I want to be like Rey Mysterio

Summary

Combat Confidential #028 - Ryan Keogh I want to be like Rey Mysterio Had a great sit-down with one of Irish MMA’s top rising stars, Ryan Keogh! We talked about his life growing up, what it’s like training at the world-renowned SBG Ireland, and his plans for the future. Don’t…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

know yeah coach try to take me socks off today I have my black belt in Campo a Bly that's that's a different podcast sir I wanted to be like Ray Mysterio had me on finishing move the d24 come backal let's [Music] goone uh today's guest is a pro MMA fighter currently 2-0 fights out ofg Ireland you're signed to is it hexagon hex hexagon yeah yeah it's uh out of France y uh you're the co-host of the Take It Outside podcast which is personally very funny like I I do when I watch it I do enjoy watching oh you watch it yeah nice nice number one fan probably one of our one of our 10 listeners so um everyone uh welcome Mr Ryan Ryan Kio yeah corre yeah [ __ ] your names usually Americans can never pronounce it's like kogi or something and any relation to the the crisps no no no no no no no free bags of crisps like Cris no maybe it could be a future sponsor you never know right on um all right look so we'll get right into I'm just going to ask you a few a few kind of just quick questions just uh give me the the first thing off top of your head all right quick F around uh coffee or tea tea tea only because like I grew up drinking tea okay and it's like you drink you drink coffee though yeah yeah I know I love coffee but like tea has a has a little special place in my heart I'm Irish I have to have um what's your guilty pleasure song My guilty pleasure song yeah oh shake shake it by Taylor Swift no I don't H oh man that's a good one cuz I have a I have a very broad taste in music yeah um oh man that's a hard one a bit Mars maybe okay recently like I go I go between like I got you phases you know what I mean wrong he's got a good voice he can yeah but like it's not like yeah I'm listening what you listening to oh BR Mar grenade know yeah yeah uh when you're alone in the car what what's a fun fact that most people might not know about you um uh I can play pretty much any song Under the Tim whistle yeah yeah I just have to hear it and give give me like 10 15 minutes tin whistles one note what do you mean well you can get different tin whistles like they regular standard one would be like d okay yeah and I got like I was in town one day and I just walked into a music store just for the crack and I seen this like like obviously tin but it was black it looked really cool and it had like a wooden mil piece okay like I'm getting this and it was like it's in a C cord so yeah I just like play tunes and I pick it up every now and again and start playing it that's pretty uh my wife and I have a friend she can uh she can do the same well I mean I don't know about anything but I know she can play it um and it it's it's always fun to like what do be play like Snoop Dog Jeep you should have brought it I actually should have R around the corner um where we at you have dinner with any character from a TV show or movie who would it be from a movie or TV show TV show yeah like I would pick Tony Soprano oh man it's probably that's my favorite TV show I think I'd sit down with it see I don't really watch a lot of TV shows anymore like I have um like the first person that came to M was T vongh but he's not like a movie or TV show yeah he is a character I don't think that's I think that's genuin to be fair he was on MTV's Real World that counts was he yeah you didn't know that no go watch those videos oh a long time like the early 2000s go watch those videos he is uh he's ridiculous so funny he has a new um new movie coming out with David sped no way they co-wrote it together no way I didn't know that I had to check that out I didn't know that it's I think they're only film they just filmed it now that's cool uh what's the last show you Ben watched Game of Thrones really couldn't get into you don't like it though I couldn't get into it I was like that with h Vikings okay I haven't seen that one like everyone's like oh you need to watch Vikings and like for the whole season it's just your man Ragnar sitting on the I was sitting on the side of a on a cliff just staring like plotting for the whole thing I like no but like Game of Thrones I don't want to say like messed with Hoy Camp I been but like sometimes like I night like watch another episode I watch another episode and then I I just got it's 3 in the morning no I I watched uh like two or three episodes and like people tell me the first season you really kind of got to just stick it out but just like was the compl I didn't want to watch at all like my girlfriend she finished it and she was like oh you need to watch it I'm watching a [ __ ] for nerds what the [ __ ] and then like soon as like literally 105 minutes into it I was like this is the [ __ ] from the first episode it was hooked no uh the last I just finished watching Fallout like based off the game yeah I never played the game um and uh well I never played like parts of it yeah got the game but never never completed was scared of all the big flying dragons uh it it was I liked it uh it was good yeah I started it we never finished that happens to me all the time in my shows but the Game of Thrones like I got like two seasons in like less than a week wow yeah long epis an hour episode I goes binging uh what's the most adventurous thing you've ever done travel I guess very Broad generic like on your own or would you ever travel on your own um I would but I haven't like I I feel like i' really enjoyed that cuz I'm an only child so like I'm used to yeah I'm used to just being by myself I like having that like my own time yeah yeah it's a bit I don't know I feel be be a bit weird now if I was to go traveling by myself okay you know just cuz I have girlfriend and stuff like you know I'm going to go traveling might as well go with her but like we've been we've been to a lot of places so probably traveling even though boring generic but yeah right on uh where we at would your go-to comfort food chocolate pillows what is that what are those oh man from uh that like the you know cereal the little squares oh yeah yeah like not not C of not the nest not the Branded ones the ones from Little yeah oh my God like my mates like my cousins and all Jamie from Take It Outside you know like I go through them really like when I when I finish the fight first thing first thing I a little got a box with and I just had like four or five balls in one sit like I'll sit there I'll have the I'll have the box of cereal and I'll have the milk beside me I just constant refill to the point I feel sick and I never I never regret it that's funny um what's something that always makes you laugh uh just the people to hang around with you know just stupid stupid things just I don't like taking life too seriously just anything same literally anything can make me laugh all right uh then what's one item you can't live without without uh