AJ Whitehouse interview

Ringkasan

AJ Whitehouse is an amateur MMA fighter from SBG Cork, he competes at Fares fighting championship this weekend It is his first time to compete in front of his home crowd and is relishing the opportunity, we speak about his credentials at junior level his experience at the…

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Perfect. So, okay. So, I'm here with another young star, up and cominging star, AJ White House. Uh, I've noticed him. He's followed me for a long time. So, I want to say appreciate him and everyone else that has followed me from the start. He's someone I've noticed. He's from uh SPG Cork. Uh, he's fought in the IMAS twice. He's very well credentialed uh at UT level as well. He's going to be fighting this weekend in a really good matchup as well. Uh, that I like. It's fight week. I appreciate you taking out this time. Uh, thank you so much for coming on. How are you feeling? It's for just so people know this is done on Thursday cuz it'll be on Friday. So, how are you feeling laid out? >> Yeah, I feeling great. Like the I might have to drop my calories a bit to make weight, but um my train has dropped a good bit too. So, it's kind of boring. So, I love training. So yeah, all I'm doing really just chilling out, relaxing, relaxing the muscles, getting the last bit of weight down and then sun and then Saturday I just came with the fight and like that when like obviously you said you love training and leading up to a training camp or when you're training normally like you're going 100 miles an hour you're training training training then obviously the week of the fight you have to kind of stop. How hard is it to stop? Obviously when you love training that's what you love to do but obviously you need the break. How hard is it to switch off and go from 100% to kind of toning it down? >> Oh, it's definitely I think it's definitely one of the hardest parts about training camp. Like for my first few fights when I was younger, I used to just train literally till the day before the fight. But like as I've learned and as I've progressed through the MMA ranks, I just I know now that my body needs a rest about two to three days before a fight. So what I do, so today for example, I just done a little shake out, some shadow boxing and that's about it. Yesterday was my last hard session. I done some pads and uh few light sparing runs with a few of the lads. But yeah, I think like I train twice a day, six days a week. So when I don't have anything to do during the day, it's just knocks my routine well off and I just don't know what to do. Like so it's Yeah, it's definitely the hardest part about fight camp in my opinion. I love training. >> That's mental that like especially at your young age that you're in six days a week and twice a day as well. That's that's kind of like what professional training and it just goes to show >> the the evolution of it. Obviously, you're going to be fighting this weekend. It's going to be on the far fighting championship, which I think the boys I I think >> the boys are just so out there like they they throw their hand at anything and they whatever they do, they succeed at. I think the B obviously Fufu was in his early pro career um and he's got this and other things going on. How are you feeling about fighting on the very first show? cuz it'll be a part of history like for their very first show. How are you feeling about it? >> Oh, 100%. Yeah. Um the lads are setting up this show and it's great for me because it's my first time ever fighting in Cork. I've been doing MMA like four years now. I fought in Abu Dhabi, Serbia, Wales, the UK, everywhere. But I've just never fought in Cork. So, it's great that I finally get to actually fight in front of my family, my friends, and a lot of people who are coming to support me this weekend. Yeah. So that's class. >> Yeah, I like that there's been a lot of traveling. We'll touch on that later, but obviously the core crowd you a lot more people are going to make it be able to make it because obviously when you're fighting Serbia, you're not going to have people that that are going to be to get time off work. But how how do you feel to be able to have that support and and that they can actually see firsthand what you've been doing all this time? Because obviously it's a big part of your life and they obviously you can watch it on the TV or they pay for you, but for me there's nothing like seeing it live. How does that make you feel as a fighter and as a person that you can showcase to your friends and family what you've been doing this part of your life? >> Yeah, it's classic cuz most of my friends and my family like they see me go training every day twice a day, but most of them haven't even ever seen me fight like so it's just like I say it's going to be class to see them fight and I' have a lot of people come to this fight too. So it's going to be unbelievable. Yeah. >> Yeah. I I love a core crowd as while I've been at a league >> and it's good that the the the boys have one now as well because there's very few in the Republic um h there's a lot of very good shows up north you get your cage conflict your and stuff like that hopefully these shows can build to be up to those level obviously there a couple of years ahead but um you're very credentialed like you've won the national stuff twice talk to us kind of the before you turn amateur uh kind of what you've done and what you've achieved as a fighter >> so youth I've known you the last four years. I I loved it. Like the youth setup in Ireland is it's very well set up. Like so yeah, I won the nationals twice. Yeah. And I won the internationals once. So the internationals were like four different countries came. So that year I fought