Gemma Coghill interview

Ringkasan

Gemma is an MMA fighter, coming out of New Era Lurgan, under the Tutalge of Daire Toman We discuss how she got into MMA, her fights so far, trouble getting matched and the Female MMA community

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm here with Gemma Cogill who fights out a new era in Luren. She had a recent victory on Clan Wars as she fought previously on Clan Wars at Novice. I'm assuming you're probably going to be going on amateur soon. I'm not sure. But how are you? Thank you very much for joining me. >> I'm good. How are you? >> I'm good. I'm good. It's a lovely Sunday evening. The match is on at the minute, so uh the place will be buzzing. But um you had the recent victory on Clan Wars. I seen actually for weeks and weeks you were practicing getting your hand raised. Yeah. >> Was that you manifesting kind of the victory? >> Yeah. From a sort of started the MMA, it's all been manifestation and visualization and >> from I've started like I can't explain to people like it's just let something inside me. I know I'm supposed to be doing this. So by doing videos and all like I'm just confirming something that I already know. I knew it was going to get my hand raised and then it did. So >> and and how does it feel like obviously going in you're a novice fighter. That's your second fight, I believe, is it? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> How does it feel going in because you won your first fight as well. How does it feel going into that for the very first time? Like, talk to us about the emotions. Was it exciting? Was it nervous? How did you feel the week leading up and then stepping into the cage? Do >> you know what? I haven't been nervous at any point. The only point that I've been nervous is whenever they come up and say, "Right, 5 minutes and you're going down." At that stage, my stomach falls out of my ass. back and I'm like, "Shit, I actually have to get in here and fight this person." But other than that, like I'm once you go on the stage, then the music's on, then start putting on a show, like that's it. The nerves are gone. >> Yeah. You seem like you enjoy you seem like you'd revel in the like the event part of it as well. Um, >> yeah, >> that's your second fight. I don't know what's the plan next cuz there's a lot more women around. Obviously, you were at that sparring day there recently, Easter band with with Mel and all them. talk to us about that because I think what Mel has done for the female side of things, Nevo Duna who has done an all female promotion in the Republic and now Mel's going to do one up there and I think she said there was 80 something people or or there were supposed to be 80 some people. How does it feel seeing there's that many females in the sport now and how it's evolved over time. >> It's wild. Like even before I got into MMA, I just always had the the thought that like there's no women in it. There's no the only person I really heard of was like Emr Darcy and Sean Bannon. That's the only people I had heard of at all in Irish MMA anyway. And then once I sort of started I started following just anybody I seen. It's like Chloe Croer and Kaio Sullivan, all them and Jody McCarthy. Like I follow them all. So there there's quite a few. I feel like you you feel like there's quite a few like when you see them all on Instagram and all, but there's still very like there's not male holding that big day. It was wild to see that many women in there just wanting to hit each other. It was crazy. Like, and my my opponent that I was fighting that last fight, she was there, too. So, that was interesting. >> And how was that? How how was it with your opponents after the fight? Usually, you won't you don't see them again for a long while until Mabel event. How was it seeing her at that day? Was it cordial? Was there bit of love? >> We didn't we didn't we didn't speak to each other. We didn't um I sort of noticed her out of the corner of my eye, but I never never seen her before. So I was like, "God, is that her?" And then I'd said to one of the girls I was with, "Is that that girl I'm supposed to be fighting?" And they were like, "Who?" But we never really And then obviously we're all sparring. So I never got around with her or anything. And then at the very end they were giving out the way awards and they called her up. She'd won something. So then I knew you and I was like, "Shit, here we go." But no, it's fine. I think even on the fight day, I think you're both sort of not awkward, but you just you know what you're about to do. you sort of just pass yourself and it's like I don't want to make best friends with her now and then have to go and punch her in the face. So I think you just sort of pass yourself and then once the fight's over like that's it you're friends like it's it's done. >> It's mad how MMA works like that. You see people training with each other after being really good friends. It's it's mad and it's like if you tried to say that someone outside of MMA they'd be like why would you be friends after? But I just that's what I love about the sport is you fight someone to get better. you both level up on the day and then like that a lot of people become uh training partners after that as well. >> But talk to us like why you got into MMA, what brought you into MMA and and why MMA is a sport. >> See, to be honest, I was bored and I needed something to do and I had originally wrote to somebody some man about Muay Thai because I just took a liking to this Muay Thai kept seeing it in Instagram and he wouldn't take me on. He said he didn't take on females. So then I was trying to find somewhere that did and somebody had said about fight or not fight academy there's uh the fight club fight club ni it's based in luren but it's kickboxing and I had wrote to the page and all about going and I was all up for going and then just the thought of going and being the only girl