IN DEPTH | EPISODE 30 | MAXIMUS LALLY

Ringkasan

Dave sits down with one of Ireland's hottest prospects Maximus Lally. Max makes his professional debut on Cage Legacy 19.

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

foreign [Music] we're just going into his Pro debut which is really everyone's looking forward to it I've been looking forward to for a long time um but to get to where he is now we we had to start so much so talk to us about your journey into MMA like what brought you to it to begin with well kind of brought me towards MMA um was the coin the lack of trainer that I was getting in Jiu-Jitsu throughout um lockdown and before MMA I have been doing Jiu-Jitsu since I um nine years old um so nearly just little over 10 years now um or you've grappled and competed in wrestling Jiu Jitsu at the highest level that I called all throughout me as a kid Ultra yeah teenage years and one's coined the initial lockdown hit I was kind of just grappling with my dad and drilling their own rounds or whatever like that and kind of when things opened up a bit more I just tried to kind of look for high level Jitsu trainer but I couldn't really get it anywhere so what I decided to do was I decided to go down to SVG Charlestown and started on some of the MMA classes got smashed got products and me having the coin there competitive mind and the strong Minds that I have is or it was when we had I was like I need to get better at this so I need to get good at this and one thing spiraled into the next and I started to compete in them with me yeah so what was that actually brought in Charleston was it because obviously you know Conor McGregor striking coach on Roddy yeah one of the best coaches country was that one of the factors that led into your decision or so Ruddy is one of my first original Jiu Jitsu cultures I was forced to introduced to uh own I think it was 11 or 12. and when I got four I got brought down to where SVG HQ he at the time was currently looking over the ground gorillas program and I got introduced to him and and I think I came into the gym I think it was a yellow belt or an orange belt or whatever like that and I I thought he was training under a Brazilian team check my at the time and the club coin that fell through but so I didn't really have anywhere to train so me that brought me up there remember me that telling me that like Roddy said uh I'll give him a look and if he's the level that he's at like with his with his belt grade I'll let him like keep the belt but like if I don't think he's up to the standard of I think with a yellow belt or an orange belt uh I'll re-grade them to the level I think he's suitable and I went in I did the class he thought it was super for the belt and then from there it continued to train already for four five years until he coined it took a step back from HQ to focus on his own gym and then one part let down the next and then I went back down to him I was doing loads of his Jiu Jitsu classes wrestling classes a few of his MMA classes on and off and I kind of went home and said well I want to fight MMA and he kind of took me under his wing um started coaching me and giving me the finer details that I needed to improve you know yeah I like what you said they're actually about the fact that he regreted that takes a lot of kind of I want to say bars because a lot of coaches might just let that slide where he was like listening no I like if he felt you weren't as good as people have made you believe he was going to bring you back to reality this is where you lie you're not here you're not there but obviously he thought you were good for the bad but it's good to see that coaches do that and they just don't let things slide yeah but you won't expect anything less from them right here 100 and it's like I think it's very important if you have coaches that truly do care about you and truly do care about like he was a foyer he was a person the one thing they won't do is you know what I mean they won't make you believe or have you in a different different sort of reality you know what I mean it's it's I think it's essential for all four years to have that coach that if you're flying up too high they'll bring you back down to earth you know what I mean and let you know what needs to be walked on or what needs to be kind of said or improved on you know yeah and it's better that that happens in the training room as opposed to in a 500 and I always say it we say it multiple times a week in the gym when I'm in the gym it's like you rather experience things in the training realm or in the on the match spiral and whatever it may be that never for you you know what I mean because you're experience something they want to fight it's gonna be it's gonna be hard to deal with whether you you experience as much things in the training room as possible you're going to be able to adjust a lot better you know yeah I think it was I want to say Craig Jones or Gordon Ryan maybe said that they lose all the time in the training room that's why you don't see them that's why you don't see them and it's like it doesn't matter what happens in the training room it's like you're only as good as your last performance um and it's it's it's not what it's what you've got to see when I'm pointing you know what I mean it's it's what the spectator I see when I'm pointing whatever happens in the train room it happens it gets forgotten about and the next two training sessions the next day it's like it's it's fresh start you know what I mean if you're getting caught with something you walk on it it's fairly straightforward like the MMA isn't that complicated of of a sport you know what I mean it's like all the knowledge is is it's accessible to us you know what I mean it's you're watching boys and UFC fight at the hottest level like all the knowledge is there it's just just update ourselves to critique these uh you know the exploits that you have in your game and it's like if you're not doing that or not trying to improve it's like you're gonna you're gonna get filmed out you know and would you say yourself obviously he said obviously already sorry would be critical let me bring you back down to earn are you quite critical of yourself because sometimes self-awareness is not something that everybody has I know people who've been in jobs and they think they're brilliant but they're not under delusional yeah it's hard for them to see their own thoughts and it is for a lot of people but you