Hungarian um a Welsh guy and one Irish guy. So I won that last October. And then my first ever nationals was March 2023 and that was what bought me my ticket to my first ever world which is in Abu Dhabi. And then last February then as well I won the nationals. So yeah the nationals class I loved it. >> And like you said you've been to Abu Dhabi you've been Serbia. What's it like traveling that MMA like that at such a young age has brought you to these places? Or be I know you don't get to see a whole lot when you're fighting sometimes, but you've still gone to these destinations. What's that feel like to to see these places you might not have even thought of going to? >> Oh yeah, it's unbelievable. Like I've been to Abu Dhabi like three times with MMA and it's it's definitely it's become my favorite country because of MMA. like traveling over is class. H the whole week that you're leading up to the fight, hanging out with the lads, training with the lads, it's just unbelievable. Like the setup for the IMFs is like close to UFC level from what I've seen on like UFC embedded. It just looks pretty much the exact same. You have the training room, the weighins, the medical is so professional. Like it's unbelievable. And the main thing is it's just like having a laugh. The lads before and after the fight. I've seen before, you're not really having a laugh. Like you're focused, but you're still kind of chatting chatting about who you're fighting when the brackets come out. That's one of the most nerve-wracking things ever. Like when the brackets are about to come out on Sunday night and you're the lads are looking and then they won't come out for an hour late and you just hear someone, oh, the brackets are out. The brackets are you all you look at your phone, you're like, oh no, who am I fighting? Please don't tell me I got the world champion in the first fight. That actually happened to me one sec. My first ever year I got the world champion my first ever fight. It's class though. But yeah, the IMAF's definitely if if I was going to give any advice to a youth fighter coming up, I'd definitely tell them try go to the best thing ever. It's class. >> Yeah, I think so too. It's cuz it's like that uh you get to fight the best in the world. You get to see different things. You get to see different setups. You get to make connections with different fighters. Um like you said, the setup there as well, Danny Nean or Danny McCormack would have been over. Yeah. >> Yeah. Danny was the head coach for all Yeah. for She was my head coach for the team every year. Yeah. >> And how did you find that? I've interviewed her in person and and online and I've seen what she's done with the youths and like the youths do very very well >> every year for such a small country. Talk to us about Danny and kind of like what like how you found her and how she managed things and and fighting under her in the youth. >> Yes, it's classic. Danny was just she was always she was always a strict coach but like everything was straight to the point with her. So if you were doing something wrong she'd tell you you're doing this wrong. If you were doing something well she'd actually be honest. She'd say you're doing this well. And uh yeah the reason I think the reason that the youth do so well is because the way she sets up the training. So in the summer when we're off school for eight weeks that are leading up to Jamus. JMAS is usually in July August maybe Danny will have sessions from late May every single week at 11:00 in SPGHQ until 1:00. We do a bit of technique and then usually we sometimes we do fights. So that's the other person your way bracket. You do a a full fight some with them. So 32s in the cage with Danny and a few other coaches watching. I used to always have to start Alex Flanigan. He's probably the best one of the best youth fighters in the world, I would say. He's unbelievable. So, he made me improve a lot and we got good friends off that. So, yeah. And then after them fights, you just do your own sparing and uh Yeah. So, eight weeks of proper training with the best people in Ireland your way. Couldn't ask for better training. >> Yeah. Know, 100%. And it's good that they do that that she she sets up those things for you every week. And Alex Fangan is someone that uh I want to talk to as well in the future. He's someone that has popped up a lot in in MMA circles and he's I've seen him at the youth. Yeah, I I would have been watching them. But looking forward to this weekend, how what's the buzz like in the gym? Because obviously it's a home show. There's a lot of fighters on it. You must be buzzing. The whole gym must be buzzing right now. >> Oh, the buzz is clut in the gym. Yeah. Um the gym is just booming at the moment. Like we have Kai in the main event. Keini, I'm sure you've heard a lot about him. Like he's been my main training partner for the last three years I would say. Like and he's had a few fights canled. So that's made him kind of it's been annoying. But finally this weekend he gets to make his amateur debut. He's unbelievable. Like he's going to go really far in the sport. And the rest of the lads. Yeah, we have Rico coming up as well. He's another one of my main training partners. We train together every morning at 6:00 a.m. So, can't wait to see him fight, too. So, yeah, it's going to be class. >> Yeah. And like that, you you've got this weekend. It's going to be good. Showing Coke. Are you planning on fighting again? Obviously, you're not overlook or looking past your your current opponent because he's the most important thing. But are you looking to fight again before the end of the year? Will this be your last fight of the year to end it on the Coke show? >> Um, I'd hope this won't be my last fight. Definitely