Cj Armstrong interview

Ringkasan

Cj Armstrong is an amateur MMA fighter competing for the middleweight championship at cage conflict this weekend, we speak about the fight coming up, his first fight he had abroad and that experience plus much more

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Here with one of my favorite names in the game, Mr. CJ Armstrong. He's going to be competing this weekend at Cage Conflict against Eric Murphy, a very, very good fight for the title. How are you feeling this fight week? We're just at the start of fight week. What does your fight week look like? Thank you very much for joining me. What does your fight week look like and how are you feeling today? >> Uh feeling 100%. Just a meter to go. My fight week is normally I start the train. I don't bust my balls. I do sparring hard rounds, but like for tonight I'll go down and hit pads with my mate Jackie. Tomorrow I'll do a bit of grappling. Just I still like to keep moving, keep this. Just don't do the hard runs. That's all. We're talking Some people like doing nothing, but for me personally cuz I've been training every week I've been doing something. So it's hard not to just just stop. I like to keep it going, keep momentum going until like right up the fight day. That's my ideal. >> Yeah, cuz that's I actually asked fighters that like how hard is it to go from 100 miles an hour and then all of a sudden just nothing. Cuz I know when you go pro you've got media obligations and stuff like that, you know, so your week is fairly full. But when you've got like that I always found it like is it hard for you to shut off and go to zero from being at 100 throughout your fight camp? >> Yeah, well sometimes it's good like it feels good like now like I'm like all the hard work's done like like last week I was getting to a certain point like I arrange this normally like I've I worked so hard like I'm just ready to go. I've done all the hard work like you know like the weight cut. I'm I'm working like if I'm in job I'm working like 50 hours a week plus I'm doing this. Like I'm working on training so hard and doing all sorts. So now it's just like the last bit. I'm kind of I'm glad it's over, but like in the good way. I'm like I'm I'm just happy and I'm ready to go, I'm ready to show the work I put in. >> Yeah, and how like obviously you've got you've got a kind you've got a down at the minute, but how hard is it so like I said you're working 50 hours a week and fighting. It's hard enough to try and do one, never mind two. How do you balance that? For anyone who might be having trouble balancing it or have you found the balance yourself? >> Oh, no. See, I'm a bus driver. So, like every week I get different shifts. I can work late. I work early. But, like it's always the case here, but like if you really want to do it, like you can. Like I don't I'm fair. People say they struggle with that. They struggle like the train. They don't have the time. Like I'm like literally you can make the time. I don't care like what your excuse is. If you really really want to do something, you can do it. Like I work Let's say I work 50 hours a week. For instance, if I'm working a late shift, if I start 3:00 afternoon, I'll make There's um section of more park classes. I'll go down to them. Make sure I'm there. And then I'd say on at 7:00. And then I'd And then I'd go and train with someone else. Like I just make time. Like it is like it is hard commitment, but like I just want I just don't want to like when I get older like like oh, I want I wish I'd done this. I wish I'd done that. I just want to go and I just want to have no regrets. Let's go 100%. Like anyone can do it if you Sometimes I can see it, but if you really want If you really want it, you can do it. Like >> Yeah, yeah. Cuz like I said, if you're on a late, you'll go to the early shift and then vice versa as well. And yeah, it is like that if like you'd rather go and try and if you weren't I'm not saying you're going to fail, but if you ever fail or you lost the fight, it's like well, at least you know you put it in and you know what you have to do going forward. But, um Cage Conflict um crazy mad show, crazy mad atmosphere. One of the good things is you're not actually going to be fighting a home fighter, um which is one of the plus things. >> [laughter] >> Talk to us about fighting on Cage Conflict, being around that atmosphere, and and how much you're looking forward to to hopefully lifting the belt come this weekend. >> I'm buzzing. I've I've always wanted It was I was the very first show I've ever been to like to watch. And that was um I'm pretty sure that was before I fought the fight. It was I was watching Dom fight. It's Dom lost lost to Alex and then he fought Gus Gus McKenzie at the kids conflict and they all told me it was bad. So, I went with my mate Maddie. It was only me and him from the journey we went and then maybe two other people from the gym. And when Gus kicked when Dom came out the place just went mental like I've never heard abuse like in my life. And then when Gus came out the place erupted. And then when when Dom Dom was smoking him like under