the first thing that comes to mind is my phone but like I'm not proud of the answer yeah you know what I mean so let me think um training martial arts yeah cuz I I don't know I feel like I'd be a completely different person without if I didn't have it like mental health everything my whole life SL would be completely different absolutely uh all right look Let's uh let's get into it here yeah let's go um where'd you grow up what was your childhood like I grew up in t around the corner um is that your childhood home around the corner or yeah pretty much I've I lived in other places I when I was like 78 I lived in wiow for like two years but like we were kind of like moving from houses around there and then I ended up going back to the house in B rery and that that's yeah to me that's much home yeah yeah uh um how were you in school like did you enjoy school yeah early on um I was actually a good student like especially like in secondary school I was in like honors everything really from yeah like up until third year like doing the junior sh I was in uh like the top class honors maths English Irish all that stuff and then I just like like I don't I'm not here to actually get a degree because I knew from early on I wanted to fight professionally like that was was always the goal um like even before I went into secondary school I was like yeah like initially I'm going to I'm going to become professional fighter like that's the dream it's not even the Dream It's the plan yeah you know and then like I started having like laughs too much cuz then I stopped taking Skool seriously which is probably not good idea you know like it's not I don't recommend people to do that yeah and uh like tour year started messing a little bit and I just stopped focusing I would miss days I'd go training instead and J be like you not in school I like oh no they they went to the zoo so uh this their on their on school troop and then I just kind of towards the end of secondary school like believe and certain I was just was not artist at all I was just focus fully on training did um did you grw up with both your parents and like um no I the house I live in now it's my my grandparents house okay so we like when I was a baby we had our own house or whatever then like whatever reasons um my parents kind of separated then we moved in with my grandparents okay and uh we've been there since like we did that's when we when I went to wlo we uh we had a few houses there um it was was good times like I enjoyed it was lovely lovely place but um yeah just back in tell it you know and I I would change it though like I I lik I had a great upbringing you know what I mean like my M was probably one of the like I know everyone says this like everyone it's the best mother in the world but like I I genuinely do you know what I mean they're the best mother for you yeah yeah yeah 100% yeah um what was it like kind of having your grandparents in the scene good yeah yeah I really enjoyed it I was really close with my my grandparents especially my n like it's it's an Irish thing like everyone everyone's very close with it their n but uh um she passed there in 2020 not because of Co or anything she was just she was sick for a while uh she's been sick since like 12 like I remember making my confirmation she was in the hospital and stuff like that so she was kind of always in and out of hospital um when I she was some character like like the whole family will tell you that like I'm a great woman like she she definitely toughened me up you know what I mean sh like we used to have we used to B heads a okay cuz she'd like no I don't say pick on me but like you know like Irish witty kind of kind of that banter and like she she'd not have to like annoy me but like it wouldn't be serious you know me like yeah well frustrated me a little bit but it was good like she was she was such a legend uh do you have like um you have aunts and uncles yeah lot of cousins yeah loads yeah um like for me because I'm no white child as well right um so for me I grew up with my you know quote unquote siblings were my cousins I'm the exact same yeah do you have a lot that are kind of around the same age or yeah Jamie who I record the podcast that that's my cousin there's only two months between us oh really and like from as long as I can remember like we've just been like together you know what I mean that's cool like parners in crime you know what I mean like always causing trouble at every every family gathering like yeah know I don't know where it be with tomor like it's good relationship with with all them like I try I try stay close with them all you know that's cool um did you get did you ever getting into any trouble at all as a kid or no no because I've I've always been in martial arts like I started Kate when I was five okay uh and that kind of takes the the wildness set of kids I think when they're in martial arts especially like obviously any extra extracurricular activity will you know put our mind on something but specifically martial arts I feel is uh is really good like I was a wild child but not not in the sense of like being bowled but I was just very hyper a lot of energy like like crawling out the [ __ ] caros SE getting up onto like I one of my aunties on my dad's side was telling me a story like when I was younger um I was sitting in the back seat and somehow I crawled out of the back I crawled out the car and I was up on you know behind the behind the headrest like on the Boo and she like what the [ __ ] like I was just full of energy you know what I mean and I feel like that kind of like tamed me a little bit so like when I was sparing or doing martial arts I would Channel it into that you know what I mean and then like fight wise I've never been in a fight outside of martial arts really yeah which is like I thought that was normal you know what I mean but yeah uh yeah same never even been into like nothing even like a schoolyard fight not even like that uh one of my best friends uh we were playing Chase in the yard or something and he caught me I was like you didn't catch me he like yeah I did and then I think he like hit me in the back and we stopped I hit him in the back then he hit me in the back and I hit him in the back we just looked at each other and just went that was it like that's the most it's ever really been like right on yeah no I've always been very very calm and I put that down to being a martial arts from a very young age when when did who introduced you to that uh I've talked about this before um I always I used to love Ninja Turtles teenage me on Ninja Turtles and the Kate kid okay like uh I always want to be just like uh Daniel Aro Danel yeah yeah like and in a way in a weird way it's similar similar kind of dynamic you know what I mean like he lives with his mom and you know you know so I kind of I felt maybe subconsciously looking back I kind of related to him at that age when I was younger um sorry what was the what was the question just like who introduced you I think it was my myself I just I just loved that kind of just said your mom day try it out or I can't I can't