Clodagh Cullen interview

Ringkasan

Clodagh Cullen fights and coaches out of Pat Rocket martial arts, she has four upcoming fighters competing on the all female card Artemis this Saturday. We dive into her journey in combat sports, how at a young age she crossed over from Irish dancing and never looked back, what…

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Okay, so I'm here with Cla Cullen. Uh, she's got a couple of fighters coming up on Mel shows this weekend. We met at the media day there on Francis Street recently and we said we get an interview so we could find out a bit about more her journey into combat sports and then obviously the show that she's got girls competing on this weekend. So, thank you very much for joining me. How are you today? >> Good. Good. How are you? >> I'm good. Thank you very much. How is it leading into a fight week? Obviously, you're not competing uh but you've got people competing. What's what does a fight week look like for a coach? Cuz I ask fighters that all the time. So, I want to get your perspective from it. >> Um, you know what? It's actually a little bit nerve-wracking. Um, it is because especially I have four girls. I had three and one is stepping in on a week's notice. Um, so for especially being a female and having four girls, I was in their position before. I was that young girl during fight week, you know, and especially like I was watching Vickiy's interview the the other day. Um, like girls don't get enough opportunities. So when these big opportunities come, I can imagine that there's more nerves than a regular male fighter would have because they're fighting so regularly. The girl when these opportunities come, they're a very big deal. So for a coach I'm looking at me at that age and I'm looking at the nerves I had and yes excitement as well but I think as well like you know they can be very hard on themselves especially as kids like you know win they don't see anything less than a win they don't see learning curves they don't see anything only I want to win so I think it's more the aftermath of the result is where as a coach I need to knuckle down and say you know if it doesn't go their I need to take them out of a hole that they're going to get into or if it does I need to make sure that they feel that it went their way and how good they were and you know make sure that they they feel what whichever direction it goes like you know so just kind of relating to them really is is the main thing I think that's just coming from a female point of view and me at their age and stuff again I didn't get the opportunities when I was 13 or 14 to like these opportunities like that Mel has given to the girls I never had anything like that. If anything, I was at that age opening up a show as an exhibition, do you know? There was never those those big female fights or anything. So, yeah. >> Yeah. It's fantastic what Mel's done. Ne has done it previously obviously down south with with Val >> and you can see the sport evolving. How as a female in the sport, like say those opportunities weren't there. How does it how does it feel for you to see that the sport for females has evolved so much and these shows and these opportunities are coming to the way the girls that you have in your team? >> Oh like I mean like a couple of years ago like a girl fighting wood as I said it would be an exhibition or it would start. That's what I was always was I was the kind of star. But now like if we have a home show like the last two home shows we've had I've been the main event. It's very rare that you see females as a main event, especially on a mixed card, but like for this like Mel is doing an absolutely amazing job and I've actually made very good friends with her. We I didn't know her before kind of this show started to be promoted only she got on to me about I think it was the club page she got on to about any fighters interested and I was like you know what I'm going to jump on this bandwagon see where we can go. But like I think every day for the last since the media day we have spoken every single day chat about things like I've told her you know female to fe I'm here for the support if you need it like I just think it's amazing again I didn't know ne I know that a lot of her shows were kind of based around uh tie fighting and stuff so we aren't that background in the club we don't have that maybe only recently K1 and low kick have become like a big a big thing to us so I don't know Neve personally but I've heard and seen a couple of things and I heard the show that she it was very successful and stuff. So, I'm just glad that now the kids coming up and the generation coming up have that because it's it's so good for me to see. I I burst with joy when I see like that all like that media day was so like it fill your heart for for girls to see. Do you know that kind of way like it was nice now I have to say? >> Yeah. Because that's what when we went there, obviously I do. I I mainly MMA and Tony was doing stuff cuz I I usually have a guy that does all my edit and producing, but he his girlfriend just had a baby, so I wasn't dragging him away from that. So helping, >> but it was good. That's what Mel said. She wanted to make them feel special, make it feel about them and and I think that kind of came through and has she's done stuff up north as well for media. She's done the sparing day and I think what she's kind of done is amazing and you have to kind of hand it to her. It's not