seem from speaking to you before even we started here we mentioned that your level of knowledge or your views on things are much beyond your age like are you self critical of yourself like would you watch over and look for the holes in your game um then this is just my thought in general it's like every high level athlete is critical of himself it's like I have never spoke to a high level acne or a high level competitor of any sort that is not critical than themselves or you think it's a necessity if you're competing at a high level and I I find if you're not like that you think everything's great you know it's it can benefit you mentally and having a kind of positive mindset but at the end of the day one going out before you I want to make sure absolutely every area has been covered on things that I need to do whether it's cardio whether it's striking wrestling Jiu Jitsu whatever it might be that's covered and that has been worked on and it's that that's what gives me the positive mindset that it's like I've put absolutely everything into this training camp or into my few weeks of training and it's like all you know if we lose tonight or you don't get the result that we want to get that there is I've simply lost someone that's better than me you know what I mean and that's it but it's like with the likes of Sergey Colleen and John um they they're really down to earth you know if something if something's not getting walked on and something needs to move it said I'm grounded I am I trust these guys enough to be like cool what do we need to do and and that's it like you know I mean and then we were going and said when you started competing so obviously you would have competed in Jiu-Jitsu because you've been doing it so long yeah yeah what was the major difference you found what was it for your first time competing I know it would have been at Cadet so you wouldn't have had like the head shots on the ground and stuff like that but what was it like going in and what was your first competition so I I think actually my first ever MMA fight was a teens Expedition for in FAO and I I'm not I think I fought someone out of the next generation one of Rodney Moore's Lads I I can't remember the exact name whatever like that but that shot was a teens fight and it was it was head shots and it was that was that was my first day for you and I took him down and I unbarred them kind of straight away but all you just kind of remembered getting a bit more of a let's say a kick out of it you know what I mean in in in the sense of grappling it's a it's a lot more of a technical sport um in Jiu Jitsu I find there's guys who can be as small as 55 kilos and submit someone who is 90 kilos I think it's kind of remarkable it's really it's really good but in the sense of MMA I think you need to be a bit more of like an athlete does that make sense because there's so much more areas that need to be covered and I think in Jiu Jitsu like it's you do your Technique you know you do your drilling you do your high rounds in Jitsu you do your wrestling your strength conditioning and that's kind of the areas that you need to cover to excel that's for but then it was like I was kind of looking at MMA and it's like there's so much boxes that I need to check off and it kind of intrigued me a bit because it's like it's more things from for me to work on you know what I mean so even if I get better at a slower kind of ace at least I am expanding these areas you know what I mean and that's what kind of initially like got me into it and fast forward a bit of time and I was going to be able to Cadet imfs in 2019 in Italy but I was actually away in America um at the time I was training and hands on Grace he's in New York City with some of the down of her dead Squad at the time when they were all together and we competed in a beach wrestling tournament I competed in and Naga King of the Beach which is like a big coin that grappling tournament you know so I was competing at a high level in grappling as much as I could all over the world but I kind of just got pulled towards MMA a bit more you know yeah it just it excited me more I kind of had the Jujitsu style of people would describe that I was trying to take the head off your man you know what I mean it was aggressive it was fast-paced I was always on the front foot I was trying to trying to smash them and hoard them from top bottom whatever it might be and some would say I coined I had the style for MMA you know what I mean with the heavy wrestling and the heavy coin that guard person so I decided uh I think it was 20 20. everything was about September October 2020 that I would train as hard as I could have still 17 at the time so I wasn't eligible to 40 amateur and MMA but um I said that I would go out and I would put 110 into a trainer Camp towards the uh and boy far from his spot on that team I think I had two fights for that and then flew over to Bulgaria and uh competed for Ireland at the point of cadets in 2021 and that was quite remarkable you think four people in one day it was um we thought that in the cadets of the same day when I thought that at 170 pounds which is well doing so uh I had more wrestling coach Sergey come over with me and tune my teammates Alex Young and Brandon Blake both were there as well both of them Lads were in and yeah like a lot like I know it's it's far for it in one day or whatever but it was like I went over there and I wasn't expecting a little less involved because of the amount of work that I put in the amount of hours that I put in was was like remarkably you know what I mean I was still in school at the time it was before I kind of left school I would be going into school and leaving early so I could get two sessions here you know what I mean there'll be some days I wouldn't even know to school at all and I just go to the gym do two three sessions a day and that's what it was from October right up until the end of July for that air for that or you never won a World title previously and I really made sure that I I was gonna I was gonna win me for everyone uh that year you know and I did and how did it feel when you did it and you also came up against another Irish man which is shorter levels that's in the country yeah how did the field to get that Victory and get to work the metal it was great uh I had made me forced me forced to fight and I fought a game American who would actually want it um in Italy in 2019 straws of the bracket you know and