remember cuz I was so young yeah that's cool I remember um when I was younger I lived in which was at the time a very shitty area yeah and um in America yeah and uh there's like this like a bunch of like abandoned storefront and then in one of them they had like a like a it's like a karate or a taond do or whatever studio and remember um it was like right around the corner from my house what and I was real young like eight on my own you know in the the middle of this very not good area the brunks and I I just would always just stand I would stand there and look through the window and just you know kind of stare at all these uh folks in there doing their thing do you remember what martial art was like what it was like karate or Tao or something like that um and um I remember I went in one day and I I kind of did it and um for whatever reason I just I don't remember why I just never went back oh no that's cool those little memories are cool yeah yeah class I just like whenever I go back home and I go through the area cuz it's changed so much now it's so nice where where are you from uh from Michigan okay from Lancing which is the capital city I always say Detroit because no one knows Lancing yeah um but U even I was like oh yeah um uh but yeah like you drive through the area now and it's so much nicer a cool a lot of places I like that even here yeah like uh you know the new the new houses that are at the at the end of that was just like a old dirty kind of and people would go in there do drugs and stuff like I always remember seeing junkies walk in there I'm like what the [ __ ] are they doing was like eight or nine I like what the [ __ ] um speaking of junkies like did you have any like role model or uh like you know anyone that like you knew like you could look up to when you kind of grown up or yeah so many people like my mom number one uh lot of family members uh my uncle Glen was very big influence on me like he's kind of real switching on got [ __ ] together you know fing just butted up kind of kind of yeah so he was always very very good to me from a young age like I always remember him you know putting the time in with me that's cool kind of like I consider him Mentor in a way you know like he um when I was 14 he brought me out to to stay with him he lives in la oh yeah yeah yeah so like that was like and at the time GTA had just came out so like I knew I knew every was God there's vuchi Beach but it was it was Venice Beach Venice Beach yeah and at the at the time he only lived like say like seven eight minutes C from from the beach oh wow so like at that age it was like crazy to to see that kind of stuff cuz like a lot people that age don't really get to get those type of experiences like they might they might go to America but like I'm in GTA you know I mean it was like such and I had no parents I was obviously with my uncle he was like the guardian at the time yeah but now he's always kind of like pushed me into like being in the straight and narrow kind of you know what I mean that's Prett that's cool yeah yeah and then obviously in the gym there so many so many people I can't even name them all you know like every every train appar our coaches and yeah it's kind it's good to have the what I trying to say um it's kind of good to have someone you can yeah 100% look up to to kind of get that direction some people just don't have that and yeah true true it's it's unfortunate for a lot of uh you know kids even even like for me like um uh I always try to be positive figure for kids even though like especially like this this sounds bad like on my road here there's a tons of kids they're always I see them all the time when I'm walking the dog they're always loud they're always screaming whatever um you know there a bit of a buzz there like that's going now that was me I think um but no like uh I always try to be the what I trying to say um with my kid I remember growing up I'm going to edit all this out um um when I was grow like when I was in high school I had a friend who we always would just go to his house it was like a like about four of us um three four of us and we'd always just go to his house and his parents kind of wanted us there because then they knew where their out but then like they you know we're all kind of hanging out at their house you know and whatever like supervision yeah more or less even though like it wasn't always supervised but like they know they're in a sfe or you know we're safe environment or whatever um but and I I kind of want that for my kids so like I always like having the good snacks you know and like you know I'll feed the street you know what I mean it means like the kids will be um if my daughter wants to bring her friend's home you know and to play at my house or even like when they get a bit older I want that I want my house to be the you know you know and so I can be that so I know there's a positive uh uh role model in their life or something like yeah 100% um and I think that is important yeah I was listening to a podcast I can't remember what one it was I don't know who said it but it was like the importance for like especially young men but I mean like anyone in general to have like a figure that's not in their family or maybe it is in their family like in my case my uncle or you know someone someone to kind of guide them in a way you know what I mean give them life experiences that's not typically like their parents which obviously their parents do that yeah yeah yeah and like it has a it CH that has a good impact and being that like kind of role model figure not just for like one you know like in the gym a new guy like you bring everybody on the M up you know what I mean yeah EXA exactly exactly like I try to do that now like with my younger cousins um one is 16 one is 12 and I trying to like you know be a good yeah basically be a good round model yeah that's good um me you should I hope you continue to do yeah definitely um like it's very important and you know you might not think you're doing anything yeah you know but to them it could mean everything yeah could mean that uh even if they don't realize it now like same with my uncle like I was like just uncle uncle Glenn he's cool he's co Uncle you know what I mean but now like looking back and like now was it was good having that you know absolutely it could be it could mean the the difference between making a like a good decision and a bad decision yeah 100% 100% And even seeing what they're doing in life you know what I mean yeah absolutely you know um they I that stuff is possible you know what I mean like my uncle he's he's an actor really yeah so it's it's not he obviously has his other side hustles or whatever but like that's that would would consider oh my uncle GL act that's really cool so I think that kind of um kind of pushed me for like on to really pursue MMA even okay I'm only like thinking of this now like I never actually sat and thought about it before but like now that we're talking about it like the fact that he was doing something very strange it's not like the typical job it's like it can be done yeah you know what I