John Kavanagh interview

Ringkasan

John Kavanagh is a BJJ practitioner holding a purple belt, competing out of silverback BJJ he competes in a BJJ match up in a cage this weekend at Fares fighting championship We talk about his time in BJJ so far and his involvement in MMA at novice plus more

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Okay, so I'm here with John Kavanaaugh. He's going to be competing at the Far Fighting Championship this weekend. The very first installment of it. He's going to be in a BJJ match. It's going to be his first one in his cage. I'm going to ask him more about that later, but it's it's fight week on like an MMA event. Uh, how does that feel? Does it feel a bit weird? Obviously, thank you very much for joining me, but going into a cage to do a do a BJJ match. >> No, it feels good. I've done I've done I've had three MMA matches in cages, novice MMA matches, so it won't be my first time getting in there. So, I am kind of used to it. I've done kickboxing before, so I'm used to having having a little area that I have to stay in. So, I feel good. I feel confident going into it. >> And what what made you take it on the show? Obviously, it's the first show. I really like the lineup. I going to be doing commentary on it. I made sure to get in there as soon as I seen it announced, but >> h the boys have done a fantastic show at such a young age putting it together. What what made you want to compete on the show or how did you >> I fought I think I fought Fufu in one of my first matches as a blue belt years ago. So I kind of knew him and as soon they put the show together and I just kind of jumped on it. I actually text the boys h as soon as they announced it and said listen lads if you have any space for a grappling match get me in on it. I want to be honor cuz like you know I said I would say like there's less and less jiu-jitsu invitationals and kind of that the way they do it. So you're getting a single match like on an MMA show but there seems to be less and less down south. So I seen the event and I just kind of jumped on it. I kind of take any event I can get >> and it's good like obviously you're going to have a mix of a crowd as well. When you go to BJJ they're all purist. They all love they love the sport. I actually like the ground game. I appreciate it from watching MMA and and I like I wouldn't know it too well, but I can I can see he's going for an armbar here. He's trying to get to Kamura. But with BJJ, what kind of a community is it? It's a big community in Ireland, but you were saying there's not as many shows down south at the minute. Is is that something that's just kind of happened over the past couple of months or has it been a a team throughout the years? >> I don't know. I I've kind of noticed it this year. There just seems to be less and less like a not chaos. There was another one. Grapple Kings. I think they stopped doing their events down here. That was a big one. That was one that I was actually trying to get on. So when they kind of went that I was kind of like, oh, we just seem to be losing more and more. I've only really noticed it in the past year now, to be honest. But yeah, like I was looking forward to trying to get on Grapple Kings and then they came out and they said they won't be doing shows anymore. So it's kind of like, oh. And then I think Cage Legacy, they've stopped doing as many shows. They would have had maybe one or two grappling matches on every now and again. So yeah, it just seems there just seems to be less of them now. >> And that's weird because Grapple Kings like I'm not like an expert in the BJ's J scene, but Grapple Kings always caught my attention cuz it would always have big MMA lads. Will Flory were on Henry Felipe, Kieran Davvern, >> he was he the ADCC was on the weekend gone. >> So it's strange. Was there any reason that they gave her because I I I assume grapple kings was going well because it looked like a very well-run event. very very well run. Very well run. I don't know to be honest. I wouldn't really be in in with the lads who are running it. I wouldn't really know them. I mean, if I had to guess, I'd put it down to a lack of interest cuz they're just there doesn't seem to be the crowd for jiu-jitsu yet. I know that's definitely growing. You're getting like the likes of Talos Grappling up north. They're doing like their little CJI event. I think they're calling it uh TJI or TGI. They're doing their second event now up north that seems to be getting a little bit of traction. Northern Ireland Grapple that seems to be getting a bit of traction, but there just doesn't seem to be any down south. They're all kind of up north. >> Yeah, it's the same with MMA. Obviously, we've got Farris and we've got Elite and Cork. Cage Legacy have kind of haven't really done anything since last year and then there's eight up north. So it means every couple of weekends >> uh people are traveling and especially from that side of the country cork and all having to go like that's that's some >> long trip like I'm competing on a Northern Ireland grapple then two the weekend after this and like that's a three-hour trip up to Newton Arts >> from Dublin like it's it's a long day. >> It is. It is like that. You get up there then you obviously you have to get early do I don't know what it's like BJJ in MMA you have to get up like before the show starts maybe an hour get your medical stuff like that and then if you're higher up the card you're there from the morning you have to traveling three hours and then you're waiting until the end but >> it's it's part of the game but talk to us about yourself what led you into BJJ. How did you start it? So, I was doing kickboxing originally and I wasn't really getting as many kickboxing competitions as I would have liked and I wanted I wanted to be competing fairly regularly and with the jiu-jitsu