and they didn't have like a beginner's class it was just the one class and my nerves were wrecked it was just too anxious and then I didn't go and then Dara posted about the beginner's course so I wrote And when I wrote to him, I literally just said like, I'm doing this for the fitness. I don't want to fight. I just want to get in there, use train really intense, and that's what I like, so that's what I want to do. And he was like, right, that's grand. I think it was in three, four weeks and I was like, how soon can I fight? I just loved it. I absolutely loved it. >> What changed your mind from not wanting to compete to wanting to compete? >> I don't know. Just as soon as it was in there, I just was like, this is a bit of me. I've always been a fighter. like I'm undefeated on the streets, do you know what I mean? So, I have that inma, that we psycho inma and I don't know, it just suited me to the ground. I just loved it. And even getting like cuz people always say to me like, "How do you get hit in the face? Like, is it not sore?" And it's not. I love it. Like, hit me harder. Do you know what I mean? Do it again. >> That's I I went to an MMA training session last year and I got punched. Well, saying that I'm nearly 40, right? But I got punched in the face and I was like, I don't like this. Then again, that comes with age. Well, there was like the 80, 19, 20, 21, they're flying around. I just wanted to do it just to kind of get the feel for it. And I was like, you know what? >> This maybe jiu-jitsu, but then jiu-jitsu wasn't for me either. But um >> see, I think it takes a certain type of psycho to do MMA. Like you have to have that we something in your brain for you to get in there because realistically, you're getting into a cage in front of a crowd and battering somebody. Look, you know, you have to be a certain type of person, I think, to do that. >> Yeah. Yeah, it's like only 1% less than 1% of the world com well compete anyways. So it just knows you need to be wired differently as well. Um but talk to us about uh the gym that you joined with Dra. I'm very fond of Dra. Um he's done something really good for the community there to bring in MMA. Talk to us about your relationship with Dra and what the club is like. Well, so I've actually known Dar for years um on and off like never was never really close to the Merling, but I always sort of followed his journey and his fight and stuff and I can remember going to watch him fighting on different shows and the buzz is just brilliant at them fight days. Like it's it's a really really good day out. Um but obviously I was a big drinker and a big partyier and just was never I sort of dabbled all the time in a wee bit of fighting but never never stuck to anything. Um, and then as soon as I went into that beginner's course, like everybody's just so lovely. Dar is fantastic. He knows his stuff and Mick and Kane and Marty, all them that were helping. Like they're just they're so so lovely. And I think people have this idea of MMA and the boys that do it. It's like, oh, they're big scary men and they're not going to be nice or whatever, but they are. They're the most lovely genuine people that I've ever met. Like they really, really are. >> Yeah. Like I've gone in different circles, whether it be soccer, GA, whatever. And I've never been more welcomed into community than MMA. I found I think because you're getting whooped on a daily basis. >> You're humble and I just think everyone is kind of doing that for a reason. Like you said, some everyone some of that fights is a bit there's something in the brain that's a bit different >> and you all know you're in there for a reason and you're in there on a different journey and I think that's why everyone comes together and uh it's like a it's like a family atmosphere. But >> like you went on to fighting. What's what's your next plans? cuz obviously you've two novice fights. You plan on staying a novice for a while. You plan on going amateur. >> I see my problem is I want to run before I can walk. So Dar had to talk me down quite a bit to make me sort of see sense because realistically 3 weeks into that beginner's course if somebody said to me you can go pro now I would have done it like I just would have jumped straight in head first. But you do need the experience and I think I've seen myself from the difference in my first fight to that second one. There was a big there was a big difference um in how I performed. He I think wants me to do another novice fight but three minute rounds to get a we feel for that which I fully agree with. I'd be happy enough to do another few novice fights because it's all experience. And then every time you fight somebody new, like you're learning more about the game and more about yourself. And each time I've get in there with somebody, even sparring, I come away thinking, "Right, I need to fix that or that worked quite well. I could work on that more or whatever. You learn something every time. So, um, but I think I'm in for every show going. Like I just told him, put me in for everything." And if I can get matched Happy Days, I'd fight every month if I can. Like, but it's just getting a match. I'm struggling to find people that want to fight me. >> Yeah, I was about to ask that. Although like there was that many women at the at the day and Mel said obviously they took details and stuff so it make it easier for matching. >> And I think with the weight class your bantam weight is is it 61? >> I was 65 and that last one the first fight I fought at 68 but I've told her I'm any weight. I'm any weight you need me to be. Whatever it is I'll make it. So it's just whoever we can find. Yeah, because like with that weight class I'm thinking now like a lot of the girls that would be kind of 61 to 65 they'll be in the experience differential there know they'll be like >> oh yeah >> so and and that seems to be the issue with get have like are you finding