it was a straight elimination so I was going in against possibly one of the biggest bestest scores in the in in the bracket you know and if I lost I was out of competition straight away so I got the ball rolling on that I out wrestled they all grapple them had a lot of coinda submission attempts beating up his legs pretty bad with calf kicks and heaps I want that by the decision and then let me second before you I got to have Russia and I came across really a really game Russian uh silver was really big for for the weight I think he was like six foot two I'm only like five nine or five ten or whatever it might be you know but uh same thing oh yeah oh problem with him but show you around multiple submission attempts uh even Legos there's no headshots but it was even like on the ground digging into his body with deep scarf kicks making all kind of feel like you had to get the takedown take this back like a pretty dominant decision uh an enemy toward fight or he fought Israel he submitted him in the fourth round with the guillotine and then they came across uh Jordan scoli of SVG Tullamore on the camera Diamond's Lads I actually I actually shotgun comes down to where nice monster it is most days during the week for for wrestling so I like a train with him quite a lot you know super nice Valley you know um but I I really did feel like I was like a man animation that day and they could have put your UFC champ in front of me I know what I tried to go through I'm like he's true you know and and I caught a jumping iron bar then on Jordan and in the fourth round of the footy and won the gold medal you know that's it that was song draw wasn't it so you get the person who won it previously then you get a Russian yeah then obviously you get Israel and after gone through all the the house of that then you know I have to go out and defeat an Irish person and it's like and as I as I said I don't think I could have got anyone profile in the foreign it's it's a free-for-all you know what I mean it's it's you you want it more you know what I mean and that's what it is it's down to the individual it's it's all good you think it's great I want to represent your country people when are you saying that Jordan was in the finals against Jordan according to counter it's like okay this is down to the individual now it's like who wants it more you know what I mean and on the day or you call Jordan you know uh I think it was a big achievement for our table Irishmen at the top level of under 18s amateur MMA to bring back a golden silver and a stack stack division you know what I mean it was really really tough qualities in that division and and you know it it was good to go in the get rewarded for all the the hard one to try and I put in for that you know yeah I can imagine and I'd like to I know Jordan as well he's he's a good guy we were down into the more but like it comes down to if it's iron the first sign the final it's you or me basically and it's like and that's the thing it's in in MMA it's it's not like cycling or football it's not a team sport it's an individual sport you know what I mean I am all for getting behind foreign [Music] you know what I mean and it's like sometimes and situations like them it's like you have to be selfish you know and or you think any high level competitor it's like if they have a chance to win their first world title they're gonna dive on it with two hands you know and you know it was I I wouldn't say it was unfortunate because it was great for our two Irish Lads like when me and Jordan were fighting the cages surrounded with hundreds of people you know what I mean because it was like what like two Irish lies in the final the division there was about 25 Lads in the division you know what I mean I I can't remember if I got a boy or not but I just know I had a it was straight elimination and I had four fights done in the gold medal and and that's that's what happened you know yeah and then from there obviously you went on to amstrad your first fight I wanted to make sure it's correct your Fighting Championship wasn't it it was your first it was their first ever show and it was four weeks after the world championships and you finished that fight as well rear naked chocolate was it wasn't there the Air Force around how did that because obviously that was their first show I think you and I think Conor McCarthy might have debuted on that as an actor as well I did yeah from because he trains which in Chinese town as well so how did it feel going into an amateur show but at the time it was covered as well yeah so there wasn't really a crowd like what was it like making that step into amateur did it feel any difference yeah or was it just I I really do feel like the years of competing a high level in Jiu-Jitsu on in different countries and then even just being away in Boulder area I feel like that it really did benefit me for an amateur MMA because of me amateur MMA debut but it was like not that I didn't care but it was just like it was more exciting than anything else you know and partic had a handful of amateur fights I could have probably debuted against someone that was making their debut as well you know but I poorly got given to me I think he had 12 amateur fights and I just jumped at it and said The more experience goes like for you the better it will become so let's do it you know and I was able to get him out of there fairly quick you know and and I think I made me debut or had just gone 18 that August you know and I go then started to get the ball rolling on them and I think I fought every month after that yeah because there was there was Parts where you were very very active uh like that you went to and you got Titans up fairly quickly as well do you want to talk about that your first title shot you said it was kind of you didn't realize it if I'm not close to it and that was what the first event I was at because I remember I don't have the footage anymore I'm sure it's on my page so I can download it but you when you pick up Andrew and then I showed it to all my friends and he thought you know what I love it it was it was like a primal scream out there as you ran with him across what was it like finding out obviously that close to the shoulder was actually for a title and then how did you feel with the fight because Andrew was quite experienced at that stage yeah no he was and even after that for he went on to win the national MMA championships foreign [Music] catch weight