I'm trying to match an MMA show right now and it's not as fun as I thought it was going to be. It's an absolute nightmare. So, >> I can only imagine everything else. But you were talking about something there and it actually caught my interest like having to relate to the girls and deal with them. When you go to a show, let's say, and you come back and just say you've got two winners, two losers. How do you manage that? Because that's a dynamic atmosphere that you've got two that are down in dumps and two that are overjoyed. How have you had the experience of managing that? And what way do you would be the best way to approach it in your opinion? >> I have. We've experienced it many times. And also what I find especially with my girls is they're very similar in age. They're very similar in weight. They always meet like in tournaments like they someone always meets the other. It's very difficult. And I suppose you know you can't you can't degrade the person who's won but you also I also as a coach have to look at the person who's sitting in the back and their head is hanging and you know do you know what it's a very difficult answer question to answer because I can't really answer unless I'm in that position. It's a very hard one. I kind of react on how how the dynamics are like how the reactions are in general. In fairness, we've got a very good club and the girls are great to each other. They they do when we're all together and you know, one doesn't go their way and stuff like they are supportive with each other. So, you know, that that helps in a way. It kind of takes the the sting from my back to say that they've supported each other anyways in the first place. So, you know, they're bringing each other up and saying, "Oh, well, you know, I I could have done this and I you know, they're helpful with each other." So, it takes this thing for me really. >> Yeah. because I could imagine that's a difficult position and and like I said you'd have to treat it every person as an individual and >> someone might take it harder than the other and you just have to be able to manage that at >> so but >> let's get to learn about you what how did you start in combat sports what led you to it if you want to divulge >> um so I was actually an Irish dancer first and I was like danced all the time thought it was the best in world the bees knees and then one day my dad actually just took me to the club and ever since then I the the dances classes slowly started to stop and it just kind of took over from there and I think what is it 14 years later I'm still there so >> what was that like going from that into into a gym because like we've talked about it's primarily a kind of a male dominated area >> what was it like going in for the first time what was your expectations to to what it actually was when you got there Um, I think it was I I do remember at the start my mom was no way. You know, I think it was a whole mother and father difference. My dad was like, "Let's get him here. Let's get him fighting." My mom was like, "No, the dancing is what they should be doing this and this." I think that was the case. But going there, I can't really remember. It was so long ago. Like, I actually can't remember. I just know my first day, like I just thought it was great and that was it. Then it just kind of I went skyrocket from there and I'm still here. Same coach, same club is uh two martial arts. We're both karate and we're full contact light contact kickboxing. So I started in the kickboxing and I think I had my first fight. It was an inter club. Um had two fights there and then maybe a couple of months later I started in the crate. He said I'd give it a go and now it both of them just skyrocketed. So I've been like the club is literally my first home. Never mind here in my house like the gym and the club and everything to do is literally my first home because I've been there so long. It's just everything's second nature to me now really. So >> yeah, you talked about competing in an inter club there when like obviously that's in a comfortable environment like you're in your own gym. Do you remember what it was like to go to to your first kind of event and fight outside of that? Uh yeah, my first event outside would have been it actually would have been in a local hotel kind of maybe about 20 minutes half an hour away and it was actually versus a girl also from Watford. So it was again I was the first fight on the show my very first show outside of Watford. I was the first fight. Um we were I was young enough I think I was only about 11 maybe or 12. So, it wasn't the biggest deal of a fight, but obviously for me, do you know what I mean? It was like, "Oh, I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight somewhere somewhere bigger." Again, I was a kid. I knew no different. Just get in and have fun. Really? Do you know that kind of way? >> Yeah. I think cuz the way you're explaining it now, when I talk to other people, they're a little bit older. They're in their kind of teenage years and and that's when you get the kind of apprehension going into a gym and stuff like that. I think when you're a kid, you really don't have that fear, do you? You just kind of go in and >> have fun. >> Yeah. you don't look at it in in any aspect. I think when things kind of started to get serious for me was I went to I went to the unified world championships in Italy and I came back from there. I this all happened in the space of a month. I went to