Dale Mawhinney interview

Ringkasan

Dale Mawhinney Is an amateur fighter with a 2-2record competing in the lightweight tournament at the upcoming Wrath, he comes from hybrid Ards and gives his thoughts on competing twice in one day and his journey in mma so far

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm delighted to have with me Dale Wilheiny who is going to be competing at the lightweight tournament on Rack coming up. It's just just about 10 days is over 10 days to it as well. You've got obviously there's a couple of people involved. Chance of winning the lightweight belt and obviously there's a little bit of cash involved. How are you feeling coming up to it and how did you feel about a tournament structure? You don't see them that much but they're really good I like them they're really good but they're really hard to kind of keep together at some stage. When you got offered to be in the tournament what was your first kind of reaction? And thank you for joining me. No worries. Thank you for having me on once again but whenever Arnold brought it to me about the tournament it was all over like 100% it was like I was just coming off the winner chaos and it was my first fight back. So I was just like wanting night that I had the ball rolling again to just stay active. And then he said about the tournament and I was like two fights one night on the belt and then obviously against good competition too. So you just put yourself right up there as in the lightweight scene over here like so and that's where I know I'm at that's where I'm what I'm going to do whenever I win the belt. Yeah cuz cuz at the minute the way it is with the lightweight there's a lot of lightweights that have gone pro now there's space to make a like a new kind of lightweight superstar and bring people to the forefront and I think that's why the tournament's good. Like you've got the likes of Blaine McGill Sam Simon and all they're all going to be going pro soon. So you've got like a generation leaving you're the next generation coming through. >> Yeah there's there's ones leaving and there's ones coming up as well at the same time so it's good to see it like there's that many people in the same night there so it's flooded like you know what I mean there's talent everywhere. Yeah like if you look at the the run of shows we've had with your Clan Wars Cage Conflict Vertice all the shows have had really good cards. I mean that just goes to show like the the depth and the level of talent we have in this country. Would you agree? What do you make of the level of talent we have? I was like the I was saying this to my mate the other day and one of my mates who's a boxer was he was talking about he was saying obviously about boxing but I was saying over here how I like if you can do well over here in MMA you'll do well in like loads of other countries because the level over here is that high like. Yeah you see when they go to like Jordan Bradshaw's gone to Ares in France and cuz I don't want to pick just a normal PFL and stuff like that. John Bradshaw and France lads have gone to Holland to LFL and you've seen them do quite well and it just shows that our entry level into pro will only start and it's miles ahead of others but then when you go to UFC and all that you see that's when it starts to lessen and and we have to get better there. And like we we do quite well there but it's then that's when the tougher test is but that's a good testament to the scene that until you get to the likes of UFC and stuff that's when they're really being tested you know in that sort of way which is fantastic. Yeah 100% like the level is if you look at all the countries and like we have some of the best guys over here like 100% Yeah we do like we had six in the UFC there for a while and I know a couple of them have left and and that but even to get them in there for the for the tiny island that we are to have that many in percentage wise is a huge percentage compared to other countries like America who have a huge population etc. but talk to us about why you got into MMA why you started and and what what's it like being in Hybrid Arts? I love Arnold. What's your relationship like with him? I got into it well when I was growing up as I was younger I was always good footballer. I got into football really young age like play by four and then I just played it I was obsessed with it just always playing football every day till I was like 12. Sort of fell out of love with it. But I always I was always good athletic and skilled on sports then I was always very competitive and then football was always very competitive. Um and then I sort of just dropped off cuz I fell out of love with it and just wasn't really doing anything with myself. I was just going out being a wee wanderer getting up to all sorts and then there was one of my friends at the time he was sort of into like MMA and stuff and the UFC. He didn't do it but like he knew all about it he knew all the fighters and stuff and I never really been much into it. So whenever like instead of maybe going out or something we'd stick the UFC on on the weekend and watch it just to keep us in the house and keep us from going out and being dicks. And over time then just watching it I was like this is actually class like I love this. Then we were just talking and I was like do you want to give it a go and I was like I'll give it a go like and then he actually never ended up starting when I started. So I just took it upon myself one day my mom she was at um she was at the shop and then the gym it was just around the corner so I was like sitting there while she was in the shop and I was like this is a perfect time for me just to go around if I actually wanted to do it might as well do it now like. So went up um started speaking to it was Joe Backer something he was the first person that I'd seen in the gym but there was a kids class going on so I just basically asked the details. He told me come back on this day and Arnold will be there so then I went down Arnold was there met Arnold just got on well with him straight away. Um and then from that from this like I walked off the mats after session night Arnold was like this is what I'm doing like I I found something like I I'm just going to keep showing up until I become the best of this