Noah Harkin interview

Ringkasan

Okay, so I have Noah Harkin here. Thank you very much for joining me first and foremost. So close to the event. He's going to be competing in K1 tomorrow on Valor. Uh he comes from Carrie Duff, uh my Thai. He's fighting at 70 kg. So it's going to be a really good show. They've…

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I have Noah Harkin here. Thank you very much for joining me first and foremost. So close to the event. He's going to be competing in K1 tomorrow on Valor. Uh he comes from Carrie Duff, uh my Thai. He's fighting at 70 kg. So it's going to be a really good show. They've got a mix of BJJ uh K1 and I I don't know if they have boxing that was slated originally, but um how are you one day out from the fight? How are you feeling? You must be excited. >> Yeah, I'm excited to be fair. Confident. been training away like so it's all leading up to this here now so wait and see how it goes >> and Muay Thai in or sorry K1 in a cage is that something you've ever done before previously >> no it's different like I've only ever done one inter club before in Muay Thai as well so in a ring and different rules like so bit of adapting to like but should be grand nothing to worry about >> yeah I like it cuz it makes it a little bit different and then the cage can be used for your advantage and disadvantage some places as well whereas with with the ropes obviously you can bounce you can thing whereas if you get caught up against the cage like there's nowhere kind of to go. So if you're a pressure fighter it'll be good for you. Um but talk to us about the lead up to this fight to kind of train in the camp. Do you cut much weight? >> Uh well only you actually realized I was fighting about three or four weeks ago. So it's been short enough fight camp and only a few kg to cut like it wasn't anything crazy. Just not eating as much rubbish really being a bit more stricter of what I'm eating. But nah, training hard, training went well, everything went good. So all up to date. >> Yeah, the trying to reduce the the shite food is something that I can't do. So I don't know how how fighters do, but I've seen the way cuts there. Some of them do be horrendous. But >> yeah, it's awful. >> Yeah. With the in relation to your opponent, uh, do you study him? Do you let your coaches study here? Do do you just kind of do what you want to do and kind of put your stamp down as your for your style rather than worrying about the opponent or do you research them or you tell me? >> Nah, I don't even bother with that though. Like I'd rather just focus on myself. I know what needs done, know what I can do. So it's nothing to worry about really. Wouldn't waste my time looking at that and other stuff whenever. I just need to focus on myself and do what I know I can do. >> Yeah. And I think that's the best way cuz I think if if you're tailoring your style to someone else every time, you don't establish your style or your own kind of way of fighting going forward and you know yourself at at these levels. People make huge leaps in in progression from fight to fight. So it'd be a different fighter potentially that you saw that you watched footage on however long ago though. But um to get here to be competing at Valor, you had to start somewhere. Talk to us about when you started MMA and why you start or not MMA Muay Thai and when and why. >> Yeah, well I only really started Muay Thai like the end of May. So I've only been training a few months really but it was mostly cuz I had played football my whole life really and then got a bad injury at the end of last year to like part of my ACL and I was like right uh not really a big fan of that anymore. wouldn't love it as much as it did do and I wanted to try something new that I could just focus on myself on rather than like a full team and I thought may as well just jump into the deep end and get in the Muay Thai do it all like I love Muay Thai it's like the the art of striking is just it's probably the purest form of striking in my opinion watching I think it's it's so good and Muay Thai because like that what made you go with with Muay Thai was it just you like the style of it >> yeah I just love seeing everything all at once like just want all the action Like boxing's good and all, but like Muay Thai is perfect. Like literally everything you could ever want in a fight. >> Yeah. You've got other than your head, you can use nearly every limb on your >> practically like >> to strike. And I love that like if you look at one championship and and some of the fights we've got some good Muay Thai fighters in this country. Tom Ko is actually over fighting in one night. >> It's close. >> Yeah. So talk to us about when you entered the gym though coming obviously from a football background. What was your expectations? You think it was going to be intimidating or did you think it was going to be welcoming? So what was your expectations versus reality if you get >> I was I was I was scared like I went with my mates the first few times. So it wasn't as bad cuz like I was sort of starting at the same time as them. But then I just like I literally got addicted to it and just kept on going. And then after a few weeks it was literally perfect. Made friends everybody. It was like the complete opposite of what I thought it was going to I thought it was going to be so scary and everything, but actually like everyone's just just so nice. It's perfect. Like >> Yeah, cuz I think that's a huge misconception. People think you're going to go and it's going to be meattheads, it's going to be dangerous people. But for me, did you were you pleasantly surprised that they're probably the nicest people and most >> Yeah, they are the nicest people you can meet. Like it's such a