Damien McGuigan interview

Ringkasan

Damien McGuigan defends his IUR FC flyweight title this weekend in arguably one of the best amateur fights that could be made he faces another young high level prospect in Shea Cleland.

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

[Music] so I'm here with Mr Damen mcgan who will be fighting at your Fighting Championship this weekend I want to thank him very much for his time uh how are you feeling this week is a fantastic fight you've got ahead of you it's one of the fights probably one of the best amateur fights in my opinion you can make at the minute how are you feeling feeling good everything's been going well training's been going well I feel like I'm going to show a different set of a game and I'm going to show how much of improved from the last fight like I'm really excited first fight because I've never kind the FL Striker you know what I mean like obviously it's MMA like mix up the wrestl but as I know sh is a high level Striker and I don't think I've fought a high level Striker yet so very excited to see how it goes yeah it looks like it's going to be an exciting one like that you are a high level exciting stri yourself he's a high level exciting Striker which makes which is the making for a good matchup and what I find about this is like like I said this is probably one of the best am match you can make you both only 19 years of age exactly that's why so good because we're both so young in the game we both have the same Goen man we both want to become a world champion and we're just going to have to fight now because this my last my [ __ ] my second fed I fought some 29y old Mexican and then red after F Jimmy M and I'm not sure what AG he is but I think he's over 30 so it's fun this time to be able to fight someone the see yeah it just shows the kind of evolution of MMA and how good it's Scott when you look at the level of you and Shay uh like being up there with these guys that have been in the game years and years and fighting years and years um that that's the level that we're at now but like that you you named a couple of opponents that you had there you had one of the highlights from last year and I think it was overlooked quite a bit towards the end of the year when people were were giving out prizes or or this was the best knockout like Ed bar when he got the spin kick in the UFC UFC not year do you know what I mean so that was I was there watching it I caught on camera H it was a fantastic finish I've seen you show that plenty of times I remember you show burnot the least month yeah and it just F past the face and this is when that actually hit what was going through your mind obviously like you hit him and then what's going through your mind you're like [ __ ] that hit down to the ground to finish him off and then how did you feel once the fight was over and you realize how good that was I mean when I came the head of fall my head was like oh [ __ ] got him here he's going down straight away we just straight on top of the punches because and not doing the walk off KO just say I tried to throw it and then walked off then he's able to recover we and get back up [ __ ] that and St on top of him I think I landed i l back on five punches to the floor so I got five punches before after he was able to P me off and then it didn't really kind of soak in I was sitting at the back after and then I seen your clip you shoot me in your phone I was like it was a lot better when the thought but see when I hit it it didn't feel like I landed I was like I don't think I really clipped them because it didn't I didn't feel it and then I watch back your clip and I can see by the dead yeah like that it happened so fast it was good that's what I don't usually record all I used to record all the fights all arounds everything but I kind of just do it now when it looks like it's in danger but when it comes to like the likes of your fight aan Dean's fight the T night and a couple of high level Strikers I go right this fight's getting because because like that it can just come out of everywhere but you could see how you set that up like what was your top proc because it looked like you were going in you maybe jab leg kick jab and out and circling cing was it your plan to make him chase you and then you just stopped pivoted boom like was that your plan to to keep him chasing you so the original plan was for him to to cut me off and like walk him into the a left high kick but he just didn't cut me off whatsoever he didn't do what he should have done he should have cut me off but he didn't do it so then I had to adjust and then I landed the three of the leg kicks the cck leg kicks then I man left hand position was low I was like this is the perfect time to FL it like it's a split second in your head it's like you don't think about it's Split Second and I was like n Go because I've watch a lot of M fights I've only thrown it going forward but I was like this time if I just walk them on the my he so me him walk another kick so it started laying traps like a lot of people just look at and just see like it's a nice kick but I don't see the traps but I was setting for him it's like it's like a mouse you know what I mean I'm just sitting there laying all traps and traps and then I came around and then B the Ki landed rest is history yeah like that I could I could see as you were touching I could see that you were kind of you were bringing bringing them on and and it just goes to show like said that's a split second decision but just goes to show your fighter IQ at such a young age as well so you put that with your talent determination graft everything like it's the making of a of a of a superstar a future Champion um then you fought obviously Jamie which was a which was a good fight as well a very good fight how did you feel about the Jamie fight to be honest I found out fighting Jamie before fighting Mafia because I like I think some on me onage conflict like the F we was the second wasn't getting any FS then P rang me and said listen you're going to have to make the step up sooner rather than later because I think they wanted me to have a few more like not people on that level but like I think it was my fourth fight amateur and I'm fighting Jimmy he