mean so I just thought that was normal to me that was normal you know right on um now you said that uh you started K do you remember where you were or like where uh like what school you went to or where it was yeah it was actually I don't even know if it's a real martial art waro yeah exactly I I don't think it was real I think it was just a bunch of like a bunch of middle Edge men be like yeah let's St right and like Just sh L of kids side kicks and stuff like that I I don't think it was real I remember one guy like he had a g tooth and all not that it's weird to have go to but I just distinctively remember having one go tooth and then just shown us mad Sidekicks that one I didn't really learn anything in I was only in there for I said about a year and most was the time he played dodgeball it was yeah it was more like a community center for like I don't know just for kids to [ __ ] get parents to drop their kids off yeah know it was a good experience but like the when I seriously started doing martial arts I would say it was in t Community Center okay you know just behind Centra the place there Kempo Karate yeah with u de and Carol yeah yeah yeah yeah I think it was six six or seven oh wow wow that is a long well relatively speaking Yeah but I didn't take breaks I just left that to join there because it was right around the corner from okay you know my house that's pretty cool um how how far did you progress in that um I got to a brown belt okay and looking back um I wish I stuck to to get my black just so I could say have my black belt in Camp Kate and then eventually get my black belt in sorry turn out the belt into the microphone like my podcast uh get my black belt in Brazilian jiu-ju but uh it was kind of at the point I'd say it was like probably before the brown belt I joined SBG and started learning like and I was going to say I'm bad but like real real martial arts real F like not that um like these forms of mar aren't real but they're not compared to MMA it's it's yeah it's not real compared to there's no one in there doing K karate yeah yeah it definitely did help me like in in my career I supposed you absolutely it definitely would be help just understanding techniques and learning you know yeah 100% strong yeah you're not how to move your body you know this way balance this way here here here and you're yeah you're just being familiar with with movement you know what I mean I think I know a lot of people are putting their kids straight into like jiujitsu which I think is great but still even like one of those kind of forms of martial arts it's it's still a great base I think you know what I heard um I can't remember who said I want to say it was John Daner but I don't think it was um I'm gonna say it um anyway this person was saying that instead of like because there's a lot of people you know who do Jiu-Jitsu and you know want their kids to do it um instead of putting him in at a young age had him do gymnastics yeah my coach Marius is is big on I think he put his kid into gymnastics yeah maybe I heard it from him then may it was but uh it you know just cuz then you get the the flexibility yeah um you get you know that kind of coordination um you know how to kind of control your body and become you're real athlete yeah and then start do like when you're a teenager nice nice yeah cuz like obviously you want to head start I suppose but like say if you're six or you're 11 or 12 depending on your mind say and like how driven you are I feel like it's not going to be too much of a difference by the time you hit 18 you know what I mean and then like gymnastics at that well like like my kid my oldest is six at that age it's just jumping around and having fun and exact don't get meong like I think like a lot of Jiu-Jitsu at that age is as well yeah but like uh it's just learning Mount so can contr this this cuz I I used to coach in SBG okay like I started coaching when I was like four 14 yeah like guess so I'd go from school straight to the gym and Coach there and then I then I TR so just be there for hours but like even even though it's those basic positions like it's like you're still your body is learning to just move naturally and they're not thinking about like oh Crossway this this they don't put too much pressure just naturally they're doing these movements yeah know um I think it keeps it as long as you can keep it fun for kids yeah yeah you need your game break yeah they turn into little monsters the one I the one I always saw that uh I always thought it was fun I want to try it was it like the sock thing where they trying to pull each other's socks off I never seen that no uh yeah just I think they each have on one sock yeah and then the goal is like uh you you both uh start in the ground U and your goal is just to take I don't know if i' if I do that as a coach i' know yeah coach Tred to take me socks off today I know I I wouldn't go there removing CL sorry oh man um sorry so how how old how old were you when you started doing like just straight up to JSU 10 10 10 10 or 11 I think it was like 2011 yeah it was 2011 it was like April time and I I only remember this because I was going to WWE in the Tre Arena it was the2 at the time and like d day I wanted to start or was going to start uh it was on the same the same day so obviously started the week after what was the first gym you went tog it wasg yeah that that was the old uh the old gym in uh the long well yeah before that where was it before that oh oh sorry yeah long Well Road not then we moved to the road on at the Lewis line SBG Concord in the Concord that's the first one I was in was long m road yeah like the old OG one like that's like the first like main gym I think there there obviously was a gym before that I don't know maybe it was I knew John started off in the shed they called it yeah I'm not sure maybe had one or two after that but like before the one I joined it was it was in Long M like the one that's what everyone talks about yeah like in in uh Connor's first documentary you see him going into Spar like CLE and stuff like that that that was the gym we started off in the building wasn't it or was like a yellow it was just like a garage the mats were all yellow okay I remember they didn't even have a cage at the time it was just the boxing ring I remember they got the cage I was like oh my God that's the CEST thing ever like everyone was like oh my God the cage is it the same cage that's no no we definitely had a few upgrades since then yeah think that's like a UFC UFC scale cage the G was huge we're luy to have to have that to have the facility that we have now like it's crazy yeah how old were you when you first started started competing um in karate pretty much straight off maybe few maybe less than a year I can't really remember it was so I'd say like straight away not straight away but like you know within the year okay of competing and like got you know I do well I would always come home with medals and stuff like that and most of the time I would I would win uh like gold or whatever not bragging um I remember when I first joined like it was like MMA