the unifies. I came back. I fought on I'm not sure if you know of Howie Vincent in Shannon. I fought on how he I fought on How's show in Shannon about three weeks later and then I went to the Isk Worlds that year that happened in Cork in the Neptune Stadium. So I had won two gold medals at the unifies. Two weeks later I won the the fight show in Howies and two weeks later I won both the light contact and the full contact in the ISK world championship. So then people started to notice me and I feel like for me that's when females started to grow because I was then that was in November I think or October I then fought in March for a junior flyweight Irish title for kick full contact kickboxing. So that after that stage that's when things started. Now again I was maybe 15 or 16 maybe at the time. That's only when things like I'm there since I'm seven and it took that long, you know, nearly 10 years for me to actually get going and to really see where it was going to get me or any kind of big outcomes. Other than that, I was just I just kept thinking I was that kid who was just getting in, fighting, coming out, going home, same thing on repeat every week. But after those kind of three major events and then when I got that Irish title, then I started to take things seriously and said, "Okay, well after this, let's go for a bigger Irish title. let's go for this. You know, things started to grow basically after that. >> That that's a lot of accolades within a short space of time. Yes. As a 15year-old emotionally, what does that feel like? >> Um, well, the first when I went to the unifides, it was a massive deal. Again, I fought in the kickboxing and the karate over there, so I was in quite a lot of events, but the kickboxing was the main thing. Um, I won my first I remember winning my first fight and then we had to wait like three days for the final and I fought a German girl and I actually stopped her in like 22 seconds in the first round of a world championship final. So I remember it like everybody was crying. There was te it was so emotional and I think I didn't really let it sink in until people when I came home said to me like Jesus you know you don't know how big of a deal that is. And then I started to think about a little bit more. And then when I went to the ISKA worlds, it was huge. It was really big world championships. And the standard was even better again than the unifieds. You know, it was really good. And then when I beat the Swiss girl in the final of the full contact of that, I just said like, you know, this is a different kettle of fish. It makes me feel different winning these big things with big names and and it's it's basically how I got noticed, I think, really to start with. Yeah, that that's that's a lot going on in a short space of time. >> It was. It was. >> Um, but like that you got through it and and you came out on top, but as as you kind of go through and like you said, you main evented uh you main evented down in Waterford yourself. What's it like? What's that feeling like? Cuz like I said, if there's if it's a mixed card like that usually like you said and a lot of car said that the guards are lower down the card, what does it feel like to main event in your hometown? Do you know what? I also made an event. I was the main event in Wexford on a bad intentions as well. I was also the co-main event on many occasions down there too. Number one, I hate waiting around. It's the worst. It's the worst part about it. Secondly, I have a really, really, really strong backing. Like the people not just in Watford again with the kickboxing and karate like doesn't matter where I'm fighting. Like I was fighting in Wexford in the Whites Hotel and some friends from Scotland traveled just for this one fight. It could have it could have lasted 10 seconds. It could have lasted it lasted the whole fight. You know that kind of way. They still made the journey. Like I mean off the top of my head I could name a 100 people that would buy tickets like a 300 tickets we sold the first time I made I headlined here in Wford. So it's just I I have the back end. So they make it for me. They never mind the fight itself. Like it's the people and the crowd and the kids. I have a crazy amount of kids that I coach anyways and every single one of them are at every fight with flags, pictures of me. Like it it hits different I think to be honest with you. It hits different like doing it for them and like for my coach because like he does everything he does for me is like crazy. Like there's there's not enough thank yous in the world, you know, that kind of way. So, it's it's the crowd, I think, that does it for me. >> Yeah. If Mel sees this interview and sees how many tickets you sell, you might be headlining the next Artimus event, but as far as I know, the ticket sales have gone really well for event, but >> Yeah. Yeah. >> You were talking there about about the crowd and obviously the kids and stuff. How does that make you feel? Because obviously a lot of those kids will look up to you and you you would inspire them. >> What kind of feeling is that? Is that like a surreal feeling? because I in my life would never think anyone would look up to me, do you know that sort of way? >> So, what does that feel like knowing that you're uh role model for these kids coming up through the sport >> like when it comes to fight nights and you know I'm done my medical going out to see everybody and stuff and I see the kids like with hoodies