was arguably at the time the best amateur in the country so I was really excited but he put me in the F him and I was nervous for not going to lie I think a kid conflict that talking you saying I may be F Matthew fre but at this point nothing was confirmed so I didn't know but I think you knew the Fate was confirmed I me I never know h no I think I was talking to you and then I was talking to Stephen and there was nothing that it was confirmed but it was it was it was all but kind of it was kind of in your head you were going to do it Matthew was gonna do it Steph wanted to do it Jo the sort of way I think that was when I talked to all Tre I kind of got the inclination that that fight definitely was happening I was I was steaming to be honest I'll him I remember because you were sitting literally you were standing just down in front of me actually talking to match you and he was like oh in your fting I was like I was like oh I was loving it because then I was just like right put the pants down I was like right so we're up here and we'll go from her don't remember going spawn the next day as we but we hung over I got my balls kicked in tried not to be sick and then py maew fre was saying about he doesn't think like Mathew is a bad fate for me I'm just not ready for him and I said that the p and the second I said that the PO B straight away po Wasing up we were fighting this guy and plus IAM wanted that fight for so long because Adam's a genius you know what I mean he looks at stuff and he sees but most people don't see and he just came to you had STS make f on my was just B him yeah and like that Adam obviously you've got Le you've got Shand but Adam is a massive part of Fai like he works a lot with you he works with a lot with everyone but I've seen him with you a lot because obviously I've watched you fight a lot and I just think his knowledge is crazy like his and just the way even when you hear him cornering you um you can just you just not he knows exactly what you need to do and he can do it on the flight as well what's it like having Adam there as well because obviously we've talked about Li and Pat before but what's it like having Adam there and how integral to fi is he he's a he's a big part of fi like at the minute he's taking a majority of our Feds that coaching them and help them with their stri but I could imagine him not being in my corner because he's the one who got me up there fa and he's the one who kind of set me on the right path and kind of help me out and help me get the work on the day so without on them I don't know I probably still be fighting but I feel like he's just helped me improve leaps and burns because he cares so much about me and he's always trying his best he goes out of his way like all my coaches do like when I F in um the maxing guy in England Liam miss two days of his holiday just to come Corner us and then like if you hang better like when we go the trips away like Po Le andam they're all like taking time off their like own lives to come and help us to come Corner us and help us get get better so I do really appreciate it um with vam he's been coaching me from as a kid like we started off with just St for conditioning and then we started doing a bit of grappl with him and then started doing some striking and fun fact no one knows but me and Sh actually fought before okay I didn't know that either how did that go no one that we fought on think was in SBG at the time just doing like bits of grapp not much Haven the kickbox in about four years with this point I just I was boxing though there like a lot of boxing was a regular active boxer and then I just POS vom for he was like here jaante K1 fighting Saturday I gu was about 14 15 14 maybe he's like jaante K1 fight against a really high level guy and I was like as a kid and I was like of course at this time I've never thrown a leg kick so we were just going over leg kicks had a check a kick because I just came off kick boxing and then I think we fought at about 39 kilo you said fought it 39 Kil we both fought it Jesus that's a that that is a fun fact how did that fight go if you don't mind me ask yeah I got the one I got like a decision win but obiously we're both kids back in we both came on so much more from that but just nor one right okay so obviously like that you said you for that was years and years ago poon is MMA now as well so there's different facets to it like we've seen you're an elite Striker he's an elite striker but the gyms that you both come from both have really good ground games as well obviously you've got team tours and you've got the wrestling in fi so this looks like it could be even all around where do you think the fight is going to take place mainly do you think the two of these are just going to stay on the feet listen like we don't know each other's game plans we could both because he could be fting right well R guy just to like switch it up so I'm I'm ready for all aspects like but you know the same two wrestlers F becomes a stri much yeah two fight it becomes it might become a wrestling match never know so we'll see um on Sunday what way the F will go but I feel like there will be a good majority of it will be on the feet but again T so exactly because I actually seen after a fight where there was two Lads and they were standing and banging and one obviously went then for the takeown and then he kind of he kept going then down because he's having success at Ground pound and I remember one of the coaches going oh what the [ __ ] is this and I just like it's MMA that's like if you don't like it go to go to kickboxing go to boxing like when people watch MMA and like oh why is he taking them down for like what just stand up and like go go watch my go watch kickboxing you're watching mix martial arts yeah and like that there's so many different FCS to it um and just like I love all of it like sometimes you do get people but obviously with the rule changes for the point score and that people can't just take people down and hold them there so now when they do get to the ground they're trying to advance position try to get submission try to do ground pound so the ground game because of that criteria has I think it's helped it improve on the ground because not all fighters but