Brandon Shields interview

Ringkasan

Brandon Shields is an amateur MMA fighter fighting out of SbG Ireland he competes at IUR Fighting Championship this weekend for the flyweight title against Ricardo De Araujo, He's constantly active whether it's K1, Muay Thai, Boxing or MMA He just loves to stay active and stay…

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Yeah. Nice one. Okay, so a pleasure pleasure to join me in a for a long time Mr. Brandish. We we've talked a bit. I see him fighting nearly every other weekend. This boy is active. He's active. He's going to be fighting this weekend at Your Fighting Championship. The match is is now for a title against Ricky. Uh it's a really really intriguing fight. How are you How are you feeling especially so close to the fight day and how do you feel now that it is a title fight? Uh man, we got told I think it was like Yeah, it was yesterday, yeah. It was uh him and Pad with Dale. And we were talking with Aiden and he was just explaining like how he asked for us to be separated on the card and then he said, "Oh, actually, I forgot to tell you. You're bumped up to a title fight now." And I was like, "What? What you mean I'm a title fight now? Are you mad?" Started hopping around the gym and like at the end of the day it changes nothing like whether there's a belt on the line or not. It's a guy you have a job to do, you know what I mean? A belt just makes it that much sweeter. I'm feeling great. I'm feeling feeling the best shape in me life like last Friday. I was doing fights in I done four four-minute rounds and then I went straight into 45s right after that like I mean tip-top shape for this one. No, it's good. And like the like I said, I see you man I see K1, Muay Thai, boxing, everything I see in as well. Um how Do you like being that active to does it you feel it keeps you sharp and and is there a method behind it or is it you just want to stay active or is it you're looking to sharpen different tools in different areas or is it just a bit of you just you just want to fight, bro? A bit of both like I it does feel like it sharpens me up in certain aspects. Like I think when it comes to boxing there's not many people that are on the amateur scene that can hang with me in the boxing now. All the amount of boxing fights that I've had. The K1 like I haven't I haven't had that much success in the K1 but even just pure striking like there's not many people that can hang with me on the feet. And that's not being cocky. That's just confidence in me abilities. And I've sharpened up so much over the last year. And on the other hand as well, I do just love a scrap. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, no. That's it. You see, you can go I I can't remember who said it. I think it might have been the great Johnny Eeverson. Um it where you can go and have a scrap and not get arrested. Um But in terms of the K1, you said like you didn't feel I actually watched you in the K1s, remember, at the the fire shop. I actually thought regardless of the results of that, um yourself and AJ put on a really, really good show regardless of the results. Like you it was still that was one of my favorite fights of the night. So, like that the result is the result, especially amateur. They don't matter as much as you go pro. They're just there to get used to and that's obviously what you're doing. And talk to us like you said, you you felt yourself getting much sharper. Do you see these improvements happening as they happen? Or is it when you get into like a fight, a live competition, and then you go, "Oh, fuck." You realize the levels. Do you notice it at the time or when you go into a competition? No, I think it's more when I go into competition. Like obviously in training, I do feel a lot more sharper after a fight. And then going straight back into another fight, it's like, "Right, I need to keep switched on. I don't have an excuse in not being the gym." Like I'm in the gym 24/7. I'm in the gym three times a day. Like I go twice before work and then I go straight to work and then I come straight back to the gym. Don't even have anything to eat. But just to follow up on what you said there about the fight with AJ, still looking for me rematch over here, little girl. Yeah? Because I don't agree with that decision. And he got the nod. I fought him in his backyard on his teammate's show. He told me that he wouldn't rematch me in K1. He'd rematch me in MMA. But he wouldn't do it because K1 was boring. And then he takes another K1 fight. That says enough. Look, I'm not going to say it in his playground. I've got my own problems, yeah. >> [laughter] >> But look, if if it was something for MMA, obviously you know I do have matches for Shogun so many other shows. We'll talk about that further down the line. Uh but, if it was something that would interest two years, I could try and match you on a show on on either RAW or or or put forward to another show. But, talk to us about facing Ricky. Like you said, before you knew the title was going in, Ricky's I've watched Ricky. Ricky's actually the champion of RAW actually um as well. Um what was it like the prospect of facing Ricky? Like showing your skills