it wasn't really like ji it was like Jiu-Jitsu for MMA kind of we were it wasn't strictly jiujitsu like we had our own madeup belt system for the kids we hadn't introduced like the the white the white or the white and then the gray white the gray the gray black like the official like I was like a a purple belt in in Jiu-Jitsu when I was like 11 but I wasn't actually you know we just had our own CL the class made up around belts and but I remember like as soon as I started training actually at the time I want wanted to be a WWE wrestler wanted to be like Rey Mysterio and stuff like this I had me on finisher move on like on the Xbox game it was like the d24 CU Rey Mysterio's finishing move is the 619 and that's the area code for for his the d24 but uh as soon as I started like rolling I was like oh no this is this is what I want to do my plan must to be like until I'm like 14 15 15 old enough to do like pro wrestling and uh then I'll leave here and then I'll I'll go into pro wrestling but not and as soon as I started like like feeling the The Exchange is like n this is this is really and I was like I I knew some of submissions like Dar bar and stuff like this just from watching WWE yeah H so yeah as soon as I joined I was always it was on Ry who took the classes at the time in longm and I was like oh when's the next competition when's the competition like I just wanted to compete as soon as I started training but obviously he was like oh no take your time take your time we'll get there event and then he done like inter clubs okay so on already had his his own gym it was Primal at the time but obviously now it's SBG Charles Town yeah um so he would get like the Primal ads over and then we' kind of just like Spar it was more of a spar was there like cuz it's huge now there's like you know there's a competition once or twice a month was it was no like to be honest I didn't even know what UFC was when I joined like I I didn't know what MMA was was I just kind of randomly went into it um so yeah he'd bring his his Lads over and jar Harris was the first ever person I like competed against I have the video somewhere I should send it to you maybe put it up or something yeah that' be cool yeah it was good so yeah J um I can't to be honest the last we started we're probably gone now you know I me there's so many people coming in now over the years like that's uh um did you win like I'm trying to say um how old were you when you kind of saw like did you really start to catch on here when was that H I'd say around the time I got my blue BT so maybe like I was like 13 I was I was actually 14 when I got my blue BT which is kind of crazy yeah like at at the time I was like it was like the youngest in Ireland but like obviously the the standard is completely different now so yeah that's when like I was the Mendes Bros were big you know mhm in aoj and all of these guys so I kind of think around that time you'd see like regular people like come from school like you te school they come in and then like it had a good base I think that's like around that time when I got my blue I think Daniel negro started around that time okay so around I say like 2015 maybe have you ever trained do you train now yeah know I train yeah I used to train atg what I think you told me that actually I I between gyms at the moment um partly because of day job is getting in the way right okay where do you train uh you know Edson yeah I kind of go to his gym every now and then oh nice but I think I'm gonna I think I'm going to end up going up to Patty's just cuz it's right around the cor great yeah oh yeah I've been there I've been there I used to leave school early and go to like going do his lunch time class yeah yeah like yeah no it's a great gym I love I love it there I I've been to a bunch of open MS there yeah nice the Sunday the Sunday mass they call on voice Break um but no uh yeah know I I started at uh HQ I did the I started uh HQ now inore or the inore um with the it was still the wimped warrior at the time that's what got me into it um isn't it yeah um yeah that that's what got me into it um when I started gust you know Gustavo yeah yeah he's over in Miami now I think is he [ __ ] killing it over there I need know 2020 uh what have been maybe 2021 21 I think yeah um but yeah uh I don't even know I'm saying when you first go to jiu-ju go back to my questions I think that's what it was you were in the middle of looking up a question then I asked you a question I flipped the flipped the script um sorry so you said you knew from like kind of a young age like you wanted to be yeah a wrestler and then you know go straight like you know you want to do MMA professionally yeah um what how did your family feel about any of this you know they just kind of you know they like it like that you liked it as a hobby or do they want you to kind of pursue something quote unquote real I don't know because I was so young that it's not like oh you need to get a real job you need to focus on this cuz like when I started obviously I was 10 11 so you're not really thinking about like yeah you need to knuckle down in school cuz like you're in primary school you're not really like obviously you're going to take it serious and all but not like you need to get good grades you need to do this you need to start thinking about what you do in college I wasn't even in secondary school and no but like from the start uh my mom has always been supportive that's cool um and then I think like and the fact that I was doing well in school and I was competing and I was doing I was winning tournaments and I was like yeah what when she was like yeah okay cool I mean never really had that conversation of like right like you really need to you know get a real job like yeah I was like yeah I'm going to fight and she was like oh okay yeah fair enough speaking of your mom there like how was she after your first MMA fight uh like my mom doesn't drink okay at all but anytime I I that's the only time she'll drink just just to S nerves yeah it's not even that I get hurt I think I think it's more so like she wants me to do well and win the nerves are that's where the nerves come from cuz like it's fighting think does she go to your fights yeah yeah she like anytime she can she'll she'll go to all them my first actually my first MMA fight was the MMA leagues okay yeah with uh uh Sheran right for before like before it was an actual real like you know structured competition it was just like the I think a few LS would rent out a hall you know what I mean and I think it was like pre amateur even like so there was no head shots it was just body shots and they just throw like a few mats on the ground like like JJ tournament okay um and I suppose at that it's more just competing it's not really a fight um and then my first amateur my was in the oafs which is a bit I don't know if I would recommend that where was that in Bahrain okay yeah so that was that was really cool experience 2019 yeah um so obviously she couldn't go to that cuz it was halfway across the world um but now yeah all do any anytime she can she'll she'll be at the