Denis Frimpong interview

Ringkasan

Denis Frimpong is a professional fighter holding a record of 7-2

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Yeah, >> it's our first rodeo. David Farrell here on my second rodeo with Dennis the Menace Ring Pong. He's going to be competing this weekend in Octagon. Uh it's always a pleasure to have you on. Thank you so much, especially so close to the day. How are you feeling? Just another few days before you get back into the cage and do what you do best. >> Um it's always a pleasure to be on, Dave. Uh it's definitely more than our second rodeo at this stage. [laughter] Thought I'd be like number eight or nine now. More. More. Um, but yeah, I'm feeling good for for where I'm at. You know, Wednesday of fight week is always hard. Thursday even harder. Um, but yeah, I feel good. Ready to go. And um, yeah, just waiting to waiting to put this guy in a spliff, you know. >> In a spliff. I love it. There's one thing I want to ask you because obviously, you know, I deal with mostly amateur fighters or people on the regional scene. Joe, you you you're going all the way up until the week before fight week and then obviously you have to cut off and as like amateurs because obviously you got to wake up and stuff as amateurs and stuff they say they find it quite boring but obviously with you being an octagon does your week be filled with a lot of media and stuff to keep you busy and keep you active maybe too much media at times maybe. >> Yeah. Yeah. Obviously being the person that I am as well like you know a lot of news sources, media, journalists want to talk to me and have interviews and stuff on fight week and it's like why can't you do it the week before fight week? But yeah, it's part of the game, isn't it? And like I'm just banking as experience and money in the bank for later down the line, you know, when I'm proper big and like everyone wants a PC on fight week and all this kind of stuff. But yeah, they keep it they keep it fun. I mean, I just flew out here today. Uh, I just landed in Munich today and um yeah, tomorrow I've got obviously cutting the weight, which isn't boring necessarily. It is boring because it's like waiting to cut weight, but um you're in the hotel, you're bumping into other fighters and stuff like that. Maybe people you don't like, maybe people you do like. Uh mostly people you don't like if you're me uh >> or people who don't like you more so not you don't like >> Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So it's not they keep it like Yeah. And then Friday obviously there's like weighins bit of media press conference. So they keep it fresh. They keep it fresh. You know what I mean? It's not doesn't really drag. I don't think I always enjoy fight anyway. At the end of the week I get to [ __ ] fight, don't I? So >> yeah, that that's it. And what I've noticed, what cuz I think someone done the clip, I think you put it up yourself before your past couple of fights, you've actually described how the fight is going to go and how it's going to finish or what way it's going to go. Have you done that for this one to like what's your prediction for this one or or do you think because everyone's noticed now it might be jinx that it won't work or do you think it's going to >> I have a little I have a little surprise for the prediction this time. Um that will be unveiled after I win the fight. Um, but yeah, I know how I'm going to win the fight. He knows how I'm going to win the fight. Everyone knows how I'm going to win the fight, really, or they think they know anyway. Um, but yeah, like I think this guy's a little bit more unpredictable than the last two guys um in terms of like the way he kind of seems. He could come out really technical or he could come out really aggressive. It just depends. Um, I'm banking on him coming out really aggressive. Uh, more emotional aggressive someone is, the quicker they blow their load, the quicker I get to start drowning them in their own sorrows. So, yeah. Uh, I don't have a massive prediction yet, but I am predicting a finish uh, emphatically. >> Yeah. And with a finish like that, we talked recently. I' I'd say after this one, surely surely if you have a finish, you're going to be on a huge win streak. you with finishes, fantastic performances involved in all that. Surely the title shot has to be next. Have you been told anything? [snorts] >> I haven't been told anything. The last I last I heard about it from the promotion was when someone asked at a press conference after Frankfurt and I believe it was said that I needed two or three more fights. I don't believe it's any more than this guy. And then being honest, yeah, being honest with you, I think Buki deserves to fight for the belt next. You know, he's he was ranked number one before. He's been the double champ. He's a legend in Czecha, Slovak, and European and global MMA. He's got 55 fights. It's coming towards the end of his career. Um, you know, obviously depending on how the title fight this weekend goes, if Legi wins, then it's a rematch between Legski and Buki. I think they fought before I believe. Um, yeah, like he's number one. He just beat he just beat Langal and he beat Richie Smullen. So, two two good fighters, you know. So, it