at 73 kilos I coined it earlier in my career like the horse he avoids I did cotton white wasn't really a big thing for me um because for me it was about getting the the experience that I needed you know and for me getting the experience that oh yeah needed was to for whoever I could whenever I can at whatever way I could get you know when Andrew came about 73 fought previous uh teammate in the morning Scott however he was now up in FAO you know so I felt very very confident you know a lot of people were going there I wouldn't want to say under Miami but I definitely did feel like it was a bit more of a challenge I don't think like it's it's a challenge that I would have liked you know um before the fleet I think Andrew was under my enemy attorney but you know and I just kind of hiding my head that it's like I'm going to make this for a living hell for you for nine minutes and there's not a single thing you're gonna be able to feel about and I feel like that that's what I did enough for it you know oh yeah really heavy coined a grappling I I dropped him in the fourth round or the right hand I I think the only I think the reason the fight didn't get finished was as I said the inexperience you know with me never dropping anyone before you know you hit him with a really hand I got really excited jumped on top of them kind of trying trying to Grapple you know but as I said it's like that for you brought me on levels you know taught towards me next one or you think I'm three around 14 for amateurs are essential you know what I mean you learn a lot about yourself because it's like it's like when you're tired and your body's full of lactic acid and your your whole breath it's it's like Are You Gonna Keep charging forward are you gonna going to show you away and and let your opponent coin to take advantage of the approach made sure for that for you that I wasn't losing the second of every round you know and that I wasn't gonna get taken down I wasn't gonna get out walked on the feet on the ground whatever it may be you know and I did I did that uh I think I won all the three rounds and I won that super it was a super early weight belt for occasionally I'd seen that was me second amateur for you yeah that's that's meant so then obviously there was your Fighting Championship they wanted to do the lightweight tournament wasn't it and that's how you and maggot came about yes so you were the only ones that said actually yes so what happened was It was supposed to be a two foot in the one night I think that would have been unbelievable for myself only having two amateur fights fighting guys he was [Music] there was a few names that were kind of thrown into the mix for what they ended up doing was because me and Mike are the only ones that air actually said yeah to fighting um we ended up waiting for that lightweight title and that was another tough three round fight and fighting an opponent that was much bigger than myself really kind of was an eye-opener to okay you can't really get away with this because I always found the Ninjutsu I was always fighting the bigger guys and I was kind of getting away with it you know um I started to have problems with my left shoulder and I kind of affected me later on going to down the road in my uh amateur career and but as I said it was another three round fight was a really tough fight and it was very beneficial towards myself to get that experience of going the full distance of learning what I'm gonna what I need to work on because I think sometimes we perform a bit better in the gym and then in a fight you might necessarily meet them standards that you're sitting in the gym does that make sense and I feel like that was a certain point of me where it was like I kind of in my own head it was kind of like I've won a World title and I beat two Google is an amateur and it was like oh like I started to kind of believe the own my own height between a bit you know and uh I kind of made that realization and kind of grounded myself a bit uh and humble myself you know and kinda changed the way I trained in the gym a bit as if I was put myself in I wasn't doing what I was good I was doing what I was better I wasn't there solely sticking to grappling I was trying to strike on the feet a bit more you know and I feel like in my next few fights that really kind of started to wear openly level as an amateurama made for it you know yeah it was quite a kind of baptism Fire coming in times of shots laser shots yeah uh and then getting there because like you said you wanted to fight the toughest people all the time you've touched a bit on training there as well and one thing I want to talk to you about is I find it quite interesting and I think it should happen a lot more where people obviously if it suits them but you obviously you train on riding would be your main your MMA coach Sergey is your wrestling coach yep then you've got Holly Matt and now DCA which obviously Craig hope he's gone to one Championship yeah uh sending copies does a horse the killers there what made you look at that was it because like you said this when we spoke you brought up earlier that there's so many different parts of the game because you look and go well I want the best person kind of yeah in those sections well I started wrestling with Sergey when I was 12 and I would kind of being in and out of College gym I went down to line her out in town a few times and then when he opened up there in Facebook I went down a few times for a few coins sessions but I I always knew if I was ever gonna make the transition into MMA I needed to be down with Carly and I needed to be wrestling let's say okay as much as possible uh and and that's what I did I am a firm believer in in mixed martial arts you need to train with the best people in the best areas as I feel like that's just what I did I took upon myself to do that to improve you know and I feel like it benefited me hugely and I think that it is definitely something that all fighters should do if they if they want to improve it's very important to try an MMA also because MMA is the sport and in itself you know what I mean I think that if I'm going out and I am sparring with guys who are going tomorrow my toy orientated it's like I need to find things that work for me in MMA and add that in in whatever way I see fit go to ready for a kind of let's say validation or whatever you know what I mean and that's the coin that the process that I was going to do on early