leon guys like amran guys like Adam uh they're all great training partners and it's just been a matter of just open the anti to that that's mainly what I've been focusing on trying to get them rounds in and then just simulating everything for the five minute rounds Chang my pads to five minute rounds in set of trees just everything like that and it's it's been it's been a granded just period really it took me about a week to adjust and now the five minutes feel gr to me I enjoy the five minutes and I like having that that time to work in there kind of yeah know it's good and you named a couple of the the training par have what I really like about you and your coach and and more so about your coach as well is how the selflessness of them that when you have a fighter like yourself you've got day you've got more coming up as well yes and you've obviously seen like when you would be I don't mean this in disrespectful way but you'd be a smaller club and you see matis which he went to SBG but the fact that he was able to put his ego aside merge with Chris obviously because they have a good relationship and then the cross training for me that Dynamic is fantastic and I think smaller clubs should do it because like that you don't want to be losing your big Fighters that obviously is going to keep you there then you've got the benefits of like that Leon Hill the Shelly Brothers am T like there's just so many good what's what's it like training in oh no what's it like having Phil and Chris in your corner having two coaches like that that are complete ogs at this game uh it's deadly and to be honest made a real difference in the last fight uh just kind of getting into my head what I needed to get done that was the first fight I think that uh Chris and Phil were B me Corner together it's mainly even Phil uh there's actually I met I met Chris at me first novice fight I think I was only 14 or 15 and him and Phil were actually my corner for that fight it was just it was just kind of it wasn't even a corner it was them standing on the edge of a mat shouting like H but that's when I first met Chris and then that actually that last fight I think was one of the one of the first uh one of the first times he was in the corner and believe it or not actually when we were about 16 there was a young guy from his gym Ben and uh me and Ben actually fought and Chris and Phil cornered against each other and after after we fought we started training a lot together and that kind of sparked a bit of a relationship and then after Co kind of I started training up again I think I had the do Sullivan fight and after that I was like right I need to like kind of shift things up a bit I need more bodies I need more people to be train with and that was like that was the move to Chris's and I'll always be grateful for Phil because he's the one that recommended me to do that and pushed me to do that kind of and I've only ever seen benefits from it and like he doesn't want like he's a [ __ ] He's I couldn't have asked for a better person to have him be corn like and have his someone to guide me like that and someone that I can follow like and I can take little things from because he he like he's he's just in there he's in there for the right reasons he really is soes Chris as well and the is in there for the right reasons and that's all I enjoy having in me Corner pure just honest guys just want to see me do well I want to do well for them it creates a good relationship like it creates serious relationship same all the guys on the team that's all we want we all just want to see each other keep winning and there's no like like there's no there's no jealousy or anything like that we can't have that in the gym like there's never any etiquette like that it's always like we're always Delight to see each other doing well like that's and that's a very important to me I like I like having that and I enjoy having that with the team no I love that and it's it's kind of mad how it's kind of Full Circle your first novice fight the TM cor and I believe so will be cor this it like that's kind of G circle is kind of mad how that has transpired but it's also a very very good story and just on Phil like said shows he's a proper coach because he is your best interest at heart he's not saying he's my star he's this I'm keeping him here for me he said he wants the best for you and that's what he's done he's went out and put you in the best position possible looking forward to to this this upcoming fight but in terms of your opponent have you been looking into much or do you leave that to to your coaches and that they come back to you with the things CU rather than look into it too much or because it's a pro fight have you looked a bit more or do you still just leave it to the coaches to do um so I look at a few things just the way it stands the way it comes out like I I've watched a few of his fights uh just seeing some little things that I can do and then talking to Chris and Phil about it and then Chris and Phil themselves will be looking at their own footage and they'll be coming to me saying little things right we can do this we can do that and just kind of like I have like I I have like a good kind of a thing there with them we can drill a lot of stuff that we want to work on for mainly like for Mar we've been drilling just a lot of work with soaw and uh Little Things little things like that just some little sneaky entries and stuff like that um just like just all the all the all the all the basic [ __ ] that we could be looking at we take everything into account and then after that it's all just about I can I can take the precautions that I need to take and then after that it's going out and fighting my fight going out and not playing into his style going in and still doing what I have to do and getting the win that's that's