and t-shirts with my face on it. You know, it's team CLA. I have a flag with my face, the the name, like it's stuff like that that it can get very emotional and I don't know if it's just if it's just the whole night itself or if I'm really sitting down and going, you know, I've done something to these kids. I've ch I've I've changed do you know maybe their perspective on sport or do you know like given them a positive outlook on it and like don't get me wrong on couple of occasions I've fights haven't went my way and you know I get out of the ring obviously upset myself but there's kids everywhere in tears and then I'm going hold on I need to pull myself together here these kids are upset because I'm upset because this didn't go you know I have a role to play in regards to teaching them you know it's a hard step to take having than there and watching because not every fight goes everybody's way and unfortunately it hasn't sometimes in my sense but again I have no choice but to pick myself back up for the kids that are standing in the crowd they come back to the gym and the questions you can only imagine why didn't you win and why didn't you do this and why didn't you and it's hard for me to to you know I have no choice but to suck it up and just say I just didn't and sometimes it doesn't go go my way and it's tough that's probably tougher than anything. But no, it's when I walk out was recently there in in June, I think it was when I had no July, the the first weekend of July, I was fighting here against a French girl for a European title. Crazy amount of tickets again. Sold. Um I was convinced I had her beaten in the first three rounds and she hit me in the fourth and knocked me for seven. So I got back I didn't I don't know. Ask me how I got back up. I don't know. But I can just remember looking over and all the kids hands over their eyes and it was a bit of a shock for me as well. Again, she took it she took the European title in front of my home crowd. I was absolutely devastated. I then went to Malmo in Sweden two days later to fight at the World Championships for the Karate and I got beaten in the quarterfinal to the winner of the pool by with three seconds on the clock and one score between us and it was all live streamed. They all watched it. I was absolutely devastated. So having to come home after two of the like I didn't see anybody between the European title to the worlds because it was one day in between where I just I I actually went to work, came home, slept, got up for the to fly. So, I didn't see anyone in between and I didn't get time to sit down and think about the European title because I was straight into the world and I had a different job to do and it was like came back and it was like, well, why didn't you win? Where's your medal and where's your belt? And it's that's a tough one now to that's a tough pill to swallow. But look, it as a coach and an athlete, I I have no choice but to suck it up and get on with it because I have to teach them some lessons as well. Do you know that kind of way? You know, it sounds like a lot of pressure as well. Like, you know, try to >> Absolutely. >> It's like in the MMA when you're on the ground and they're like, "Get up." Well, I can't just get up. Like, why why can't get up? >> Yes. >> Or trying to explain to a child why they're sick, you know, when they're very young. They just they just don't understand. But talk to us about some of what you feel your biggest accomplishments are today in in combat sports. Um, my biggest accomp accomplishments would be probably my f definitely my first ever Irish title. Um, as a junior, I just thought there wasn't many juniors in the country that held Irish titles, you know, at at the to me anyways at the time. I just thought it was a really big deal. Um, also then my first ever individual world title in karate was in Slovakia at the World Championships. I think it was 2019. Um, yeah, 2019. It was like 7:00 in the evening. I had there was four pools of 20 in each category. So, basically, we had to you had to win your pool to fight the top four of whatever. And it was myself and three Americans on the podium. And I obviously had the number one spot, which was it was late in the evening. It was everybody was tired, but I had won. So, it was like the best feeling ever. And then what made it better was it wasn't different flags, it was three Americans to finish and they would have a very good name in regards to they're they're the ones to beat, you know, that kind of way. Um, and then God, I feel like I'm like I have a list of stuff, but probably when I fought Seline, I I don't know her surname now, from France. I fought her here on our first home show um that I was the main event. I fought for a Six Nations ICO belt and I beat her in front of a home crowd and it was it was a tough camp. I was I turned 21 like a couple of weeks before it as well. So, you know, obviously we had a big party and I was like, I have to fight in a couple of weeks. I was no no drinking, no there was nothing to go with it. I just was focused on the fight and stuff. So, and then probably since then I was recently promoted as the Irish president of the ICO. So that's obviously a big achievement in itself, you know. >> Yeah. No, it is 100% and congratulations on the promotion. If you could diverge, what is the position and and what does it entail? Like what what kind of effect do you have on the sport to it? If you can uh explain more to me because