a minute or something and then me and Maddie went yes and then everyone was like dead quiet and he was like on the ground and I was like that was unreal. And then I watched them who who [clears throat] fought him? Oh, Benny Benny Butcher was fighting for the middleweight title. This was before I I was even nervous. I said to them like I'll be I'll fight for that belt. All right, shut up man. You mean you mean I'm not nervous for you. And then well, two and a half years later two three years and now I am. So, like yeah, I'm buzzing and I haven't really like I mean it that I got my name right there in that Scottish show but like I'm this is like one of the probably one of the biggest shows in the country. So, I'm sort of title. So, I think when I get a really good performance really good finish I get my name really out there and hopefully get to keep on building up bigger fights more titles. That's what I want to do. >> Yeah, it is a fantastic show. I would not like to be fighting against a home fighter. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I love it. I love all that. I'm I'll probably get even though I'm not fighting one of their boys I'll from Hybrid Dom and Carson and all the all built their reputation. They've all built their reputation. I don't I don't get involved in all that stuff. I'm [ __ ] I'm 26. I don't I don't get involved in that [ __ ] But they all do but they'll probably still get booed like >> I've seen it whenever certain posts go up by certain people there's a there's a there's a contingent of Hybrid lads that are consistently in the comments and they create that I I see it's a bit of banter sometimes. I don't know how >> Yeah, it is all banter. It is all banter. But the boys all all our gyms with the bike too hard like the the the the guys are like the like Donald was saying there, he's just commenting the fact that he knows he gets the reaction. Like it's it's funny like >> It is, but you've got Have you looked at obviously your opponent? You fought someone from C Mac before. Do you look at the opponents yourselves or do you leave it to Arnold? Do you look a little bit or do you look a lot? Talk to us about researching opponent beforehand. >> Yeah, like yeah, I do. I would always watch amateur title fights, so I watch his stuff, but I've said this before like like you can only do so much in a fight especially amateur in 3 months time by the year. But I've watched him like I think he's like six and two, six and three, so and he's got a a good few kickboxing fights, so he's probably probably I would say probably my hardest fight to date, but um but I'm ready for a test. That's what I want. Like I want hard fights. I want to There's no point in me beating up like weak suckers like this guy. Like like I know like like I know what I want to perform like I want to I don't want to be like I don't want to win a belt and fight like and fight like somebody who's like one and oh. Like I want to I want these hard fights. I want to prove like I'm one of the best guys in the country and I feel like I am and I'm I'm as ready as you. But I know he works really good like I really good He's really good striker and seems like he's really good in the ground stuff, so yeah, it's a good test and I'm really ready to fight him and see who wants it more. >> Yeah, and I want to say and I think like you said he's a really good fighter, really good test and I think uh he goes under the radar a bit. I don't think he's as talked about as obviously Daniel is in his in his gym as well. Um and I think I don't know whether it's social media or what, but he seems to go under the radar and not as many people talk about him. But obviously you you know him going into this fight, but you talked about going over to Scotland. Talk to us about that experience going over as a fighter and experiencing the travel and stuff like that. >> Yeah, that was that was like that was unreal. So I fought on Chaos. I got You're You're at Chaos, weren't you? You're at Yeah, so I fought Chaos, got the win. Um didn't really take didn't take any damage. And so I knew your boys were fighting on the Saturday, but cuz my work and stuff I couldn't really get it off. But then Monday night I so wasn't going to do it originally, but and then Monday night I got the call from Arnold like there's a this boy can't get matched. He He's a good two and 0 or one and 0 like 30 second knockout. I was like, "You want it?" I was like, "I and he said they're going to they offered to pay for my flights and hotel." I was like I was like I [ __ ] and then I called Mark and I got him and basically [clears throat] I begged them, "Can you please get me the cover because I really want to do this." And then I got I got the cover for me. It was my birthday on Sunday too, the day after our fight. But yeah, so yeah, I had to do my my weigh-ins were like I had to do my weigh-ins and work and all like I had to do the I had to I had to like I I work in also in bus drivers like I said, but on a break I had to drive to my dad's work, bring the scales, bring the weights, get him the video me weighing me in and rush back to work. And then later