all it's that's all it's in my head going out there and putting on the forms where I'm going to get the win that's all I want finish like I can't see a I can't see it going outside the first round I don't think I don't think my coaches can either like it's the work I've been putting in and what they've been seeing I me and what I've been able to do in the last few weeks few months few years with this like I think I just go in there and I'm going to do what not do what I want but I'm going to get my game going and it's going to be very hard to stop yeah we yeah where you're predicting the first round finish hopefully I'll be there on Friday to to see it and as for a card it is quite good as well I'm looking forward to you the other ones obviously you've got jenerson Castro as well who's gonna be fighting someone El from SVG who's always an exciting fighter to watch and they've got top top amateurs on it but um with this being obviously this gonna be the first December you're gonna enjoy Christmas what what what what's your Year what's your plans for the year next year are you just going to wait till the new New Year and then come together with your coaches and decide like how active are you looking to be or yeah probably probably probably start having to talk about the next one about I'd say about an hour or two hours after the fight's done that's usually the way it goes like it's just I need I need to be occupied that kind of way um we were thinking about going again in February Premier we're on about going again in February I'm not sure if we're going to now that's just kind of little rumors don't uh don't quote me on that but Premier we're on about going again in February and I thought it might be a good fix um me and Miss only found out a few months ago that before my last swi fight actually that we're expecting a baby so I'm buzzing for that I can't wait for it but the baby's going to be here in April so I'm thinking this one in December maybe one in February and then a little break take care of Baba take care of daddy duties and everything like that and then um then maybe again maybe again in December if I can get back any earlier baby wants to sleep on me I can get back a little bit earlier I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll try to do that but that's what I'm thinking anyways February and then I'm going to have a little L little break just take time off keep training everything like that but just do what I have to do yeah 100% I like that um congratulations first to you and your partner for the arrival I have won he's now 18 so my my my my subscription is up on him I give him I don't have to give the maintenance but I give him money anymore but it's it's the bless you'll have in life there's nothing like having a child and especially at small ages so um yeah so you've got December and then you've got like that I know there's GNA be just a good I want to say cage conflict H Clan Wars is match like just a whole host of shows and you see the likes of I which you fought on before Premier cage conflict Clan was they're all putting more and more Pro fights on how does that feel for you as a new Pro fighter known that there's that many options re regionally cage Legacy and Clan Wars have now merged with pfl as well which is how actually what you make of that that with the pfl merge with those things because they're obviously they're not just going to take strictly from CAG Le or Clan Wars they're gonna be watching the whole island how does that make you feel to think that there do promotion in in the country looking for Fighters like you um it's it's definitely interesting uh I'm not sure I didn't really I looked at post obviously but I'm not sure what exactly they meant like if they were going to have like tournaments on clown wars or tourn on K like to try win contracts like that but listen I think it's unreal always when we get more eyes on the sport and more eyes on the talent in Ireland it's always deadly and I'm always all for that because the level in Ireland is insane and it's only when you kind of like I heard people talking about for ages and it's going of kind of only when you go out and you see yourself the level and you see the level in another place and other countries that you're like [ __ ] we're a high level Little Country we have like we have a little country and even like like we have like we have good lads like it's just like and a lot of guys have mixed records on the island and losing records and stuff like that but every fight here is a tough fight there's so many tough fights so like for the guys that are fighting MMA and Ireland I'm delighted for them to get that recognition and try break through to that and I think Ireland's after getting great recognition in uh in the last year in the last year or two just with guys say out to UFC there's more guys saying out to pfl it's just it's great to see and you like to see your fellow countrymen fellow country women all doing well in the sport like you know it's all we're all we all have the same goal here you know at the end of the day I the mo the people I have most in common with are my fellow Fighters even though I'm fighting them like Mar at the end of the day out of everyone right now friends family everything like that Mar and mate the guy I'm fighting right now he has the most in common with me you know like probably [ __ ] probably friends if we are fighting right now like that's just that's just the way it is like you know us like us Fighters we're all like if you look at I like the way I look at it like we're all we're all the same like we're all coming from the same thing we're all tracing the same dream only one of us can have it that's the an thing only like there's only very few of us that can have it we're all chasing the same thing though so it's great to see people