Jack Drysdale interview

news_summary

Jack Drysdale is an amateur fighter coming out of Hybrid Ards he competes in his 4th fight and is looking forward to competing so close to home again What it's like training in Hybrid and his relationship with Head coach Arnaud Dos Santos

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Okay, so I'm here with Jack D. He's going to be competing at Rack Combat Champions this weekend. He trains out of Hybrid RS MMA under Arnold de Santos. Um, it'll be his fourth fight. How you feeling? Thank you very much for taking the time because obviously I know it's so close to the show and I appreciate time. How you feeling fight week? >> Feeling very very good. Had a very tough camp. Had really really good training partners as well and obviously aren't help with the coaching but feel really good. I feel ready for this one. never felt more ready for a fight. >> And with Ra obviously being at the home show for you, how does it feel to compete on the home show, you're going to be in shorts in Belfast. How does it feel when it's there this obviously your show there's not as many uh hybrid fighters on it because I believe they were supposed to go to G. They were looking at maybe Garm. But the buzz leading up to show talk the gym's like right now. >> Oh, the gym is the gym's firing. like all the we young ones as well like the we teens coming up I find over the weekend they're firing and it's going to be a special night and yeah with it being so close to like me being so close to short it's like it's brilliant I can just show up around like 4 maybe 5 and just get my dinner at my house and all just yeah not not that waiting about it's brilliant >> it it's good when it's on your doorstep usually it's usually the like guys from Cork or whatever down the far end of the country that that have to travel travel so they've got two shows there which I'm glad for cuz man You probably seen MMA Corker nearly on every show. Uh Samsung are on a lot of shows as well, man. For them to be driving six hours every week or every second week is is is mental. >> Like I thought Akuma was bad, but >> how far is Akuma for for you? >> What was we pleasure? Sorry. >> So how far is Akuma for you? >> Like akuma. Well, um a boy from our gym Jackie and Emma, they took me up to the last show. So like I got a bus to um Belfast and they picked me up from Belfast to we the show was a nightmare. All the traffic like it's real nightmare. >> I can imagine in Belfast it's uh it's the same as Dublin in the cities. It's just you you go there and go, "Ah, should we get in and out?" And then you get there and it's just uh gridlock. But with the show coming up this weekend um and obviously it's it's your show. Like I said, it's the home show. But ano is someone obviously you know I'm working with him on this show and doing commentary and I've been helping him trying to match as well and I find everything he does is spot on and he's on the ball and everything. How is ano like to be as a coach because I find above all else he's a really good person. What's he like as a coach? Can you explain what he means to you? He's brilliant to be honest. Like he's absolutely brilliant. He's got the mind for the MMA game, but he also like knows all of our fighters if you know what I mean. So he knows like when something's wrong or something like, you know what I mean? And he's I think he's just brilliant to be around his energy right in the gym as well. When like everyone's having it all night, he brings the energy up, you know what I mean? And it helps a lot. It helps a lot of our fighters a lot. >> Yeah. And like that. That's why I like him. He's got that personable side, that personal side. And there there's some coaches that that kind of they just want to go with the technique and they don't have the personal side. But do you think that personal side is essential especially for a fighter because you've got the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Do you do think you need someone that has that personable uh relationship with you for when you have go through the hard times? >> Definitely. Definitely. Like my my fight against um Jake Duncan, I got I obviously got sub in the first, but he was there for me. He's like, "Listen, we'll go back. We'll work on the gym and we know your time's coming and my time's coming this Saturday and I cannot wait for it. >> And with this Saturday coming up, being on the home show, do you think that adds pressure or does it do you enjoy it more? >> Oh, I love it. The crowd is going to be it's going to be it's going to be wild for this one. Have you seen the the Instagram post and the comments? I think this is the people's main event. This the one the people will come to watch and I cannot wait for it. >> Yeah. You know, I I can't I like the venue cuz the the cage is down lower. So, usually, you know, you're kind of sitting here and the cage is high like it's like a little cauldron. The the atmosphere. What do you make of the atmosphere was so good last time. I'm expecting more of the same. What was your thoughts on the venue and the atmosphere? >> Yes, the atmosphere of the venue was absolutely br so small as well. You can just hear you hear the crowd and all. It's I think it's fantastic. Like really really good. >> And I'm assuming obviously so close to the end of the year. Will this obviously you're not looking past your opponent. You're not overlooking anyone. But have you anything booked for the rest of the year or are you looking to get something booked? Are you going to have this and enjoy Christmas? >> No. Have this. Enjoy Christmas as a fighter because I know when when you're in that pro game, it's hard to enjoy Christmas as a fighter, especially with fights coming up in January and stuff. But no, have this. Enjoy the enjoy Christmas. Enjoy the new year and back in there come January time. >> Yeah. And then hopefully hopefully usually they might be short at the end of January. Usually they come back February. I know there's Gladiator here and I know Wrath is is is for next April already, but obviously you've got Wrath. There's so many other shows though like the likes of Akuma, uh, Cage Conflict, Gladiator, Clan Wars, all these other shows. How does it feel to have that many options as a fighter coming up through the scene right now? >> Fantastic. Like the amount of opportunities you get from them shows like it's it's brilliant. Especially for like novice fighters even like like a lot more there's a lot more novice fights in all these big shows and it's it's fantastic to see. Really really good. Yeah, there's a lot of noviceses. So many novice fighters and the boys from Henry Coran from Ardine and Adam from Fi, they set up that that junior's league as well, which >> it's very very good. It's very good for the young lads to get started and have a good base for them for the sport. >> Yeah, cuz I don't know, I was talking to Arno and he was like saying like what the boys are doing there. Fantastic. Were you at one of their shows? Have you seen the setup? I heard it was it was like >> No, I've seen on like I've seen all on social media, Instagram stuff and the setup looks brilliant to be honest like especially for the ones that younger like competing and they're all they're all bars like it's brilliant. Really really good. >> Yeah. Know it's good to have that base with them coming through and then like that as well. I like them being on the shows as well because one of the things when I started doing this was amateurs were saying when they went from novice to amateur like especially if you go to your first amateur at Cage Conflict which is like the atmosphere and the intensity >> [laughter] >> can get you. So, I like that there's novice fights and they can get used to the event field because is that one of the things that you you wouldn't have thought of coming from novice to amateur that you had to get used to? >> Definitely. In my first couple of novice fights, I got I got couple of the events and stuff and I'm glad now I've got a couple fights through and know like all the setup and know when when to warm up the walk out, etc. And yeah, I know how I know how it's going to feel fight day. So, yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah, cuz cuz like that you can go in and fight and go and train, but like there's so many different things like said the event, what time to warm up at what time to do this and that stuff that comes with like yourself doing it and being at the shows. But look, I'm really looking forward to seeing you in action again. I can be really looking forward to calling your fight as well. Um, I got to let you go cuz I know it's so close to the fight. Is there any or so close to the day? Is there anything you want to say or anything you want to shout out before you go and thank you so much for your time? >> Yes, ma'am. I'm God. Thankful for you for interviewing me. really really appreciate it. But I'd like to shout out all my teammates at Hybrid Arts, my co my coach Arno, just all my training partners. Like it's the gym's going to be fine come Saturday. A lot of W's coming hard way. >> You know, I can't wait to see I can't wait to see the car that's been put together. H obviously being a part of it as well has been special and yeah, it's going to be a special night. Thank you so much, Jack. And I will see you this weekend. >> Yes. See you this weekend, man. Thank you.