fights like at the last fight in France and my cousins like my younger cousins that we were talking about my girlfriend and my mom they all came over yeah so she's always been there yeah that's cool yeah even like when I was at training she was always sitting at the side of the map watching and like even time like say if I wanted to skip training or something she she'd be like what are you doing come on now you're going you push me cuz she knew that that I that I meant something to me so when I was being lazy slacking off not not like that you know you see some parents are like yeah you're going to go here you're going to do fire you need to go train you need to work hard it was like now come on like look look what you want to do this was never like I never forced into doing things yeah it's not like they're trying to live it through you was to live like seriously or something yeah vicariously vicariously that's completely completely that's a different that's a different podcast that's on the patreon um no that um sorry that that is kind of what I was trying to get to it's good that um you know she's she's being supportive because she knew you wanted to do it not that um you know she was doing it for you yeah yeah 100% pretty much anything my mom does like especially like when I was grown up was for me yeah yeah that's cool you know uh I think as an only way child uh a fellow only child um I we can really relate that because we don't have to share our parents with anyone you and we kind of even that con like what do you mean I don't when people say I share your parents I'm like what what yeah what do you mean like just doesn't yeah yeah yeah um you know what's funny about uh get a little off topic here I don't actually I'm curious if you uh have a similar experience anyone almost anyone I know that has siblings uh I don't want to like they don't like each other or there's like issues there's something yeah there's always something like um uh whether it's serious or my my closest cousin at home um you know like just two brothers she doesn't even talk to really yeah and like she would be really close with her sister um Al again they're all my cousins but like you know like they would um you know it's weird and then like uh I I noticed that a lot here with people who have at least like big families at least like there's always something like someone doesn't talk to someone yeah it does it always happens yeah but like my family like on my mom's side there arguing 247 but like the next day they'll be in the house having a c or something you know so it's never serious you know what I mean that's good yeah yeah no but like especially like my aunties the girls always bitching always bitching about each other like they'll have one on the phone talking going to get them all in trouble now like my mom will be on the phone to one of them bitching about the other one and then the other one will call and then they'll start Bing about her I'm like I'm just me and me and my cousin Adam his mom is like yeah that's how families work obviously um like we have jokes like they [ __ ] they're they're going off now like it's just it's it's mental how I don't want to be sexist but just that where women work like they just have to have a [ __ ] about somebody yeah that's funny um all right back on topic here um what is it like what what's it like training an SPG because I like in my time there it was always crazy because like just the amount of talent that just is there and then travels through it yeah it's Conant what's that like to be honest it's very normal for me because I obviously started at a young age and then seeing all the all the lads progress like when I started there was no there was no big shows in Ireland and like the first first OB obviously the first star was Connor and yeah it's a weird one like I like there is so much talent like so many Lads in there like if they really put their the work in and put their money to like UFC level guys you know what I mean with the right training with the right mindset um and I don't know if there's man or James in Ireland that have that and I I remember thinking about that when I was younger I was like is it just luck or is it are we just lucky that people come here because we started off with like you know Connor but then again I was like n you don't just get lucky it's the it's the the training we do it's obviously like John like he's like a magician monk or something I don't know like he coaches you without actually having to do too much I don't know yeah uh you know speaking of John like what what's what's that like you know like uh do you feel a lot of pressure to perform for him or to that make sense in the gym yeah well it's not as if like he demands that of you I don't know it's just kind of like oh you want to you want to impress your coaches like anyone would but yeah no like he he'll never be like oh no there's not literally no pressure but and I think that everybody's relationship with him is a little bit different okay for like it's all it's personal like everyone's everyone's goal is obviously different um yeah I don't I don't know to be honest yeah one one thing i' actually always been curi does he like like so say you know you know you want to go pro yeah he knows you want to go pro like do they like sit you down and like talk to like give you like some career guidance yeah yeah a lot Jon's man of very few words he'll get to the point and then right away yeah yeah um yeah I remember after my last amateur fight he was like so what what do you think your next what what do you want to do next I was like what you think the next move is to they go problem like yeah I think so too and it was pretty much that so he'll never like push out on me or like I think we should do this next it's always what the individual wants okay which I think is good like you know some some coaches like are have a plan in place for uh their students with John it's pretty much like if you want to he'll help you he's not going to like spoon feed you okay you know so you kind of like I suppose to know you you do need to prove yourself but it's it's personal it's like like I said it each individual is different there's got to be a bit of um word anxiousness I guess in your like like given the connections that that gy has um you know to kind of the top level promotions mhm you know there's got to be a little bit of a I don't anxiousness is the right word um maybe eagerness is maybe probably the better word um you know to try and use those connections to get into them like uh again like do they sit you down and like like or do they ever give you kind of like a a road map or just like a like you know like here do a few fights here few fights here and then we can submit your package more or less to you know kind of UFC or in a way yeah but it's more so like just take one fight at a time okay like uh I remember like in that conversation I was like I I want to go to the UFC so I don't know maybe f with pfl that might that might mess up with that or Bellator and it's like well yeah but you'll get like a few F contracts and then you're