there were some Fighters that would just kind of lie there and do nothing so but um this is you you're going obviously for the flyweight title your title obviously he holds a title over in your in cage conflict would you not have put two titles on the line or if a potential rematch down the line in the other I honestly I would have L to put the two titles on the line like I don't know what way it works because it's two different promotions but honestly like when I found out I was fting them I was like oh this is unreal I get to go for my fourth belt and Gage conflict and then pul told me he's like no you're the fan than your I belt I was like ah so I thought I was getting the fourth belt and I was like four BTS is B and three belts but then I ho to the fan my T against him which I'm still happy to do but I would have love to put both ttles on the L yeah it it would be it would be quite cool like I I think it all depends because Shay's the tight holder if he wanted to put it up but then like that that could be him not putting it up as well Ida could lead to a tasty rematch as well depending on how good this first fight is then exactly sorry we'll get the rematch now we'll do the TR young kids conflict yeah no that that would be good but you're not looking past Shay but like that you were extremely active last year do do you have a plan for this year or is it just Shay in your sights and then after him you decide going forward I mean I've had a few names for like a few different shows but it's just I can't protect the future I want to be as active as I can and get as much fits as I can so it's just cuz injuries can happen PS can happen so you just don't know some hands cuz last year I should have had more fights I only fought four times last year I want the 10 fights but it was just hard to get me matched and I was having loads of pull out so I can't force me to take the step up and that to fight M and then jamy yeah can but I can't get a bit more FES this year but can't predict it it's got obviously because like that you said with injuries cuz I think at that cage conflict that's what happened that's why you were drinking and I was talking to you wasn't it because obviously your fight fallen out that week and then you got a replacement who then fell out that week as well wasn't it two in one week yeah and I was talking to Tian and he's after having a nightmare with the last cage Conflict for his Pro debut like passport aat like I don't know it just sounds a bit funny to me but do you think you're GNA find it hard to get matched now that you have beat the likes of Jamie Abba Matthew Freel because you said it was hard before you got those fights how much harder you think it's going to be now I feel like it will be a lot harder because like after [ __ ] like he I think he's the only other fly in Ireland he I can fit because they're not all the best Flys in Ireland like once I beat sh means I've beat them all because the other best Flys in Ireland are from my gym do you know what I mean so we have the three best in Ireland so I feel like he's the last guy out there but I'm kind of hoping that people look at him like right if hold free BS we're going to want to fit him because it's a good win so people might look at it that way and hopefully they do because I just want to test myself and AR is all about learning it's all about learning and preparing yourself for proof yeah exactly because like that I was talk who was I talking to it was Jordan scy actually uh yesterday and we were talking about just just he says I'll fight anyone because you don't want to go on to Pro and then end up fighting someone and then you've never been in a position that a fight or an amateur could have given you just take the fights obviously once they're even enough like you know the sort of way that it's like you're not like one one and0 fighting a 10 and0 guys you know that sort of way that's been around but yeah know it's like that it's you do have like obviously you've got Pablo you've got Kieran who hopefully is coming back soon you've got yourself he's F he's fting on Saturday here yeah K him and Pablo over the wheels they're both fighting for tles and wheels are okay that I that hasn't come up on my feet I'd seen was I'd seen Pablo was but like that so you're all fighting for titles this weekend and what I what I like what you said about and this is what I kind of said about the amateur belts people say that the belts don't mean anything I think they could mean something if people like yourself would defend them you know that sort of way but I think what it does is attracts the the fighters to want to fight certain people because like that they might not fought for you if you didn't have a belt but if there's a belt on the line chances are they might go for when you go pro you know yourself you want to I've won this belt this belt this belt this belt you on them allall yeah I have them all so um I'm Gonna Let You Go I want to thank you very much for joining me I can't wait for this fight like I said this is probably one of my favorite fights booked so far this year it's probably they look we're looking at an early Contender potentially fight of the year with the Styles because you you and Shay are both so high level and I think it's well-roundedness as well and that's what just amazes me at your age and at Shay's age that you're both so well-rounded like if you go back to like when the fighters were your age 10 years ago like just something it's just the gamees changed all young guys are just coming up and just taking over so I feel like sh he's a really good opponent so I'm excited to see how it goes obviously I'm really confident in me on abilities I do think I'm going to get the win I'm sure he thinks to see him because you know not going to go the fight if you're not confident so I'm sure he's confident too I'm confident then we're just going to fight in Sunday and see what happens yeah no and I can't wait for it I got to let you go is there anything you want to say or anyone you want to shout out no one in particular just all my coaches Pat shando and Adam just and all my teammates as well who help me prepare for his fight perfect perfect thank you very much and I will see you on Sunday see you Sunday