I'm not sure about the position. >> Yeah. So honestly, I'm fairly new to it anyways. I'm fairly new to the position but uh basically the world championships is coming up three weeks tomorrow actually. So, in that in a short space of time, I had to, you know, get a team together. Again, it could be an a team from all over Ireland, but because of short space of time, um I'm just taking nine athletes from my own club. It's they're on in Swansea in Wales. Um it'll be my first time going to an event as the president. So, I suppose more will time will tell. Do you know that kind of way? I'm also um organizing the ICO do a four nations event. So basically England, Wales and Scotland have done their events and the Irish one will be on the 1st of February in the hub in Kenya obviously that with with time management and stuff. I couldn't get anywhere booked um for this year. So it's going to happen early 2026. And basically they do this event that it gives fighters more opportunities to fight get out of their own country, you know, if they can't get it to the worlds or whatever between the four nations. Um, and the last three have been really successful. So hopefully I know preparations will be difficult and a lot of stress to go with them, you know, new and young and stuff. I think I'm one of the youngest anyways and one of the only females that is a president under the ICO anyways that I know of. So hopefully we can bring some fresh minds and fresh ideas to the table as well, you know. So, but again, it's still early days. I'm still trying to fit into the role and there's a lot obviously going on and stuff. So, we'll see. We'll see where it goes. >> Yeah, like that. You're only stepping into the role. You have a lot going on. You have so much going on. I'm tired listening to how much you have going. I'm like, how where does she get the energy to to do all this? But obviously, it's your love of the sport and stuff. I'm really enjoying this conversation, but I am going to let you go. I'm going to ask you one more question before you go. >> If there was a female, and we're going to say she was going to choose between Irish dancing like yourself or combat sports, >> what would you say? what positives uh has it brought to your life to kind of push them in the direction of combat sports and what you think the benefits are. Um, okay. So, first of all, friendships. I have made some of the best friendships in the whole world. One being Mel and that came from a simple text message have any fighters to go on the show and here we're like speak every day. Um, confidence. Confidence is a massive thing. I see a lot of kids come in to my kids kickboxing class and you know very shy and stuff and like one little girl in particular I say little she's literally bigger than me now but she was little when she first started. I think it took about three years for us to have a conversation. She's actually fighting on the show next week. I think it took us about three years to have a conversation together. Um but now she's like oozing with confidence. She just loves to fight. And thirdly, the opportunities that comes with it. If you want to fight, if you're if you want to be that athlete, like any martial arts, I mean, I'm going to Wales in three weeks time for five days. I come back for one day and I'm heading to Latafia for five days to fight at the Europeans. So like the I've fought in Vegas twice. I was the first female in Ireland to come back with a gold medal from in Vegas for karate. I fought in Vegas three times. Sorry. Actually, three times. Do you know I fought in Miami? Like the opportunities that come. I've been to like name a country and I've probably been there. Now I haven't been to like some like Tokyo and stuff. Not yet, but maybe. But you know what? Like the the travel opportunities and even just going to Dublin, meeting that extra person, you know, it's just friendships, confidence, travel, they they all link in together. >> Yeah. like those countries like that the travel is a big thing that you see with fighters and like you've just named out so many countries and places within the show space and that's not even all them. Before you go, is there anything you would like to say before you go? Uh or anyone you like to give a shout out to? >> Um shout out to Mel because she's doing great stuff and hopefully we can I can work with her in the near future maybe with other stuff. um to my coach cuz I wouldn't be the coach or the person that I am today. And I suppose my my my mom is my right-hand woman. She drives me everywhere. The re everywhere I travel, she travels. Um you know, my dad put me into the sport. I suppose the list could go on. All the kids in the club, you know, they're all brilliant. Do you know the list could go on and on like I could could be here till tomorrow. Do you know that kind of way? So, but yeah, big one. Shout out to Mel and hope I'm hoping the show I know it's going to go well this weekend and I can't wait to meet some new people and I have every faith that it's going to be great. But yeah, >> no 100%. Thank you very much for your time. I will see you there myself. It's been an absolute pleasure. >> I will have you on again in in the near future if you'd be interested because >> of course >> there's a lot of interesting subjects that we could touch on in a longer form interview as well. But yeah, it's been a pleasure. Thank you very much. Enjoy your evening and I'll see you this weekend. >> Thank you.