a free agent yeah so don't don't think about too much you know I mean you'll get you'll you'll get there eventually you know what I mean so just I think of it take take what's right in the moment you know and that's what I remember hearing John say before he was like he focuses on what is okay just simple that that's like the one you can think about that whatever way you want like I said he man have very few words but like he gets he gets to the point yeah he get you like get you thinking you know what I mean it's like okay okay right on um what what's it like what was it like when you signed your first contract with he hexagon hexagon do you fight in a hexagon or is it an octagon still no I actually don't know I thought I probably should know that but it would be weird if we were we were fighting in an octagon and was called hexagon I think it is hexagon cuz I was looking at the rules uh six sides I think it just for MMA it just needs to be like a circular a circular like kind of cage it doesn't like it doesn't need to be once it's not Square I think even though like back in the day and even in some promotions yeah did they still do these promotions now what they still do it in a ring uh closest thing I could think of is like bkfc but yeah and the one Championship but they obviously I think they do that yeah I think I've seen I've seen it before where it's like maybe like primarily a kickboxing yeah yeah like I another do a my toy with MMA gloves in the cage I don't know if they do MMA in the in the ring I would I haven't seen anything like that Rec yeah back in the day like Pro yeah yeah um what was like contract yeah signing your first contract like that had to sorry did they reach out to you or you like kind of you know reaching out to it was actually through Showtime my management agency and they they sorted that one so that's to get the fight on a show like hexagon for like your debut is really kind of not unheard of cuz is it a big deal or like I over in front man it's popping over there the MMA scene is crazy over I've seen the like the overall production of the show Good it really good I was surprised I wasn't expecting it to be um to be as like smooth and professional as it was yeah like first f um was in was in a Arena and I was looking like wow this is like nearly U not UFC SI but like this is crazy like in of point in cage Legacy like that was kind of the plan to have a few you know smaller shows like in a in a ga hall or something but no it's mad but like when I when I signed the contract it wasn't I don't know like people always ask that must be great was like yeah well it's what I've always expected of myself and it was so normal cuz I've seen was it a bit um did you have a bit of relief like just kind of like like finally or not really I don't kind of like yeah okay it was just so so natural to me you know what I mean cuz that that is what I expected of myself like and uh seeing all the lads you know for for Bor pfl UFC over the years that I think it's kind of like you know when you're exposed to something so much they're like the like someone who's addicted to drugs I might be a weird analogy like they need the like say like for them to take the drug as like oh that's great it's amazing and then they take it again they start taking it more and more they just get exposed to it so much that's just normal yeah yeah it's yeah it's not the same as the first okay yeah maybe that was a bit of a weird no it makes sense um how like are you uh exclusive with them is that like an exclusive contract with them um yeah kind of but like I can leave any time I want or they can tell me to [ __ ] off anytime they want so yeah how many how many uh are you guaranteed any fights or like a number of fights or um do you know what actually need to go back and read that contract um no I think it's for the year I'm pretty sure I should probably notice I should probably notice reach out to your lawyer yeah Glenn oh that's funny um no that's great and like so you all right so you you just had a fight yep that what at now that was what like two weeks ago weeks ago three weeks this this weekend I think that was on the 1 was the 19th yeah just two and a half three weeks uh what or say so first of all congratulations on your Victory Che um you know like what what's what's that like now is it just like kind of another day in the office for you or you know is that like yeah way you still get that feeling of accomplishment when you oh yeah 100% 100% like I feel like it's just the feeling you can't describe you know what I mean maybe other people get that from other things but I don't know I I don't know like I remember like when I got back I was just sitting there I was like trying to sleep got zero sleep but it wasn't I was up all night thinking but not not in a bad way I was just I was so so a static in a way yeah yeah yeah no definitely I feel I guess yeah it's that that's my drug to be honest like I don't know where I'd be without without competing and so like five years from now what like what is your what's your fiveyear plan um like I said initi like I like to take a fight by fight okay but um you know whe whether it be UFC or another big promotion like I I I want to be and I see myself um at the top like I don't think that there's no point of of doing this sport if that's not your goal and everybody says that because it's true yeah you know what I mean definitely um no I know you're a bit young and you're still very uh you're just starting your pro career like Legacy wise like what's something what do you want to leave behind like you know every you know after every step you take like what what is it that you want to kind of leave behind you um I don't know to be honest um I'm just I'm just in it now going through going through emotions um but by the end of my career like the goal is always you know UFC UFC champion when I was younger I used to say um I want to be the greatest of all time you know what I mean um I feel like yeah maybe greatest of all time if if that you know that's that's a bonus but I feel like that's all just kind of kind of words that sound cool you know what I mean but I definitely want to fight in the UFC I want to I want to have titles um yeah one for at a time and I I know like any any like when it was kickbox when it was not never done kickboxing when it was karate I was always excelling in karate and then when I went to jiu-ju I was always was excelling in jiu-ju and then I do the O I won the O so I feel like whatever organization or area I'm in in mixed martial arts I I believe that I'll always I'll always excel in and I will reach those goals I don't I don't see why not it hasn't right on it hasn't uh hasn't failed me so far and if someone someone has to be Champion so why not me that's the way I look at it like like someone's going to do it people can do it everyone's we're all just humans at the end of the day when you look at it that way we're all just you're the same as me I'm the same as Jon Jones he's he's just a regular person who said who decided I'm going to I'm going to do it yeah you know that's why not me