in my amateur and MMA career you know uh even when I'm hitting pads or Kali colleague kind of changes as pad soil for me specifically to be more MMA where he's fainting the takedowns and he's adding in the knees to the face elbows to the face knees to the body you know so like all them little things it's like they are they all are up and like really did it was like I was kind of at like a like I was I was developing that let's say like a rapid Pace you know for someone who was only properly got into MMA I think it was a year and a bit at that stage you know um but it really really did benefit me having a the tree lad Sergey body and their colleague Amy Connor back of me you know gave me a bit of confidence because it's they're three names that are like Trader highest level names and combat and world you know so they have three Lads like that in your corner it's caught in the in the back of my head it's like it's like who's who's gonna beat me you know because it's like these three men have put their fate in me and I've pulled hours and hours and hours into me and it's like they're they're not doing that for no reason you know they see something in me um it's up to me now to put in that walk to prove myself or you prove them right and show everyone what I'm capable of you know and I think that that's what coin that got me through a lot of me for it you know having that that a background support for the tree Lads you know yeah like that like like you're on defeated going into Pro but you leave no stone unturned as well and I'm going to talk to you about uh John Connor the Irish and shoot and also you went it was a Philly McMahon as well yeah you've really loved that not just the fighting aspect your strength conditioning um there and then obviously the mental side which I think is often overlooked because yeah fighting is hugely mental it's probably more mental than it is physical at times if you I think sometimes someone with bad mentality can beat someone who might be physically stronger than them so yeah so uh the story there or he was with Philly I started with Philly it's actually originally doing training conditioning with him and they own a bit of uh a few things on the mental side room as well and um I was with Philly right up until I Tomy labrum in my shoulder I had to get surgery to repair if that was over in the imfs and Abu Dhabi I had two fights so far a Estonian and a Mongolian and a Tomy labrum completely off the bone uh in the fight against the Mongolian I won the two voids for how to withdraw from the competition others in serious pain with it you know so I got a scan on that in MRI and it was torn and stuff like that and I had to kind of go into rehab and at the time John Connor was there he was helping me with my kind of wake I wouldn't even call them wake up service courting about four kilos let's say at most but he was showing me the coin that let's say the correct way to film yourself or training sessions because in that area I was still a bit immature you know it was in a bit of like crap field and let's say it wasn't filming myself as well as it could have like like any kind of teenager you know and and John was a big help in that sort but John really helped me rehabilitate your shoulder to the coin that let's say that it's close to me Roy shoulder as a possibly recorded his whole thing was you want to be able to do things with your left shoulder that you can do with your right right child or whatever even thinking about it and like I want to say when you when you get surgery on some only people who have gotten surgery well now what I'm on about but there's also a lot of mental coin there involved with it as well because it's the fear is still there does that make sense for very long it took me um a very long time I I kind of got cleared the train I toured in January I got the surgery in March and then I was cleared the train started September and it took me from September right up till mid-December I I fought me first fight back from the shoulder surgery and to be honest the fear was quite still there I was doing more things off my right side than I would have been when we left because the kind of fear was still there um but with in regards to Philly McMahon he was a big help with a lot of a lot of mental things that we talked about was I was I I would have considered myself back then a real kind of black and white Tinker as as I like to call it you know it's one way uh it's the other you know what I mean and I think this that way you thinking is beneficial in some things but in the Outlook of life in general it's like he kind of he kind of showed me that um I'm not just an MMA fighter and that's what I kind of had the mentality of that this is my Sport and this is all I'm good at I'm not good at anything else and you know a coin that played in to with my kind of mental health a bit you know because it was like once I coined it got that shoulder surgery and I wasn't able to do what it was what I loved it was kind of like well where do I go from here now you know what I mean it's a waiting game and it really did kind of affect me mentally I put on a bit away and I wasn't able to train and it was very minimal what I could do for three months now three months doesn't sound that long for some people but for an athlete who trains twice three times a day to be told you can't do what you always did it it was it was really tough and it was kind of like the first maybe week and a half of not trying was nice but then it was like a mountain I felt like I was going crazy you know and uh Philly like he really really helped with that you know and once my shoulder started to let's say recover with the help of John or he started going to John then for my strangulation and he helped me a lot with Lewis and fat mass and putting on muscle mass to help me compete because I was still I know I'm only 20 now but I was 18 going 19 at the time and I was fighting fully grown man you know so he was helping me build on the explosive strength and power sort of things you know and and he's another man that it's if he tells me to deal with something or something needs to get walked on it gets done and then that's it you know this is how much trust and belief I have in The Four Lads that are helping me getting me ultimate goals you know yeah between the time outside like the mental side like it seems like you've all based this cover and I think we talked about just it was kind of out to your