Kyle Heery interview (Aug 2026)

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Kyle Heery is an amateur MMA fighter representing Sbg Drogheda under the guidance of Paul Byrne, he's had a wealth of immaf youth experience and hit the amateur scene last year going 2-1 he gets his first shot at a title this weekend on Decgar fight night, we speak about the…

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Okay, so it's my absolute pleasure to have once again Mr. Kyle Heiri. Kyle Heiri will has a unique chance this weekend as well. He's gonna be fighting on the Deck Car Fight Night Show. Uh his uni unique chance to become the youngest amateur champion in Ireland with the welterweight belt. He's going to be facing someone who we face already in Jake Stanfield. Uh I'm really looking forward to this fight. Thank you very much for your time. H I really appreciate. How are you and how does it feel to have to be going for such an accolade at such a young age? Uh, amazing to be honest. Like still only 17 going for my first amateur title. And the thing is lads to be fighting for titles for maybe a year at the end of their amateur career and then they're going pro. But like I've only been amateur 3 months of all the youth experience and then how many years I have left the amateur that I'll just keep fighting for titles in my eyes. >> Yeah. like if you're fighting for titles now cuz like said cuz I start looking at when I start looking at matching people I look at people who like are looking that are going to be going pro and obviously if they deserve the title shot as well sort of way I look okay they're probably going pro in the next year so it's a step up but how does it feel to to be fighting for a title and do you think all that you experience has really kind of set you up to have such a good start to your amateur career? >> Oh yeah, of course. like the IMAPs is is the best path if you're not 18. if you're if you're a youth coming up because like where else even at the amateur shows you you'll rarely get crowded the way you do at the IMAS where you have hundreds of countries there cheering you on or booing you whatever it is and it really prepares you for like all the big lights the big walkouts the media all of it of IMFs it really prepares you for this type of stuff and then you wouldn't face the level like the level of wrestlers level of strikers that's what I think going into every fight how many fights have I had in the IMAFS. This fell is not going to be about a wrestler than someone I fought in the IMAS. This fell is not going to be about a striker. Put that together and then just another another opponent like >> Yeah. No, exactly. And see that's what the IM cuz like everyone has different styles and like so obviously the Dagistanis have the everyone knows about their wrestling and then but you might go to different countries and they might have a different style of wrestling and how do you counter that and and I think it's essential to get in those those rounds with those kinds of people because if you're if you fought in only Ireland and maybe the UK uh we're going to have kind of a similar style. Imagine going from that and then getting hit with Dagistani at pro and you're like I'd say I would assume you would probably know more that when that when a Distani or someone who has that highlevel wrestling in those high level countries does it do do you feel it you go oh this is different than what what I feel at home. It's mainly the strength like the their cultures they won't eat a chocolate bar like the the strength they they'll come in they'll hold you down and it's a lot of the mast is getting used to getting held down because lads can try cheat the rules by thinking oh just hold it it's only a one round or it might be three rounds short rounds just hold it so it's a lot about knowing how to get up not getting taken down like I think I developed like I feel like when I started I was I was more just taken down but as soon as I got taken And then I was like, "Oh, what do I do?" Until you you work on that. And then now I feel my take down defense is really really good and getting back up really really good. And like you you do feel the strength of them and stuff like that. And it really makes you develop your game to defend that and counteract that to be better than that. So then when you counteract that then they have to steal my next opponents will be dealing with someone better than the Dagistanis in my mind. So >> yeah, no 100%. See like that once once you and then as well your takedown, you've got some nice shoe slams there in your in your weaponry. I've I've seen it in person as well. And like I said, once you have the takedown defense and then even when you're down, when you do get take down, once you have that all in place and you're able to get like sometimes, it depends on the the fight. You might not always be able to get back up. it might be a bit more tricky. But once you kind of get that, there's no really fear then in like obviously you don't want to get taken down, but there's not as much fear or hesitancy in getting taken down, is there? When you know that you do have good takedown defense and you can get back up. Do you feel more at ease then that you're not worrying, okay, he might take me down where you're like, oh, if he obviously you're going to