on that day I had to fly home, get get the later flight and then fly over. But yeah, it was class experience, unreal. Got the performance of the night bonus, got 500 quid for our fight. Oh, it was class like it was on on the way home. >> How did it feel to actually get some money back from fighting because obviously we don't always have a chance to get money. >> I know what you're saying. >> Like to get to get actually handed cash, cold hard cash, and you're just like, "Wow, this is like especially [clears throat] as an amateur." What was it like receiving that and actually getting the bonus when originally you weren't even supposed to fight that week. It turned out to be a great weekend for you, great birthday weekend. >> Yeah, yeah. I know it was unreal like I knew there was a bonus going about, but I didn't even think about it like like when I I I don't like I don't have in my head like I'm going to go in Well, I do think in my head like I'm going to finish this guy, but I'm always prepared. I train like I do the sub like I do sprints. I'm I always prepare myself it's going to be three hard rounds and like if I get the finish, happy days, but I'm just I'm I always prepare myself for like three hard runs. And if I get the finish, that's a bonus. That's what I prefer for. Then, like, I'll see the finish is came, and then after they're all like, "Oh, you might get the performance of the night." I was like, I didn't think about it. And then, but there was only like a small There's only another finish on the night. So, I was I was really up for it. And then, like, after See after See after I finished him, like, I I I had no family here, but he he was there, Arnie's wife. So, she was like giving me support. But, I've never felt like like, so many people would come up to me offering me buying me drinks. But, man, that was unreal. That was mad. Like, they keep on coming up to me. Like, it was a kind of it felt famous for a minute. Like, I would I had the first time I ever experienced that. Like, when I get [ __ ] dusted him. Like, that's what I keep They're all Scottish. It was funny. Like, I was good I was class experience. Like, >> Yeah, I I I understand you going into pro and stuff like that as well. I think because you have to get the lay of flight, it'd be different if you were scared like if you were racing, you'd go a bit earlier, you'd have a bit more time. But, it was good to have that experience going over, getting a bit of cash, and coming back. But, with this weekend, obviously, we're not looking past your opponent, but is this your last fight of the year, or are you just like have you anything booked, or are you just going to focus on this fight, see how you come out, whether you're injured or not, and look forward to the rest of the year, or you're going to just wrap it up after this one? >> Um no, I I don't know. Um I'm not looking past him. I'm just solely focused on him. Um but, if all going well, like, I'm not getting new injuries, and like, I've all I've got stuff planned, like, personal stuff. But, if I can end November, start of December, that's when I probably could go again. But, um I'm just looking I'll be I'll be I'll be happy to get this belt. It'll be three wins, three knockouts. So, yeah. That's what I'm That's what I'm going for. I'm just just focused on this belt at the minute. But, yeah, I don't know. December time, maybe. Just before Christmas. >> Yeah, don't leave only until like New Year's close to Christmas. Do it at the start of December, so you don't have to do that leading up and then have a good Christmas. But look, it's been really good catching up with you. I'm going to wish you the best of skill this weekend. I won't be there unfortunately. My son's the 21st birthday, so I will obviously have to attend that. But is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out? And thank you so much for your time. >> Yeah, I just want to give a big shout out to my sponsor, my strength and conditioning coach Carl Wright, Carl Wright Fitness. He's like He helps me with diet plans and helps me with my strength and conditioning obviously. And I'm really thankful for him. And then I'm just going to give a shout out to all my teammates, everyone I train with, like my family, everyone who comes to support me, like and everyone who sends me text messages. Like they don't People probably don't think it means much, but even people who just text me saying good luck for your graduations, it means a lot to me. So, yeah, gives you that extra like buzz for it, you know what I mean? Like a lot of people have to care about it, so yeah, I know I really appreciate it. >> Yeah, no, I'm looking forward to this fight. It's a really, really good fight. It's two really good fighters coming up against each other. And like you said, the good thing about fighting for belts is you're going to get the competition that you want. You want these hard fights, and and that's what you're getting. But thank you very much. Enjoy the rest of your day, and I will be watching from the pub on my phone on >> [laughter] >> No worries. >> Perfect. Have a good evening, all right? >> Yeah, it's been