not. No, I'll try to get three fights in this year. I might I'm thinking about getting on Chaos up in Derry and then maybe um I was over Manchester team there twice training two I was over there twice for a week each just doing training camps and uh it's classic and uh one of the main fights over there Lewis McGrillin is running his own fight show it's on December 20th in his hometown in Manchester so and they're matching for that right now so hopefully all going well in this fight I want to trigger on that show as well that be pass. >> Yeah, he he's a big name. I actually went to see him in PFL in Dublin cuz he would knock everyone out and then it was he came up against a grappler who was able to >> Wesley. >> Yeah, that who who nullified it and >> obviously outside of the Irish fighters, it was Lewis I wanted to see because he's seen what he done to people and and >> like that. It'd be good to get on the show. Manchester Top Team. I've noticed a lot of fighters from Ireland have gone over that. What was your reason? Why did you pick that gym and why are fighters picking that gym? because obviously we can see what's coming out of it. Is is that the reason because you see the talent coming out of it or was there another reason? >> Uh no, I just Manchester is a cheap place to get to. I was hoping after the Europeans it was really the best competition. I high training camp. I just I didn't get the results that I should have got. So um I was just like I just want to get out there and just get I wanted to try get new new like a new training camp, new sparing partners just to test my level in a training place. So I was like where's cheap to go to? And Manchester was cheap to go to and there's a Manchester team is class gym. Like the training over there is top level. There's like 50 pros on the M each day. And even some of the amateurs are unbelievable. Like the amateurs my way class. A few lads over there are unbelievable. And um what made me go there really was just I was just looking up gyms and Manchester team seem to have a lot of flyweight bantamweights pros and amateurs that are really really high level. So I just picked that gym to go to >> you know it is a good choice and I've noticed a lot of people have gone over there. Obviously we've got Dennis Ring Pong who obviously >> Yeahong >> h who is a character Aaron Herszig's over there now as well. he followed him over and like that you've got Loron Murphy with that spinning elbow a couple of couple of weeks back or jeez I don't remember how long ago >> and yeah >> yeah it was because it was mad because actually that night it was two spinning elbows one after each other it was the two big lads it happened in the fight wasn't it and then thing >> so it was good >> I actually fell asleep for the first spinning elbow and then I woke up for the Murphy fight and I found out that there was a spin elbow for as well I was like no way like >> it's either a feast or a famine. It's either all or nothing. >> Yeah, 100%. >> But yeah, no, it's good to get the training like you said you go over and it's not like your training parts. You just say if I was training with you every day when you zigzag, you know the sort of way sometimes you need outside that comfort zone and someone might offer you something different. Do you know the sort of way and >> it's it's good to get that. Is that what you found that >> it's someone coming at you with different stuff and you're trying to then figure out like well how do I defend this? How do I attack him? And did you did you learn much in your time there? I know it was only two weeks. >> Oh, no. I I learned a lot in my time there. Different coaching, different ways of training and the sparing. Yeah, the sparring was the main thing really. I thought like um the second time I went there, I got in a good few rounds. He's a flyway. His name is Dylan Hall. He's a class fighter. Like we were we had a good few rounds together. He's um he's a striker and I didn't know he's a striker going in but once once he got into the cage then he was a striker straight away like so as classic. I love the fact that when he doesn't know my game I don't know his game. It's pretty much like a fight but not with the actual knockouts and you you know what I mean like so it's class. I loved it. >> Yeah, it's good. It gives them see something different. you'd see something different and like that you both just improve off each other by having >> the best way to it's the best way to like mimic a fight in my opinion is going to get sparing partners you've never even seen before cuz like I didn't do any research into him he obviously didn't do any research into me but we had good three four good rounds that gave me a lot of experience like I was like yeah this is this is where I need to be like this is class loved it >> yeah no no it is really good um I'm going to let you go I want to thank you so much for joining me it's been an absolute pleasure like I said, "I appreciate you supporting me throughout the years. I'm going to be commentating on your fight this weekend as well, which I'm really excited about. >> Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out and thank you again for your time?" >> Uh, just a shout out to um my friends, my family, especially my dad. He drops me to a lot of my training sessions, supports me in a lot of aspects of MMA. Um, and my mom as well. Um, big shout out to my two gyms, SA Warriors Cork and SPG Cork. and my training partners um especially my main training partners Rico and Keen Heiny and Fufu Ferris. So thanks to all them and everyone else as well. So thanks. >> Perfect. Thank you very much. I will see you this Saturday and I appreciate your time once again. All right. >> Thanks. See you later, Dave.