yeah put that someone has to someone has to do it like yeah they don't have to but like it's going to be do so why why shouldn't it be me absolutely um look uh I think it's awesome it's a good mindset to have there um do you know any fight next um no I've I've not nothing scheduled at the moment but we're we're in in the in talks now s something heck yeah it could be is there anyone in particular you want to fight no no I've never been into they calling out people or I don't know whatever whatever's going to take me to that next step whoever that is no I don't care I'm not even I I couldn't even couldn't even tell you who I want to fight cuz I don't really pay attention to like other it's good to kind of necessarily be removed from it but you're not inated every day like I wouldn't be sitting down watching every every UFC event like I wouldn't even consider myself a fan you know it's weird it's it's hard to be a fan over here given the time difference in my opinion I don't like being up at 3 in the morning to watch I used to stay up like when I was younger I'd stay up till six whatever watching it but now like one day doing that as you get old there that [ __ ] up your whole week I'm still young but like messes with try and everything or what I I've stayed up a couple times for a couple fights been disappointed and then I don't do it anymore so now I just I just watch the this shitty uh um pirated whatever like it's probably gonna get taken down just the the shitty pirated like uh the Youtube streams yeah the next morning I watch um before they get taken down and like I I always if it's something I'm actually interested I try not to like stay off uh like R Instagram Instagram until I actually yeah would be the same yeah um but like there hasn't been like a huge fight I've been really wanting to watch lately yeah I know just today they just announced Patty and Chand Chandler I feel like that's Patty's first real challenge yeah in the UFC like he's four good lads but this could be like you know totle contention almost like yeah I think so um Chanel's a badass so I don't know how that one's GNA go legit um I got to stick with my people too so you know yeah like to be honest I feel on paper you're going to have to give it to Chandler just because of the experience and everything but like there a big there's an age difference there I think Chandler's my age and Patty's late 20s I think yeah didn't he get like offered to for the UFC like when he way back in his career and he turned it down cuz he said he wasn't ready I I think I heard him say that before the Bold move right there yeah yeah yeah but like it's easy like a lot of people say like oh he's gonna he's going to get whooped in this next fight and he doesn't each time he's proving people wrong so we'll see we'll see with this one I think people for whatever reason I think people always take uh they don't like his uh big weight cuts that because he always puts on like um if I keep eating chocolate pillows that's be I have no ABS at the moment that's funny how how many how many chocolate pills have you eaten how many bowls of that have you had since you've been home or since your last fight I don't know bows man maybe 50 50 maybe get yeah yeah like Jesus at least I was think like a dozen in my head thinking that was a big number no that's in like two days it's like I I was like when I'm obviously I'm not doing this all the time just this time period now I'm actually having I'm stopping because I'm feeling like bad about myself I'm like no like this is disgusting well it's mainly at night time yeah I'm like I'm bored time to eat yeah I go down the chocolate pillows are there yeah but I think it was last week I got a box and I finished all boxing one day you know I am proud of I am no shame no you know what no forget it heck yeah man like you keep like clearly it's working for for you so you know keep it up uh obviously Dr Camp them not going hear them and stuff like that but yeah yeah you smelling though or you like opening the box and like salts it's weird on I've never CH smell Sal really want to do me too I want to do them on a podcast let's do it yeah yeah I want I want to as well % I see Rogan doing it with yeah I remember me and my girlfriend watched like a 40-minute compilation smelling I was like oh watch this and she was like yeah whatever like you know difficult when you're trying to show your girlfriend something she like yeah I don't I don't care just buttering them but like by the end of it she was betting to it as well it's just s satisfying to watch people do smell themselves yeah I wantan to we got a wonder wonder if you can get them on Amazon you got to be able 100% I'd say some like we lifting shops I get paid today so I'm going to I might I might buy some on Amazon yeah let me know and let let me know I'll be right I'll be [Laughter] uh yeah but when it comes to like field when I'm switched on I'm switch I it's good to it's good to have uh to be like I'm not like that um I I yeah it's difficult um anyway um well here look um run a bit over time for me um but I really appreciate you uh reaching out to me to after after a year after a year trying to do it um look uh I'd love to have you back again maybe we could do some we could do like uh we could do something together on yours or yeah first guest that'd be cool I'm down um check out uh Ryan's podcast Take It Outside podcast um it's on Spotify it's on YouTube it's it's pretty much everywhere isn't okay I've been watching it on YouTube uh like I haven't watched it a ton but uh uh fake fun fake fun fake fun I told you I I I I I like uh um uh I I ski through it you know how like they have like the I skip to them um it is funny like you guys you guys uh you look like you're having a good you at least look like you're having a good time that's the only reason I want to do it because I I don't watch movies I don't watch shows I literally just listen to podcast so I was like why not why not doing myself keep it up man it's an excuse to just get together on talk sh heck yeah um and promote yourself on there too yeah yeah if it happens I have no goals with it just yeah just doing it for fun right on um like I said check it out um check out his fights on Hex I keep on I almost called it octagon on hexagon um you can watch his your fight to be up online now yeah yeah they or Zoom within a week or two by the time this gets uploaded probably be yeah yeah um yeah anything you want to shout out or no let every just follow me on Instagram _ MMA um I don't have Twitter or X I just it's toting and I know I just got down rabit holes and stuff like that so better off just not having it yeah know same I'm just on Instagram and I have a have a Reddit account that I I will not share because that's just it's bad you can tell me when the camera is when the camera but yeah no uh look man like I said I appreciate it and I we have to do this again sometime 100% great yeah uh appreciate uh confidential let's [Music] go back back confidential let's go [Music] come back come back confidential let's [Music] go come back come back confidential let's go