you know what I mean? That just knew from this from that first session I was like I'm never stopping doing this like. I just loved it that much. And did you did did you think you were going to compete at that stage or you just like right I'm going to get in get better and then think about it or after the first session were you like I want to get better and then go into competing or was that even a thought? >> Oh yeah it was just after the first session I was just like I just loved it that much where I was like I'm just going to compete I can't wait to compete I can't wait to keep improving I can't wait to the training next you know what I mean? I was just that like obsessed with it and still am to this day you know what I mean? That's why like every day I get up it's just like how can I become a better fighter you know what I mean? How can I become I know people say like 1% every day but when you look at it it's probably like it's a lot less than 1% it take like 10 years before you can actually get to like the high high level and like become UFC world champ. But if you just put the hours in every like day all that adds up over time and then eventually you'll get there like and I knew that from the start. So moving forward obviously now we're still nowhere near the end goal but we're enjoying the journey you know what I mean? Yeah and that's the main thing is enjoying the journey. A lot of people see the end goal and that's all they see. They don't look at they don't look at like the journey and relishing it and taking it. See like you're also you're going to be fighting in front of how does it feel that you have these opportunities to fight in front of in on your home show have these people support you that when you do eventually go pro like I said there is chances if depending where you go you might come back to Belfast and stuff like that but once you find the lead champs of the scene you might not be back here. Are you enjoying that at the moment while it's happening? Yeah like my last fight there I was down in Newry so it was obviously quite like a quite a journey for some of the people from down where I'm from to get to so I couldn't sell all my tickets but the Shorts Club like the Shorts Club it's like it's probably like a 15-20 minute drive like from my house so I can get so many people there. I've sold so many tickets already and I'll just I'll do all the bottom four and wasn't have a big crowd again I haven't fought in front of a a big crowd in a while like my crowd you know what I mean? Like where I could actually get loads of people to it so I'm glad I'm able to do that I think probably last time I was able to do that was like set the feather or something. Probably the last fight that I fought was the last time I got loads of my people to come so this is obviously a bigger opportunity for me and I've also got the bring all my people as well which is a bonus. Yeah no it is good and and how did you feel about starting cuz obviously the the two semi-finals were starting start night and then you the main event at the end of night. How does it feel having to do the two fights in one time? Obviously you don't know who you're going to be fighting. Do you think that's an advantage or disadvantage going into it or do you think it sometimes it's better off to just focus on yourself and not have a game plan for a certain opponent and just kind of stamp your style on the fight? I pretty much do that anyway like I never really I never really look too much into my opponent like I just more focus on like if I show up on the day I'm in shape I know I can go the full length or the full distance if I need to. I know I can put a pace on for this amount of time. I know how much work I've put in during the fight camp. I've done I've cut no corners. So I don't need to worry about the other guys you know what I mean? All I got to do is show up and just impose myself. And whenever I do that that's when I win. Yeah no I I looking forward to I'm looking forward to commentating on your fights. I'm looking forward to the tournament as a whole cuz it is quite exciting I I I like it. You don't see them that much. Um I've seen them try to happen before and they have happened and then you usually get a pull out or  two lads pull out but it's looking good so far for this one. It's going to be next weekend it depends on when this comes out it could be the weekend of but I'm going to let you go. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out? Thank you so much for your time and I can't wait to see you again in person and commentate on your fight. No worries just a big thank you to obviously all my teammates and stuff and for helping me during the whenever you show up or they show up for you Arnold obviously says whenever one shows up we return the favor when it's their time to fight so everyone just coming in and just giving us ones that are fighting loads of work like it's the energy in the gym as well right now everyone's flying like and it's just there's such a buzz. And thank you Arnold as well obviously he's just that guy's got my life planned out better than I have like you know what I mean? But he's like that for so many people as well. He doesn't get the credit that he deserves cuz he like he shows up for us 365 days of the year. All we have to do is show up for him on the night that we go to fight, you know what I mean? So, that's why I'm going to repay him, you know what I mean, whenever the time comes. When it comes to show up and fight, I'm going to show how much work that we've been putting in. You know, a a fair play to you. I think I don't know as well. Honestly, I have that personal relation with him and he's a a coach technically and a mentor and he's got the personal side and I think coaches a lot of time don't get the credit. They get the slack when someone loses, but they don't get the credit when someone wins. Like you said, he's got you and how many other fighters? How many people to research? How many things to do? This, that, and the other. And they're there and I don't think they do get the credit. So, fair play to you. I would see you next weekend. Thank you very much for your time and uh >> Thank you, Dave. Best of skill, bro. Thank you very much. Cheers. Okay, so I'm delighted to have with me Dave. Will you join me?