makes sense that he would fight for the belt before me. It all depends on like how long he he wants to wait before he fights for the belt. Um, I don't like to wait too long between fights. So, if he's not fighting for the belt by January, February sort of time, then I'd like to get one fight in in between. I already have a name in me head who I'd probably want to call out after this fight. Have a little tuneup fight in January, you know. Um, and then I'd like to fight for the belt later on in the year, but I would like to be active again. So, I want to fight like three times before summer, you know. >> Yeah. And that's it like that you obviously had a spell of inactivity there where there was no fights for you. You've been a lot more active and then they they see what you kind of bring to the table in terms of like you were saying devastating obviously that you bet Richie Smullen but like you said he's he's he's a legend like to be that agent and to be like because Richie Smullen's an animal like to know the sort of way >> Richie [snorts] was winning that fight massively. He was he was dominating that fight was 109 109 I think on cards. [snorts] Buki [ __ ] pulled out the bag. He has a habit of doing that. Shall I be honest with you? I I I would like to see him win the belt and then me fight him for the belt. That for me is like a legacy defining fight. And I don't think he'll fight me if it's not for the title. But if he's the champ, then I'm the contender. He has to fight me. Um, again, a guy with over 55 fights, legend of the sport, you know, one and one against Irish fighters, uh, 0 and one against Irish strikers. Um, and yeah, like I just think like winning the belt from Buki, avenging Smullan's loss, you know, um, possibly recreating a knockout, a famous knockout, a certain fighter against Buki would be like a cherry on on the cake, if you will, in terms of winning the lightweight belt. But I don't give a [ __ ] who has a lightweight belt, to be honest. Whether a Buouki [ __ ] gets injured and retires and I have to fight Legski or Aillaa or whoever it happens to be like I'm gonna go in there and I'm going to finish them and I'm going to take that belt and then I'm going to go up weight division because I can't go back in the federate anymore and I'm going to take that belt as well. >> Also, you're looking to become a double champ as well as the other Irish man that's also the So, you want Ireland to have all the belts essentially? [laughter] >> 100%. I I would I would like to see either Will go down into middleweight and get the third belt or Brian Manning to go win the middleweight belt. I'll have the welterweight belt. I'll have the lightweight belt. Richie Smullan's gone back down the featherweight to his real weight class. He'll get the featherweight belt. We've got pretty much all the belts, haven't we? Do you know what I mean? at that point. Uh, is there any Irish pro bantamweights that they could sign so they could get that bantamweight belt? Flyweight? Maybe Gary Rooney get the flyweight belt. Just have all the belts, you know. [laughter] But no, I think like what? One, two, three, four. If we had five of the belts. Yeah. Five out of the belts in Irish hands. They they they can't not come to Ireland. Like at that point, it's like we kind of have to go to Ireland regardless. Do you know what I mean? So that is my goal like double champ status is the goal. Um emulate what the likes of Kada Binger will flurry these guys have done. Um yeah like I said like I would like to do feather in lightweight but I just think feather is like it's a myth now. I might have been able to do it like two or three years ago but feed's gone. Like those days are gone. I've gotten too big. I'm absolutely that's me on Wednesday and I'm absolutely jacked, mate. You know what I mean? So, I think easier to just enjoy me food, go up to welterweight, smoke some of them lads, do you know what I mean? >> Yeah. No, if if if that was able to happen, obviously, cuz Will talked about how long it could possibly take like he'd have to go to light heavy, have a fight there, then go down again. Hopefully, like that. Brian Manning is hoping to be back in January. he told me. Um, so it'd be good. I think he'd be good for Octagon. I think with his entrances, we've seen your entrances. I think his would be uh another level cuz you seen him at the regional so you can imagine with the production behind him. Bring Jack. >> He does a very I think with very different entrances like I think a lot of my entrances are they change depending on the venue where he has very themed entrances like they're horror movie themed entrances, right? which is like I I like it. I I think it's sick. I take inspiration from from that, you know, even though like I don't want to talk down on Brian, like not that he's like behind me in terms of his pro career, but like you know, he's he's a bit younger in his pro career than I am. >> Um yeah, I take inspiration from the guys that are like coming up as well, you know. Um and yeah, I've got a little special walk out for this fight as well. Hopefully everyone enjoys it, you know. Um, and then if we come to Ireland, if we're in Dublin, mate, that walk out is going to be immense because I've got to get a live