Kenny Mokhonoana Reacts After Beating Former Cage Warriors Champion | CW 210 Interview · Ireland news

Summary

Kenny Mokhonoana speaks to us after securing a unanimous decision victory over former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Solomon Simon at Cage Warriors 210 in Dublin. In a competitive three-round lightweight contest at the RDS Arena, Mokhonoana earned the victory on all three…

AI summary AI-generated from the transcript

Post-fight interview with Kenny Mokhonoana after his win at Cage Warriors 210 against Solomon. He describes a wardrobe malfunction when his shorts came loose during a grappling exchange, compares it to a prior bout in Dubai where a Dagestani opponent pulled his shorts back up, and says he stayed focused on controlling Solomon’s wrists while taking heavy ground strikes. Mokhonoana says the fight unfolded as he expected: Solomon stayed patient looking for counters while he used his reach and made Solomon walk onto punches. He argues his striking is underrated, citing daily sparring with high-level partners including Conor McGregor, and frames himself as a complete mixed martial artist who wanted to prove his stand-up. He lists technical improvements since his last outing (range, recovery) and areas to work on next (shot placement, stand-ups, not accepting bad positions or hunting for stand-ups from the referee). He credits coach Dave Roche for demanding standards in training and teaching range and punch length. Looking ahead, he says he will fight anyone, expresses strong belief in his ceiling at his weight, and admits recent performances had shaken his confidence before this win.

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[music] Kenny. [singing] >> Yeah, >> congratulations. Thank you for that. >> That was fantastic. I do have to address >> Yeah. >> Um you guys are rolling around there. Your shorts coming off. What happened there? >> Oh, I just >> Does it get loose around your waist? >> Yeah, I think he's just trying to strip me off. I don't know what Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, it just happened. Yeah, it's the wardrobe malfunction. I never really tie I norally like tying the thing already tight enough so it just Yeah. Yeah. Happens. Yeah. Actually happened to me before before you know that. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. But I was fighting a Dagistanian before in Dubai and they fell down but he pulled them back up from you. So yeah. So h Yeah. Yeah. What happens? Yeah. >> Right on. Did uh did that distract you at all? Well, you know, in the in the middle of the fight there because I know you guys were pretty tangled up in each other. Did that did uh who was repping there? Was it uh it was declin or Derek? One or the other. Yeah. >> Did it uh did it distract you in the moment or >> No, I was just trying to grab his wrist so cuz he was hitting me with some bombs on the on the deck. Like probably didn't look like on camera, but like so a few of them were like rattling rattling my [ __ ] you know what I mean? Rocking my [ __ ] So, um yeah, I was more concentrated than [ __ ] [ __ ] this [ __ ] the shorts. He's going to he's not going to land bombs on me if I let go of his wrist, you know what I mean? So, um yeah, I was more focused on them not taking any more damage. Yeah. >> Heck yeah. All right. So, kind of coming in this like what was your focus? What was your your mindset? like how how did did obviously it went the way you wanted it to, but like did it did the fight go to the plan that you had in your head? >> Went exactly how I thought it was going to go. Yeah. And I expected Solomon to be patient and try try look for them counters, get past my long long reach and um I look to obviously expose that him coming in and walking on to walking on to punches. So um yeah, it went exactly how I thought it was going to go. Um um I feel like I surprised people with my striking and yeah, I can I can strike. I can strike. Like I'm I'm the strikers I'm fighting with on a daily basis. Sean Sherro, [ __ ] I spar with Conor McGregor, [ __ ] Nomi, [ __ ] D. The list goes on. So yeah, I'm I'm wellrounded on I didn't show on the deck today, but yeah, I'm I'm very dangerous everywhere. Yeah, I'm I'm a mixed martial artist. I never like just to say even in the ring now ask me what style I am. I just say I'm a mixed martial artist cuz I I study every martial art and um yeah, I like to I like I just like to paint a picture in there. You know what I mean? Like that's what I feel like, you know, today I I painted a picture like if I take if I take something down, it's submit my will, but I feel like um I wanted to show show that today that I can strike as well. Yeah, I didn't get out of there, but I know I have I have I have some I have some [ __ ] Oh, I have some bombs in these hands, you know what I mean? So, uh yeah, that will show and that the more active I am, the more comfortable I am, the rushing things, you know what I mean? So, um yeah, we're just going to look back at the footage and we'll improve from here, you know? Right. >> And what are you looking what are you looking to improve on? everything. Okay, I can I can like from last time I I improved on my range. I improved on my recovery. Um, next time I can improve on landing them shots, placing them shots better. You know what I mean? There's always something, you know what I mean? Getting back to my feet like more efficiently and and just not not accepting I accepted position a little bit today and kind of look for the ref a few times to stand it up, you know what I mean? But, um, yeah, there's there's always improvement, you know what I mean? I'm only getting better. Yeah, I'm still learning. um go back to the gym. I'm sure Dave Dave Dave Roach um he does behind me, man. He does be on me like a he everyone knows Dave Roach is the nicest guy in the world, but he's he's not nice to me. Not when I'm not when I'm working. Yeah. And and few times I I drop I drop my um I drop my training and I take little shortcuts and he's straight on my neck, you know what I mean? And so he's he's I think he's the main reason that I'm able to recover and and the performances I'm getting. He's he's teaching me about range and like putting length on my shots and and staying at the right shots and staying not not spluttering my punches and yeah, so I'm talking some boring [ __ ] but um yeah, long story short, yeah, I'm I'm just getting better and I love I love I love learning from them and um yeah, there's going to be more better performances from here on out. Yeah. >> Awesome. Like who who do you do you have someone in mind you want to fight next? >> Anybody? Everybody, man. I [ __ ] beat anyone on my day. I promise you that. I swear to God I can be the I would be the best in the world at this weight class and I fed away. I know it. I believe it. And um I wouldn't be here if I taught anything less. You know what I mean? I few times like my last few win my last few performances I've not been happy. You know what I mean? I I honestly felt like like [ __ ] what am I doing in this sport? I feel like retiring. You know what I mean? Dave D they've going back to the gym just trying put the put the belief on me back to uh come back and um yeah like show show what I'm about and um yeah look here look I want to get people out there as you know the hands are only getting started now yeah so um yeah >> all right man look brother congratulations and thank you for your time >> thank you brother can >> I just get a quickident [music] Let's go.