try and stop him, but if he takes me down, you know, you can either stop him before he gets there or get back up. Does that does that help you fight more freely offensively? >> Yeah, I'd say so because like for me I don't really have any worries. I feel like anyone I'm going to go against there isn't like like this there's not enough of a skill gap where if you take me down I'm going to be worried. I know if I'm taken down my jiu-jitsu is very high level. I know if we keep it on defeat my striking is very high level. So I don't really have a fear anywhere it goes with anyone to be honest cuz no matter what I try to dictate the fight and if I can't I always have another plan behind it. >> Yeah. No that's good. And then obviously uh you've got your coach and all do you game plan together going in? Do you let him game plan and he gives you or is it like a mix of both? >> It's a mix of both. Like he he'll give his input, I'll give my input, we kind of talk about it. if it's a like he'll kind of pick out some things he notices little like I've had opponents where they have little uh what do you call it like reactions that always throw their hands a certain way that always circle out a certain way move like whatever and uh that that was that's been planned before to counteract some of that have that as the option and he kind of says when to pressure when to pull back and that's something I've been working on a lot where to mix the mix the gears instead of always being a buzzaw like always always going. >> Yeah. No, it's you're you're you're you're like a you're from start to finish you're absolutely like you go 100% and it's really good. But one thing that I actually noticed you said that I want to ask on is you were saying obviously that during within the fight that if someone circles out this way or if you fade they throw this way. Is that something that like were you is that just from over time you were able to pick that up or do you think it's kind of just a fight IQ that people are kind of born with or is it something that cuz I know sometimes when I'm watching just say if I'm watching your fight I might not notice that like obviously cuz I'm not really looking for that but as a fighter you so much going on like is that something that you had to learn to do to to pick up like to read the faints or is that something that just comes naturally to you? You definitely have to learn it a bit, but I think it's more the kill instinct where you just have to if you notice this fella has an opening, you're going to try to shut it down. Like you're not in the you're not getting paid by the minute. You're not getting paid at all. You might as well get it done as quick as possible. So if he if he keeps opening his hands or if he keeps whatever his uh reaction would be, you have to you just kind of you'll you'll notice it. You might not notice the first time because could just be any movement, but when you it's pattern recognition. Yeah. Know I see because you see that you see like when people like walk into headkicks and stuff as well. You can see that like uh when you watch the UFC you see on a higher level as well. But obviously you're not looking ahead of your opponent. Do you have much more plans for the year? You're not going to the worlds or anything or >> uh no but I am booked for clan wars. That'll be a great fight. And then I have a month in Thailand planned as well at the end of the year of just pure training. and then back active again probably at least January, February, March. >> That's my goal. >> What What What is it? Is it December you're going to be spending in Thailand? Is it >> uh No, no till December. Yeah. >> November till December. So you're going to have And have you been to You have been to Thailand before, haven't you? No. >> No. No. >> No. Uh what made you book this trip and what are you looking forward to most about this trip? uh just the high level rounds, going to top level gyms, training with different people, the different as you same as the IMAPs, you're fighting the different styles, but now I'm training with the different styles. Especially around November, there's loads of lads coming from Russia, Kazakhstan, whatever. There'll be loads and loads of bodies. And that's the main thing I'm looking for with it, just having the different challenge and the constant training, living the life of like a pro fighter. I'll be like training constantly, eat, sleep, train like and uh yeah, that's going to the the goal for over there and just come back the sharpest weapon I can. >> Yeah. No, it's good. And then obviously when you're when you're over there, you're going to have that's going to be your only focus. The only sort of way you're not going to have any other distractions and and I think it's really good that and it doesn't have to be for any fighters that want to travel. It doesn't have to be Thailand. It could be it could be multiple places but Thailand seems to be one of the likes of the gyms you've got there and then obviously you've probably seen in the likes of Banga and stuff John like it's just like it's mad how MMA fighters obviously we're all just people but you get that vibe of MMA fighters compared to like boxers they just walk into Bangta by themselves whereas you see boxers or other athletes they have entouragees with them and I think that's what kind of