shoulder injury as well that when you kind of burst onto the scene everywhere like it was like you kind of exploded onto the scene everyone's about you and then did you find it hard when you were injured being away from that Limelight as well yeah and like I'll be honest that was the kind of getting back to that coin the Black and White Tank and it was like it was tough because one minute everyone's talking about it and then the next it's like if you're not fighting there's nothing to talk about you know what I mean and it coined it coin that made me develop a mentality of it's like these fights aren't really everything you know because the fights are gonna happen and once the fights are over No One's Gonna remember what happened No One's Gonna care about they're gonna be a little glimpse of the past and that that's that's all they'll really be it's the biggest thing that we're going to talk away from being injured that it's like these fights if they develop it as an athlete develop it as a point that's the most important thing you know not the holy real summations or the whole like real big Titans or anything like that you know um it's the most important thing for me was being able to go in and enjoy my training you know um and that's what I feel like the injury kind of showed me was that it's like let's not take this for granted ever again this is something that you enjoy doing there's something you love their own so so show it when when you fight you know what I mean like that fight and enjoy it like you know what I mean because before it was kind of just like that the graft and the higher training and and the hard work and it was let's say yeah it was it was it was the way I was training at the time but when I kind of got back from the injury and took me a while to get back into things have they had to face punched at me for a few weeks and kind of getting the cardio and and the fitness back let's say once I kind of um got all that back in I wasn't let's say struggling as much I really kind of Stack to enjoy it you know and Philly with the help of Philly you know acquaintance made me the realization that it's like going not just an MMA foreign if whatever reason it doesn't work out it's like that there is plenty of other kind of things out there you know and I wasn't calling it let's say putting Army chips in the into one corner you know because I find what happens is you put your chips all into one corner for whatever reason something doesn't work out you have this big mental breakdown and that's kind of let's say you know purpose there does that make sense at the time that was in that I was injured I grew very a lot closer to me father my mother and my little brother um and a lot a lot of people around which which was which was nice you know what I mean um and once I kind of got back in the train and I really started to enjoy it more does that make sense it was a lot more small and a lot more laugh and a lot less I want to say a lot less seriousness but it was like the hard training was was still according but it was a lot more enjoyable because it was taken away from me for so long so once I kind of got back into that you know we had a in December and then I thought two weeks later over in the UK and then that was kinda the end of of that that was 2021 that was the end of that year so we still managed to get four amateur MMA fighting that year with the shoulder surgery and I was quite happy about that you know yeah which was remarkable considering the type of injury yeah it's like quite Serious injury yeah yeah because we weren't even sure if you were going to come back for the cage Legacy and I remember that time like will you be ready want to be ready yeah obviously he came back and you've gone through your career and we we talked before and you said you wanted to get up to 20 fights you've got to a stage in your career where else in your last fight here in Lachlan like he was the only one who wanted to fight it wasn't he was the only one game yeah and like let's say I I don't I don't like uh like there's there's some people I don't like kind of making the assumption that are this person said no he's a [ __ ] you know what I mean I don't like making a difference it could be different reasons the time might necessarily be right um I originally had a scheduled opponent and he pulled out due to an injury and it was really frustrating to hear because it was like I was eight an hour at that stage and I couldn't see myself getting a replacement in two weeks time for a fight does that make sense and that's where the coin did the frustration let's say came out of you know um but in two weeks now it was turned and stepped in Forever awesome you know what I mean it's it's it's one thing to take a 40 on two weeks now let's put me and tearing them were scheduled to fight a few times and there was a responsible in February and the time wasn't necessarily wrote for himself and whatever like that but before you ended up getting made and he showed up and we had he had a great week you know so you know it was good as as we said it was one of them beneficial for you to start improved me and probably improved himself as well you know we think that's and I think that was a voids that need to be made you know what I mean because it's like that is high level amateur and MMA you're not even gonna see that that high level of mixed martial arts and some profits you know and we think that was a food star bring it on levels you know yeah no 100 that was a fantastic fight like I think the February when it Source made I think he was in his transition from moving back to Ireland exactly yeah it seems like that when people don't run up to a fight or if they don't want to fight like you said it's not like that yeah it's most times it could be someone could be carrying an injury 100 and they could be like you know what it's not we don't want to work but no I was supposed to fight the start of that year on I think it was OU War I was looking for a fight and once going to tearing up pulled out I wasn't a suitable replacement you know so that kind of got scrapped and they just put me I was planned for oh you are in cage conflict and I thought that was the kind of plan I remember for the start of the year and all you walk on the field trip with tearing up all day and I couldn't really get a suitable replacement um so we didn't end up getting put on that show but I think it was like it got to the stage where it was like