walk out, haven't I? I've got to get like live artists on it and I already have who I who I think I'll have in mind. >> Nice. Hope hopefully we can get to Ireland. Has there been any more talk on their end about Ireland? I mean, they're doing Poland first, and it makes sense, doesn't it? Like Polish market is big. It's bigger. It's on the continent. They've got a few Polish fighters. They compete with KSW, maybe take over from KSW. It's the main European promotion. Uh, I believe they already have, but they going into their territory and taking over Poland as well is sick. Um, and then, you know, there's a lot of Polish people in Ireland. >> Yeah. So maybe from Octagon growing as a promotion in Poland then we could the next step could be Ireland. But like like I say the first focus is getting the belts getting the belts and just keep winning and all of us should keep winning. You know Will Flurry puts on a big performance against Martin Budai in December and it's a it's a stamp of authority that the Irish are here to stay. Um, the Irish are probably one of the smaller countries in Europe and we're here to stay and we're here to make noise. Do you know what I mean? >> Yeah. And you've been making noise and I've liked how they've promoted Will. Uh, I had you make your own noise. You made your own noise to get here and that's what we had. There was a little kind of interaction we had the other day and it was on one of your post about remember when you came in everyone was like you're coming in too late. You're the BJJ guy now. You're the kickboxer guy. Um >> yeah boxer now >> but like two two two three years ago I was just a BJJ guy. I don't know how it makes any sense but >> yeah so when these people had said that to you and then you look at now and I'm not saying they're behind you but a lot of the people that said that kind of they don't have as many fights as you. You're an octagon stuff like that and your mindset was always you wanted to fight these people and get there. How does it feel for you to then just go on after all that was said or did you even take any heed at the time or >> I mean people were saying all this [ __ ] but at the end of the day I knew where I was going. I knew how hard I worked. I knew the level I was at even back then. Um yeah, like you said, I've worked three times as hard as all these guys that have been doing the sport way longer than I have. I've overtaken most of them. Um I'm now on the level of guys that are at the very pinnacle of the sport. You know, I'm sparring with UFC level guys, sparring with PFL level guys, octagon level guys, smashing through octagon, and yeah, like, you know, I know the level that I'm at. I know the level of my grappling, my striking, my wrestling's coming on now that I've been wrestling for a little while. H and people forget I've only been doing MMA for like four years. And, you know, look where I'm at about to fight for a world title. So, let's see what the next two, three years bring. And I'm just going to keep getting better and better and better. And I'm still making those newbie gains. And all those people that were running, even at pro level and octagon, they ran for a bit and then they decided it was time to fight me. But by that stage, I've gotten too good. Maybe you should have fought me two years ago when you had the chance. And you might have had a chance. >> I'd say that's satisfying because it happened in the regional scene. has happened there and then it's got to a point where they want to fight you and you're like, well, I don't have to fight you now. You had your opportunity. I done what I said I was going to do. You could have been a part of that, but now you're not. But it's it it I think it's great cuz you kind of four years is when I came in as well. So, I think I came in just as you fought Maga. So, I've nearly I've been through your whole career and that's why I'm so fascinated with where it's going to go and I always want to touch base with you and see how it is. But, look, I'm really really looking forward to this weekend. I'm going to let you go because I know it's fight week. There's a lot going on. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone who want to shout out and thank you again for your time? >> Yeah, shout out Fancy MMA. Uh, shout out Octagon for obviously giving me the fights now. Um, if you want to watch the fight, catch on pay-per-view Octagon TV. Um, and also if you want to get on the Octagon fantasy draft, there's like fantasy football but for Octagon. Um, get me in your draft there. Go on the Octagon fantasy page. Get me in your draft. Uh, put me down for KO TKO and get yourself on the scoreboard. >> I didn't know about that. I got to go have a look at that right now and get you you'll be the first in the draft. Um, pleasure again once uh once again as always. Uh, and I will see you. I'll be watching this weekend. When is that? I'll be commentating, but I say no and I'll have it in front of me on the commentary desk. [laughter] So, we'll keep everyone I'll keep everyone in Ireland that might be watching our pay-per-view updated on your fight as well. So, uh, keep it keep it local, keep it regional. Have a good evening. Thank you again. All right. Well, I >> appreciate you having me on.