surprise actually stepping in there and like getting to speak to everyone realize like it's not scary whatsoever. >> Yeah. No, I think it's like that. A lot of people like they disregard combat sports. But I think in a positive sense, uh it does so much for your fitness, your mental health. Uh discipline is another thing. Sometimes that could bleed through into your personal life as well and and help kind of >> get that in order as well. What's the positives you found since you started doing Mai? >> Yeah, definitely discipline. Like before, like I was playing football, I get into so many fights and stuff and not even know what I was doing. So now now getting to train and actually do what I want to do. Being able to get in the ring with somebody actually legally and just getting to punch them, it's just the best feeling ever. Like I I I love when people say that that like someone said, "I love getting punched in the face. It just makes me feel alive." I says, "You're all mental." [laughter] But it's it's like that if you look at yourself like you're saying, you're always staring fights and all that. Now when you look at yourself now compared to then I would presume you wouldn't go out and trying to have a fight or initiate a fight because of like the humbleness and the kind of discipline and and you know what you can do now with your >> Yeah. Exactly. N definitely wouldn't want to go out and start fights in the football pitch now. Like I'm a bit more calm, learn to control myself a we bit more. Hope. >> Yeah. No. No. I get the excitement by playing football. Every everyone thinks they can fight until they find someone. >> Yeah. That's the worst thing. Like cuz you like just makes no sense. Like everyone's starting brawls for no reason. Nobody actually knows how to fight properly most of the time. >> Yeah. Cuz cuz like that you now compared to you before you started you you would spark your your all your former self out. >> Yeah. Exactly. >> But obviously you've got this weekend and you're not looking past your opponent. Uh what's Do you have any more fights planned for the end of the year or is this going to be it? >> Uh nothing planned yet. There's a Muay Thai show on in February in the Devonish, the deliverance amateur show. So hopefully looking to go on that afterwards, like go back to Muay Thai a bit, but this is just for the main tank. So there's nothing planned. I was like, may as well switch it up and do a bit of kickboxing, see how that goes like. But I'm excited for it anyways. >> Yeah, because also as well, it's keeping you active, keeping you in competition obviously. >> Yeah, that's the main thing like bit of experience and everything. >> Yeah. And and like that cuz you're in a cage, it'll be an experience that you might not get to experience. >> I know. You won't even get to experience that Muay Than Case like it's different. Something I've always wanted to do as well. Like a case just looks class. >> Yeah, it's it's going to be interesting cuz I won't be there cuz I'm commentating on another show, but I'm going to get the pay-per-view and rewatch it back when I get home. >> But uh yeah, I think it's a it's a unique kind of concept. Um Oh, no. Is it in a cage? I don't think I Is it in a cage? >> Yeah. Yeah, it's in a cage. Look. >> Oh, it is a cage. Cuz I was thinking there's no MMA on the show, so I was actually thinking, did they get a cage? Um, actually that might be my mistake. I should have checked that out with Andy first. But like that with the you said there the deliverance in Devish. Devonish is a place I've been to. The atmosphere in there is absolutely >> Oh yeah. Even watching one of my mates from the club, he's fought there a few times. Even watching it's scary even watching it like the atmosphere and everything. It's just different than anything else I've ever experienced. It looks so close to fight on. >> It is. And if you're fighting a hometown fighter, woo, the cheer he get and then the silence you'll get. They don't boo. They are respectful, but obviously they're going to be up for their boy. And I've seen people go in for their first fight there and then they're just like, "What is this?" It's just a It's a cauldron. I love the atmosphere, though. It's like it's on a knife edge, but there's a good few shows. I think there's a lot down south as well. Um, and up north, I don't know if there's that many. There's there's a good few shows for my title. How does that make you feel as a multi fighter to have the different options that you do have to fight? Yeah, it's good having a bit of variety like because it means you can stay active most of the time and you're not waiting ages and ages for a fight. So that's the plan like just stay as active as possible, get as much experience as possible and just keep on going, keep on with him hopefully. >> Yeah. No, hopefully. Yeah. So, we'll see. I'll see how this weekend goes. Like I said, I'm not going to be there. Um, but I really really wish I hope I'll be on the next show doing commentary. So, hopefully if you're on that again, I get to see you fly live in person. But look, like I said, it's close to the show. So, I'm not going to keep keep you too long. Uh, I'm going to let you go. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out? And thank you again for taking it so close. I really appreciate it. >> All right, no worries. Just want to say thanks to my coaches and everything for getting me through this and keeping up with me to get the work done. And it'll be a good show. It'll be a good fight, especially confident and ready to go. >> Yeah. Know, I can't wait to watch it back. I want to wish you the best of skill tomorrow night. And uh yeah, thank you very much for joining me. It's been a pleasure. >> Perfect. Thank you.