makes people kind of resonate with MMA fighters But I in terms of the this weekend with the fight that you have, are you expecting something different from Jade? Do you think uh cuz obviously he fought previously before and and it's a different weight class. Are you expecting it to be similar to the last fight or are you expecting to have a lot a big a different look especially cuz of what happened last time and then with the and then his improvements since? >> Yeah, there's no doubt about it. He's going to be improved, but I don't think there's enough time in between to make that huge improvement. I think no matter what, he's still going to be dangerous. He's a good fighter and um but I don't think he's the same level. And I don't know, he like they will it'll be different. He'll he'll know what to expect, but I've said it before, you can know what to expect and it can still happen. And um it's just I think I beat him anywhere and I'm going to I'm not the same in my plan, but there's there's a lot more weapons I've been improving since. So it'll be a good fight. Yeah. Know one thing I like said that that you've improved your weapons. Like obviously after fights do you sit down whether you've won or lost and look at the tape and look at where you where you could have done better and where you need to improve and is that something you do actively by yourself or do it with your coach or are you one because I know fighters when they go home some of them are like watching it going why did I what I do this why you do that what way do you analyze your own performance after whether it's a win or a loss >> so starting off my coach would usually tell me like oh this was the mistake and I would have a talk in the back room after it and even My last fight, it was a loss, but it was razor close and it was an amazing fight. And I think out of that fight, I've learned more than any other fight in my entire career. Like, um, and I gave me so much more confidence in different weapons, it it I don't know. I think it changed me as a fighter way more than winning would have. And I was always under the mindset of uh I thought when people like a you lose and you learn is bit stupid. Like I can still win and I can learn. I don't like losing but uh so I was I was always under the mindset that like you can do both but I think that loss made me learn the most and I was I was actually very happy with my performance from it and it's making me come in more confident and I'd look back and I'd see where I made the mistakes and things I had to improve from it and honestly I think that fight has brought me up to the next next level. >> Yeah. You know, it was a fantastic fight and it was a like I said, it was a close fight as well and and I like what you said there about winning or or winning or learning and like that cuz a lot of people like you saying, yeah, you can do both. You can win and learn and a lot of people do look at uh when they win what goes wrong. But I think obviously that there's obviously a mental and emotional side to lose. I think that gives you more a bit more of a kick up kick up the ass for a lack of a better word and makes you really kind of look into into it as well. Would would you be someone who looks at your wins as well and tries to improve on what you've done in your wins? >> Oh yeah, of course. Like even in other interviews, I've said it like what was it? I got hit probably once in my fight with Jake and I was annoyed I got hit once. Like improve that. Don't get hit at all. H same my my next fight. I got hit once or twice. Don't get hit at all. Like it's that's the thing. It's like you hear a fighter get hit once. Yeah, it's normal. But not if you want to be like you're never going to be perfect, but the aim is perfection. I want to go in there and not not leave with a scratch. >> Yeah. Know, I get that. You say, "Oh, I'll only take five punches today." You're probably going to take six or seven. If you want zero, you're probably going to take two. Like, you're always trying to be the best that you can be. And that's what I really like about you and your attitude. And there's a couple on the card for this show. I Well, there's you and definitely Paul. How does it feel to have it's just not you going to a regional show? What's the buzz like in the gym right now? >> Yeah, it's it's fun. Like we're all excited. We're all like this is Paul's debut. Uh Jaden Cooper is making his novice headsh shot and it's lads. We've all we all came up together and uh it's class that we're all going to go down there. We all have each other to support and it's going to be a great buzz for the gym after with three wins. >> Yeah. No, I I look forward to the show. Look, I got to let you go. I've really enjoyed this conversation. Once again, uh thank you very much for your time. Is there anything you'd like to say or anyone you'd like to shout out before we go? >> Uh just thanks to my sponsors, my coaches, and my family making everything possible. Uh P English Be Stoves, Rightway Safety, Chop Shop, and uh Um they're all they're all supporting making everything possible and uh they'll be there to see history winning the belt. >> Perfect. So, look uh you've got the chance of history. I wish you best of luck this weekend and I will talk to you soon. Thank you very much for your time. >> Thanks very much. See