against his cuz he's quite a good fighter as well. I think this is a really intriguing match up. It's a really I think the flyweight division's one of the more exciting divisions at the minute. There's lot prospects coming out of it. Uh definitely. There's loads of people in the flyweight division. Like I said to you last time, it may get [ __ ] yourself the competition that you're facing, but it's also a reason to give you a kick in the ass and say like this is where you have to put me me pull me finger out me ass here and get down to the gym and try me all off like you know what I mean? Ricky like he's a top top lad. Don't get me wrong. I I want to fight one for a while because I only want to fight the best cuz I don't want to say I'm a savage really long. I want to go pro and start using them elbows and knees to the head like that's when I want to do what I'm meant you can ask Dave Roach every single time in the gym and ask him when can I go pro? When can I go pro? I want to go pro. But, obviously you can't rush perfection. So, it's all up to him at the end of the day when he decide to go pro. But, Ricky is a top top lad. So, I'm really looking forward to this fight. Yeah, now it is really good and it's on your fighting championship well and you I love the show. I love Decky McClean and and everything he kind of does and most of the fighters that fight on it just say they love you you probably notice it's the same fighters that always go back because they've been treated so well and and like that if you become the champion, you'll be back and you'll be facing someone else next. But, talk to us is he still there? Yeah, I'm still here. >> Yeah, I know. Your screen's just frozen on my end. Not as bad. Talk to us. You mentioned Dave Roche there. Obviously, people think of SBG, everyone immediately goes to John Kavanagh, as well they should, get his flowers. But, Dave Roche uh, there's a couple of the coaches in there. I can't pronounce the guy's name. I think it's Jujitsu coach. But, then you've got, uh, David Jones as well. Um, what's what's Talk to us about Dave Roche cuz I see Dave Roche at a lot of shows. He's such a nice guy. What's it like to be around Dave Roche and And you think sometimes Dave and the Jujitsu coaches don't get as much And not just there, I mean, it happens in other gyms. The coaches don't get the praise they deserve cuz I feel when a fighter's winning, the fighter will always get praise. But, when a fighter loses, you find that they'll sometimes go to the coaches. Do you think that the coaches don't get looked at enough for when the when when the fighter is doing good and talk to us about your relationship with Dave in SBG and what it's like being in SBG? Uh, no, definitely. Yeah, yeah, you're bang on the money there. Like, the coaches, they do get a lot of [ __ ] And at the end of the day, the coach can only put so much work into it. You are one of that person and the only The only result that matters is on fighting me. If you're losing that fight, that's because of yourself. That's not because of what your coach has put into it or what your coach hasn't put into it. But, Dave Roche, like, Dave Dave was my first MMA coach and I was I think I was about 12 or something before I started training with Dave when I was going on to the, uh, to the IMMAF's. And ever since that day, he always told me there's something special about you, like, the keep at this. Don't don't don't stop. And ever since that day, like, he's I I He's a bit old now to call him me big brother, but he is like a big brother to me. Do you know what I mean? Like, he's always been that like older brother figure to me. And anything he tells me to do, I just do what I should have done anyway, like, you know what I mean? Even when it comes down to the weight cut, like, I was only having a a conversation with me other coach, Sine Mullen, me other striking coach, saying that, like, come weigh for fight week, I've learned now, don't think, just shut up and do what you're told and you'll be okay. >> [laughter] >> I love I see Sheamus Mullen, he's another person I love. And firstly, obviously he didn't get the win at PFL, but he's someone that I've I spoke to before and I've great time for. You've got a really good You've got a nice close-knit crew in there and I I just like that. I haven't really seen a huge amount of flyweights up to Amy Scully's. Obviously she's she's on top of the world at the minute and SBG there's a new influx coming through of of younger talent and I can cuz it's weird cuz I've been doing this for years and then you'll get like little lulls with gyms and it's like so that is everyone's gone pro or everyone's starting and there's a bit of transition and now you can see kind of yourself and a couple of other really kind of coming coming into the scene and it's it's really really good. But with this weekend, obviously you're not looking past Ricky cuz he's the main thing ahead of you. How active do you plan on being this year and in what disciplines do you plan on being? Do you want to do more MMA, more or you just going to take whatever opportunities arise? Whatever opportunities come my way, like as I said there, like I just love a