issues getting matched because of the weight and because people don't want to fight you. >> Yeah. So he's put me in for everything. It just seems to be hard to get somebody that I don't know if it is the experience thing cuz they are very new but like last night Caitlyn was very she was way more experienced than me when it came to the striking anyway. She was was it world champion or European champion or both like but that doesn't scare me. I I don't really care at the end of the day. Novice is still the very very beginning and even when I go amateur like I'm not focused on like what my record's going to be or anything like that. I don't care if I get in there and get smashed. Like I'll still have a good time. Do you know what I mean? So, I don't know. But I actually wrote to that girl that I wrote first or fought to fought first, Alexa. I wrote to her earlier asking what should be up for a rematch. So, it'll be interesting to see what she says. >> Well, that would be a good rematch. And then like you fought, like I said, you're on like how does it feel to have so many different shows around that there's possibilities if you miss one show, you can't get matched that you could potentially be matched in another few weeks cuz there I want to say there's about 10 promotions at the minute. How does it feel to have that many options? is knowing that like years ago you might have one or two shows every 3 months whereas now you have so many shows if you miss one you can get another one. How does that feel to have that many options? >> Okay. It's good but it's frustrating too cuz like I wanted to be on Akuma and they're slowly releasing everybody and um like I seen that girl Caitlyn she's got matched on it and then um there's an amateur there's two amateur women's fights on it and then when I see them I'm like why is my person I want to fight too? So it's frustrating but it's good at the same time cuz like if I don't get a a kuma I'm hoping and praying I get I in September and then mail show as well. So at least there's two things in September and then I think there's another maybe is a case of conflict or something's in um October. So hopefully get on to that too. >> Yeah, there is some very good shows and hopefully Mel's show goes well. I see she's got about 11 fights announced already, which is mental for a first time. And uh Cage Conflict would be a good show to get on to D and that. Have you been to a case conflict show? The atmosphere is just >> I I don't know. I don't know if I have or not. I can't remember. I went to a few dollar shows, but I can't remember what they even were. Um I haven't been to Kane's conflict one night from I started fighting. I've been to and I've been to Clam Wars. What else have I been to? Can't remember now. I feel like there's another one. I can't remember. >> Yeah, your withki Malini's promotion is a really good promotion as well. I really like that. It's really well ran. It's really well matched and then case conflict is just a it's like a cauldron and some atmosphere in it. But there is those options. So like what's your plans for the rest of the year? Just try and get matched as quick as possible and have a quick like how often would you fight if you could? I'd love to fight every month. Like that between March and that last fight there, the end of June, what's that? March, April, May, June, last three months. But I was etching like I was getting really fed up. Like that was too long for me. Like I need a quicker turnaround than that by the end of it. I was like, "No, this this is taking too long." And that's my problem. Like if I don't be kept entertained enough or challenged enough, like I'll be bored and I'll be away onto something else. Like I'd be riding horse riding or something. Do you know what I mean? I need to be like kept going. So hopefully it gets on soon. >> Yeah. No, hopefully. And how many fighters are actually in your gym that are female at the minute? >> Well, there's only me and then there's Sabina. She's doing male show here. That'll be her first proper run out. Um, so there's only really the two of us like, >> and would you do you cross trainin or do you just uh train with the boys in the gym? >> Well, I don't mind training with the boys. I'm down in team Torres as well. So Alish is down there. get some good rounds in with her and then like I I'll openly and happily go anywhere. I went down to Er Darcy a few weeks ago and done a me session with her which was good and came out of it and it was like there's levels to this game. Like I was thinking I am not at Darcy's level yet, but it's something to work towards anyway. >> Yeah. No, she's a fantastic fight. I don't think anyone realized how good she was and then she went into cage warriors and I I know she lost her last fight, but she went in and I think most of her fights at amateur lasted longer than her professional fights. It just goes to show >> when you go in there and she trains with Shauna and Ka there's a really good community in the female uh section of MMA at the minute. But yeah, so hopefully you will get matched. Hopefully it will be as soon as possible. But I'm going to let you go. I want to thank you so much for joining me. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out? >> Um, no. Nobody want to shout out or anything, but I just want to say that anybody that's thinking of getting involved in MMA, like it's not as big and scary as you think, especially females. And no matter what background you come from or what your past is, you're going to be welcome arms and just give it a go and get stuck in because you never know. You could be like me and it could like that we far and then you'll be living your best life. Yeah, >> you know, and you seem to be living your best life life the past few months anyways from since I've been following you. So, thank you once again. Have a good evening and I will see you soon. >> No problem. Thanks, Steve. Bye.