getting on board and people wanted to see the Irish talent kind of rise up because Irish Lads fighting other Irish SS is [ __ ] the shows are Savage some of the shows you get to see here are unreal it's dead like the level is the level is impressive it is very impressive yeah it is because obviously I the past two years I've been going around show to show obviously as you would have known and like you're looking at like the likes of you your Conor McCarthy J K's you like um Daman mcgan who's after bursting onto the scene this year yeah he's very good just just like I people are gonna go always should send him that you'd be here all day like they like to ja S and K all these people but um once and then like said what I like is the UFC like in the past six months to a year what what six Fighters have been signed which is just yeah fantastic obviously there wasn't the the best Deus for all them kefir came in I think on two weeks Shauna came in on like six weeks or something like because when you get the call you're taking it but yeah they they got there and and that's all it takes but I'm Gonna Let You Go now in a minute um but like I said you've talked about kind of what you want to do next year um how you obviously you said you see the fight go you don't go past the first round um what like your preparations leading up to this you said you've done a lot more road work has the overall training been intense though like has it been more intense has it been upper level have you felt it different or were you just training at that higher level anyways that you didn't need to go up another gear um I was I was trying at that high level anyways I was try giveing me all when I'm in fight camp for this this this time around really just trying to finesse everything and get more of bit professional about it and just changing my attitud towards it a lot just cuz in terms of like it's my job and it's just it's what I do now it's how bringing home the paper and it's just that me getting up and running every morning doing me Sprints doing me hot and cold therapy anything like that like that's all just work to me now like that's all it has to be done there's no question about it I can't I'm not missing a day's work you know CU it's it's a there's no there's no fruits from labor that you didn't put in like you know there's no you're not going to get to enjoy moment when you know you didn't put into work even if you get by like you know even if I beat Maran this weekend and I hadn't put into work you're still like buy that one like no I don't want that feeling I want to be in there knowing that I deserve to be there and uh I'm meant it I'm exactly where I'm meant to be you know because I am exactly where I meant to be and it's just about I'm reaffirming That Kind of all the trend I'm doing all the [ __ ] I'm doing you know confidence doesn't just come out of nowhere like I put in a serious amount of work to prove to myself that I'm the person that I say am yeah and I like the way you put it there that when you go to training every day when you're going in there you know you don't want to be left just say if you ever lost a fight you don't be left with that feeling I could have done more where if you've done everything you could it's like me just say if I miss two days work I lose pay so for you that's experience that's that's tra like that's that's Improvement so that's the way I look at you're missing out I'd be missing out on two days pay you're missing out on two days wor of experience that little that little detail that could change my whole fight anything like that like all that [ __ ] all that [ __ ] all that [ __ ] is very like it's very important you have to stay on the grind and even just it's about your mind and discipline your mind as well just doing that [ __ ] when you don't want to do it the most because most of the time you don't want to do it yeah what it said do it like do do something you hate like you love it yeah exactly exactly that's the way it needs to be I'm going to let you go is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out and once again I want to thank you for your time it's been an absolute pleasure and I can't wait to see this whether I'm there in person or I watch it on pay-per-view I'm not going to guarantee you one or the other yet but I can't wait to see this thank you man and no not really um I'll shout my sponsors real quick that's okay yeah go ahead shout out to Kevin dun from or for20 roll plays he is our sponsor me or on Fitzpatrick uh Fitz civils and Demolition and Tommy McNamara uh who runs a Toro um there's another few guys that are after sponsor for me I'm actually put up a few posts about them uh go check them out just little small sponsors um damin uh Patty well and a few other people but a lot of people I've had a lot of support from me town basically and I just want to jump on and say thanks for that H people up part are really [ __ ] they join together and they're really supportive when it comes to [ __ ] like this when it comes to supporting their own and seeing a homegrown Talent they're really supportive and I'm after seeing that a lot in the last few weeks and just want to express [ __ ] I'm very grateful for it and then just thank you for the interview David unreal no problem I always enjoy talking I remember our first one I think we talked for an hour and it was one of the best interviews i' had it was just fantastic and you've always been so good to me so humble and you're such a great young lad and you just like you go in and you just want to work and do your thing and that's what you've been doing so that's why I'm looking forward to this weekend um and I will see you I I either see you there or I'll be watching from home but it's going to be thank you so much sweet thank you man listen you're a legend thank you thank you