I was I was that desperate for a fight where it was just like you know if I need to fight like you know what I mean I just I am a believer in in staying active and fighting improve you because it's like putting yourself under a coin I don't want to say pressure because it's not it's not really pressure but it's it's you're putting yourself in the line like you know what I mean and it's it's all about how you perform up there you know what I mean it doesn't matter how you perform in the gym you know I've said it but it's how you perform over there that's the that's the most important thing and um we think that if you can perform against the oil level amateur like that in in Belfast you know in his crowd you know you feel like you can you can do a lot of things so that's that's the challenge I was kind of looking forward to um a few weeks out from that for you I I'm not too sure if I broke them I definitely did something to them but I had really really badly hurt two ribs so are you it was very limited to what I could do for about four or five weeks um at the time bloody and Sergey were not in the country they're away from a four years so it was kind of like I was I want to say I was kind of guy the meowing kind of trying to Camp or he was wrestling a few Lads that were a bit bigger than me and landed on and I heard a call in the popping me ribs and I remember for four weeks it was sitting up as early laugh and sneeze and that like that was very difficult but it was like we need a fight and it was that desperation to fight and it really coined the showed myself how mentally strong I am you know what I mean because it's like what an injury like that you can easily pull out before you but it's like I kind of got offered athlete returning and it was like this stuff we don't need you know what I mean this is a fight I really want is a food that will improve me so much like I was like [ __ ] let's deal with it let's take it you know what I mean and by far one of them points that really didn't prove me as a fighter you know um and really did uh Excel me me progress and I think that's the biggest thing you can take away from money for you know yeah like that was a fight I had to make two high level items and that's what we need to see more of because he was gave me your game there was a bit of banter before as well um which which added to it as well then like that corner to better fast but I'm gonna wrap up the the amateur career so even from let's say from the cadets from uh Bulgaria to the engineer atmosphere um I want you to pick a fight that you think you perform better or your favorite fight just whether it be the crowd um or anything like that or just your Venue or whatever your favorite finish and then a favor a fight that you learn the most from um or definitely say my favorite finish let me think I definitely think my favorite thinner should be me for soy in the IMF salverlane Abu Dhabi we finished in the stallion with a real naked show it was like one of them coined it on it was like on the top underneath the top coin the back mount with the rear naked choke and all you just remember when I was getting up and then just seeing the kind of all the oil slides in the crown looking up I want a coin and looked up I got a glimpse of myself on like a big screen with like an Irish flag on it and then it was like um Lali underneath and I was calling they're like oh this is this is bleeding deadly so definitely put that up there with me yeah me favorite finish and with best performance [Music] um I'm very kind of critical on performances I'm definitely for me best performance I'm gonna it's probably not the the most let's say technical one but I'm gonna say in your best performance to probably be against Maggie just due to him being a much bigger opponent than a coin I had to let's say dig deep enough for you you know what I mean to out wrestle and I'll grapple someone who had definitely had a lot we both weighed in at the same weight you know we don't I didn't put too much weight to make lightweight at the time but just to come in there have that let's say the technique and the the greatest they're going to get through someone like him was quite approved a lot of himself and uh what was the last one the last one wait for and a fight you learn from the most because obviously you haven't really lost the fight you can still learn things yeah which one did which one kind of I'm gonna say the the the Foy against the Mongolian on a tournament uh forced 45 seconds at a fight he had actually body locked me and tricked me and took me down I kind of ran up the cage and like I just remember hearing this like like it was like it felt like me shoulder dislocated now when I at the time I didn't know if this location the surgeon said if there's because the result chips on the soccer in my shoulder and but what happened was my shoulder dislocated and then somewhere in the scramble of me trying to get back up to me it popped back in and uh I just remember me left-handed was just like nothing in it like you know what I mean it was like can't even explain it was like someone was after like any foyer allows if they have I got to like build it off them and like just yeah I like just felt stuck and dead that's what me me shoulder felt like you know and then I was just going to went back to the corn I had Kieran Davern and Sergey Amy Cohen and I said I was like Michelle popping they've been showers like literally after apartment on Saturday was like they're on his robe and stuff on it and trying to do I don't know try at the minute but I just went down and I was just like I was calling it in the corner I kind of got a glimpse of I hope I'm able to fight tomorrow but then at this point it was like a thing where I was thinking oh I need to make sure I'm all ready for tomorrow but then it was like [ __ ] tomorrow let's just worry about hell you know what I mean I had this fella crazy Mongolian the only Mongolian and the whole competition trying to take the head up you know what I mean really good strike a really good kickboxer so with the coin with the coin the shoulder problem we managed to tough that for you out and to get the unanimous decision win with that you know and and I just remember after the fight like even the ref trying to he tried to hold up your left hand and he got to about here and they just pushed his hand off as I don't even try lift her when like it just fine it wasn't like oh I think that it's very