it's you're able to compete nearly every weekend realistically once you don't get injured. So, I was just seeing there was a jiu-jitsu club open up the road for me at the time. It was Silverback and it was at the time it was Luke Bazaar and a few other lads running it. It's It's Mario's gym, but Mario went away. So, it was Luke running it and I got up there with Luke and me and Luke just got on like a house on fire and and that was kind of it. I just got obsessed with grappling. I kind of I stopped the kickbox and then after that had a few MMA fights, stopped the kickboxing and just went full-time jiu-jitsu. Eventually down the line, maybe I'll go back to MMA cuz I really I'm starting to miss the striking too, but I just got flat out on the jiu-jitsu and I'm doing it. I'm doing it now. I think this is my fourth year doing it >> and I'm kind of flowing. I'm starting to get a bit of traction now. So, it's good. >> Yeah. >> Really enjoying it. >> I was looking at your credentials like for someone who's doing a couple of years, you have uh like you're very credential. There was a lot uh so your purple belt I believe. Is that correct? >> Yeah. Yeah, I have your purple belt. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, you're fight >> Sorry. Go ahead. >> Yeah. Won all me matches by submission. So, I'm just trying to be as exciting as I can. I don't want to be one of these grapplers who's going out here and winning matches on points. Don't get me wrong, it takes a lot of skill to do it, but that's not me. I don't want to be doing I want to be going out and I want to be finishing people and I want to be getting submissions and I want to be having exciting matches. So, I think I've been very lucky and that got me to kind of a higher level quicker because I wasn't focusing on the same things that everyone else was focusing on. I was kind of going my own path and it was good that way. I got very lucky too with Luke. Luke kind of gave me a bit of freedom as my coach. He let me do what I want to do while also giving me the direction of what I should be doing. So, I got very lucky that way. >> Yeah, it sounds good that he gave you the freedom to be be able to express yourself within the grappling and and like that goal for the finishes rather. It's like the same with MMA, everyone wants to finish, they don't want to go to decision. Um, >> yeah. >> You said when you kind of went in there, what strikes me is everyone says they get caught by the bug of jiu-jitsu. Is that true? Is it like cuz a lot of people say they go in, they get this small fella that just folds them up and they're like, I need to be able to do that to other people. Like what was the what made it click for you that that made you say, "Right, I'm giving up kickboxing going down just be JJ." Oh, I don't know. I kind of I I was kind of the opposite. I wasn't getting I wasn't getting beaten by smaller people. I was kind of I was starting to have success against bigger people. And that's why I was kind of like, "Oh, this is this is really legit." Like if I get really good at this, you can't really you can beat someone who's a lot bigger than you. Like I think I've beaten I've beaten one fell who was 90 something kilos and like I was probably only 67 kilos at the time and like that's a huge difference. Like in MMA good look >> you're flattened like you take a punch off them you're gone. But it just shows that technique big skill. >> Yeah. 100%. >> Oh weight. Sorry. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. I said the wrong way cuz I seen they actually done it up north in Lima, you know, Andy Chapman's gym. >> They had Prospect MMA. I don't know if you know him. He came in to say cuz he's big bodybuilder. He knows a bit and he knew kind of the basics of jiu-jitsu. I said right went in to face Leon Davis who you've probably heard of. >> Leon. Yeah. >> Leon like subbed him nine times in five minutes or something. And Manuel was just like what? Cuz he thought he just lying on top of him but like you can manipulate body or whatever. Is that I find that fascinating. Is that what fascinates you that like there's different ways of manipulating limbs and stuff to be able to use it to your advantage even if you're in a disadvantaged position? >> Yeah, definitely. I think like it's kind of not science based, but it's kind of based in mechanics. So, it's lever. So, it's like if I want to if I want to heel hook someone, I have to control the hip, I have to control the ankle, and I also have to control the knee. So, you're controlling the joint in the middle by controlling the joint above and below. And I think that's what really made it click for me because I'm able to I'm looking I'm able to think that way. I'm able to think kind of mechanically minded. So like when I am attacking someone's limb, I'm not thinking of like what am I attacking here. I'm thinking of what way am I attacking. So like on an arm bar for an example, I'm putting that pressure down or try bar. Sorry. I'm putting the pressure down on the elbow while putting the pressure up on the the wrist. And it's just kind of stuff like that is what really made it click for me and what really made me start enjoying it. >> Yeah. Yeah, cuz loads of people will say to me, do BJJ, it's not as uh you don't get hurt as much while they've got their shoulder straps on, their neck braces, their knee braces. >> Um, obviously as a hobby, it wouldn't be if you're competing, those type of things are going to happen. But >> with regards to the cage, obviously, like you said, you've been in there for novice, so you're familiar with the cage. Are you going into this, are you going, "Right, I can use the cage to my advantage." What would you say before you even step in would be the advantages and disadvantages for a grappler in a cage? It it I think it depends on the grappler. Like I don't really