scrap. But one goal that I do have in mind for this year is get back into the jiu-jitsu competitions cuz like you see here, 90% of them are all jiu-jitsu. Like I was a fan of jiu-jitsu when I was a kid, but I kind of focused more on me striking when I was when I as I got older. But yeah, that's definitely a goal for myself, compete back in jiu-jitsu. I got me blue belt there in December and hopefully now if I keep get a couple of jiu-jitsu competitions on the way as well. Maybe John Kavanagh will give me proper belts this year. I've clipped this entire minute so you can see that one. But there's there's there's so many like obviously with MMA there's loads of shows, K1. Obviously I've noticed down south there's so many shows. There's a couple of north as well and jiu-jitsu, man, there seems to be every weekend or every second weekend there seems to be jiu-jitsu competitions. So you're not short on on options. And how does that feel to you as a fighter, as a mixed martial artist, cuz obviously you want to learn all disciplines, that there is this many events available to you, whether be jiu-jitsu, K1, Muay Thai, MMA. How does that make you feel? Cuz you go back kind of just before COVID, there was maybe one or two shows during COVID, not many shows around. Now there's just a plethora, there's so many. How does that make you feel? I think that appeals to me more than anyone else on the scene right now, to be honest with you, with the amount that I fight. Me coaches always be telling me to stop fighting and stop competing. Like they have already hear them, like, "Nah, I just love a scrap. I love being active." Like it's it's me passion, that's what I want to do with the rest of me life, you know what I mean? And like it's great, man. Irish MMA and Irish combat, never mind MMA, Irish combat is thriving at the minute. Yeah, it is. Like you look on the Muay Thai side, you've got Tom out there smashing boys with body shots. Ty Gannon, who's 17 years of age. When they gave me his record when I was doing an interview, they were like, "Pro." I was like, "Pro? What do you mean he's pro?" He's like, he was telling me he couldn't do the interview until after 4:00 cuz he was in school. This guy's like seven or eight and all of a sudden he's a pro. And then you see him go out and and and absolutely poleax him out the other night. And like that, the K1 scene, everything seems to be just kind of growing. The jiu-jitsu scene is is is has always been big and that's growing as well. It's really, really good to see. Um talk to us about your like obviously your plans for this year. Like are you looking to get on more MMA shows or are you looking to to to sharpen up BJJ and a couple of other things and and become more well-round even more well-rounded by the end of the year? Uh well, I want as many MMA fights as I possibly can. Like the the boxing, the kickboxing, the Muay Thai, that's the next step for me. That's just something to keep active, like you know what I mean? MMA is what I want to do, it's what I want to pursue, it's what I want to go professional in. So, as many shows as come up, always keep me in mind. I'll take a whoever I don't say no to a fight. I'd ask any promoter I've never said no to a fight. Yeah, well, I'll keep that in mind. The show that I'm helping with isn't until November, but I'll always I'll always keep you in mind. I want to thank you so much for your time, especially this late into fight week as well and this late cuz I've I've had a couple of issues myself and we're here a bit later than we should have been, so I really appreciate your patience and your time. I'm going to let you go though. Is there anything you want to Anyone you want to shout out or anything you want to say before you go? Yeah, I just want to give a big shout out to all my sponsors for supporting me throughout all my camps. Celtic Wellness, Top Notch Munch, The Fighter Cave, Giovanni's, and No Lies Apparel Room. And I also want to give a big shout out to me coaches, John Kavanagh, Sinead Moran, and Dave Roche for all the hard work and dedication they put into me. And me girlfriend for the baby due. She'll be due next month. And thank you for me ma for always supporting me for me dreams. Thank you yourself for having me on the show as well. Perfect. I've I've kind of been away for a while and I keep coming back and forward and I I kind of do a couple of interviews, not as many as I could. It was a pleasure to have you on, especially to speak cuz we always speak offline. We've spoken online before. Congratulations on the baby as well. It's going to be one of the best things It is going to be the best thing that's ever happened to My son is 21 this year, believe it or not. He's in the army now. The one thing I done right in me life was him. So, yeah. Best of skill this weekend and I will talk to you after the show. And like I said, this could be a potentially fight of the night. I think we will find out where our sponsor is. You could get your hands on some some of their gear. So, I can't wait to see. I think this might be fight of the night, so we'll wait and see if I'm right on that Sunday. And best of skill, all right? Perfect. Thank you very much for that.