important to look after after your body and I feel like since the interview I've looked after myself I'd say twice as much as I did previously you know like looking after myself in regards to recovery doyer or duration sleep all the little coin the little small things or maybe children doing everything correct to make sure nothing like this ever happens again you know but it was nice to have that kind of mental toughness where it's like even if this left hand gets chopped off or himself gonna give it 110 to try kill you you know what I mean and that was kind of a noise kind of reassurance to have you know you know and what a fantastic Amazon career you had and that leads us into the pro you're going to be making your pro debut your cage Legacy case Lexi and Deck Hannah and Dan sorry over actually two people who really put a lot into though as well they've really really like they've always tried to they've you've seen they don't don't have a shot and make you like the main attraction created oppose they've done it with yourself as well how does it clearly make in your pro debut on caged Legacy because of what the lads have kind of done to this stage you know like I know like something like this Pro debut okay it's something that we've talked about for a very very long time and it does really it really does mean a lot to me you know even when I was calling the Dylan digital and kind of looking at like Conor McGregor coming up and you're kind of looking at that and it was kind of like I could make my proud baby or like one day I know to make it at 20 years old it is it is something very special to me especially on cage Legacy cage Legacy over the years I've had me on grappling for its loads of times you know and seeing some of the guys that have come up through cage Legacy some of the fighters you know it's it's it's it's it's nice to beam headline on the card for me professional debut and then also be on the card with a long-term team a good friend in the morning Gary Rooney as well you know it's it's nice you know what I mean and I'm really I'm really looking forward to it that's like I was saying that on the car on the way up to have a Max loudly debut and the Gary Rooney debut on the same card obviously Gary he's fighting casual artist and that was unfortunate yeah 100 for one Mass Misfortune is in another man's favor exactly and it's really worked out for days like to see here exactly and it's like even some some of the amateur fights on the cards are it really is my opinion is like the biggest card that is being held in Ireland this year you know what I mean if you look at some of the fights on it you know um too huge professional debuts on it and uh a lot of high level amateurs and a lot of names that you could see in high level MMA represent an oil in the near future you know so it's great to be great to be a part of that you know it's an exciting time and I was at the last show that they had in that venue and it was unbelievable I think Ron was there as well um it was unbelievable but for your pro debut what changes training wise or is it all the same just a bit more intense well it's funny to say that um working Pro MMA and amateur MMA are two complete different sports that that's that's my opinion on it I don't know I'm too sure if anyone else agrees but I think it's two completely different sports it's it's a lot quicker so when rounds are short or you need to let's say work hard or you have less time to work so it's your your first few let's say moves of the fight could be our most valuable you know because it's like sometimes you see an amateur MMA a takedown and someone kept on their back for three minutes it's very sustainable for nine minutes it's a lot harder to do when it's 15 minutes long you know when it's a 40 minute round so a lot of my training now has been changed to like like let's like takedowns and wrestling I know I'm a high level Grappler and stuff but it doesn't mean too much now it's like you need to be putting your opponent in Jeopardy and you need to be trying to finish it for you at any stage you know what I mean and that's what I've really tailored when I kind of made the realization mid-june that I probably won't get another amateur fighting I put my full focus into let's say I want to say train and trainer for a kill you know like because that's that's what it scored on now that's you see it on fights you see the strike are getting taken down getting back up onto his feet and Landing big shots and those are the boys I win avoids those are the guys that I went around so it's like you need to adapt or you stay the same and put yourself in the position where you take someone down and you're getting hit so you're like you could little you know what I mean and to be honest I think it makes the sport a lot more exciting but it's like you need to you need to adapt to that and that's what I've done with the strogan with the elbows and knees to the head mean now being able to Elbow from the top the ground and pound every little small detail like that has all been taken in it's all been accounted for and that's why I'm really looking forward to this professional debut because I think that it's going to be different to what you've seen in my amateur career you know yeah well your amateur care is fantastic I can't wait to see what your professional your professional career turns out to be because I followed you from your second fight I think on Mrs first fight from the second I'm gonna let you go but there's one more question I want to ask you when it's all said and done and it's all over in many years to come what would you want to be remembered as like or like whether it be a fighter or a person like when someone says Max laddy what words you want to Spring to people's mind someone's okay if they're all and that's all you can do as a athlete is give it your own before you give it more y'all and for whatever reason it doesn't work out well you know I'll have no doubt on my mind that everything was done the way it should have been done you know we won't now regret nothing like that you know and I still believe we can get to the highest level in MMA possible like a really deal I never have a doubt of it and he died I'm in the gym and he died I'm training you know but I think that or I'd like to be known for me work ethic you know and me you know being someone who has given 110 then we think that's all anyone can do you know perfect oh thank you so much for your time