intend on wrestling with him, so I'm not really too pushed on the cage. He'll probably have an advantage because he's he's an MMA fighter. He's done. He's had more than enough time in the cage. So, he's going to have all his little tips and tricks. But, as I say, he's going to have his tips and tricks, but I'm kind of going to ignore them and I'm just going to do my thing because I think my thing is going to work against them. So, I'm not too pushed. >> That actually leads me to a question I I wasn't even thinking of. When when you're going into a grappling match, do you study your opponent or do you just want to go out and do your own thing and stamp your own style on the on the competition? >> I do and I don't. I'll very lightly study them. Like I'll have a little quick look on YouTube and if I see he has a he has like a load of matches up on YouTube, I'll have a quick look through them and kind of see is there a position he's using a lot? Is there a finish he's using a lot? But that's kind of I don't like looking into it too much because I think you start psying yourself out then. >> Yeah. And you know how much people can progress from grappling match to grappling match as well. They might not be the same% >> grappler that they were six months ago in that clip that you seen. They could have improved uh since then%. >> Um but yeah like coming up this show you think it's going to be exciting fighting now because you're going to have a different crowd. Obviously BJJ crowds are are purist. They love the thing. Whereas every game you're going to get a couple of I don't want to say rowdy, but it's going to be like there's going to be drinks going. It's going to be different. Are you going to embrace that kind of as an atmosphere? Is it something that you think would suit you? >> Yeah, 100%. I I want to entertain people. >> Like at the end of the day, I am a fighter, but we also definitely have an element of being entertainers here. I think if you're going out and just having barn match after bar match, people don't want you on our shows, even if you're winning because at the end of the day, you have to sell tickets, there has to be people in them seats because the event doesn't pay for itself. >> Yeah, cuz a lot a lot of fight like it's hard I I think it's it's hard on fighters that are really good, but they're not like social media friendly and they sometimes they don't get flowers in my opinion. There's a couple of fighters on the scene that I'm like, they should be on Cage Warriors, but because they don't have a social media, but like you said, you need to sell these events because >> a lot of people don't understand these events. Sometimes they just break even. They don't sometimes they don't make money. And these are here to give people the platform. So, you need you need to sell a few tickets. You need to be exciting. But I'm looking forward to seeing you now because I I think this is going to be a quick finish. Whether it's your way or his way, I I don't know. But >> exactly. the the fact that so like I now before this show whereas I wouldn't have been too familiar with you now whereas now now I'm going I'm looking forward to his fight because it's gonna be a kill or be killed kind of fight. Is that what you want people to to think about when they >> Yeah, 100% there will be a finish. If I'm getting finished or if he's getting finished, there's going to be a finish 100%. There's not a doubt in my mind about it. >> And what way will it work? Cuz I know there's different rule sets and stuff. Is it like is it a round basis? Is it one big round or have because I sure the rules >> it's one 8 minute round. It's under an IBJF rule set which I would have preferred rule set but as I say I'll take it. I don't really care too much. So with an IBJF rule set the leg attacks are limited. I'm allowed straight foot locks and you're not allowed reap the knee. So you're essentially not allowed putting inward pressure on the knee. Yeah, it's nothing major, but it's just a little change, but I'm not really stressing it too much. >> Yeah, like that. It's going to be a good event. I'm looking forward to I'm going to be commentating on it, so I look forward to commentating on your grappling matching. >> H I'm going to let you go. It's been a pleasure to talk to you, though. Hopefully, we'll have more in the future. I'm going to follow your your jiu-jitsu career from now on. Anyway, >> is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone who want to shout out and thank you again for your time, especially this close to the fight? >> H I just want to give a big shout out to all the boys down. all the all the work they put into me over the years and all the other gyms I train I train at jungle jiu-jitsu on the weekend and hulahans at the weekend too and they've been more than welcome to me every weekend anytime I want to go down and train that welcoming me with open arms so I just want to say a big thank you to them and then the other boys on the card I want to give a big shout out to them so we have Adam Hills on the card he's another great grappler like top level just hasn't really got the recognition yet Charlie Cadwell another top level grappler and then Jack Cassidy oh my god Jack Cassidy is at another level. He's running for a very exciting match with Jack. Like he's battered me twice. I'm happy I'm not fighting him. Good luck to him, man. So, it's going to be very exciting. The four grappling matches are going to be unbelievable. >> Yeah. Know I I can't wait for them now. And you've probably given me an idea for one or two more interviews when they get off with this to go looking for some of those. >> Adam, Adam Mills, Charlie Cadwell, there you are, man. Get on to them. >> Perfect. Thank you so much. H I will see you this weekend. H best of skill and thanks very much for your time. 100% Dave. Thank you.