Ronan Deegan | Evolution Fighting Championship

Ringkasan

Step into the world of Irish MMA with rising star Ronan Degan in this exclusive EFC11 interview! A decorated amateur—two-time Irish champion, IMAF European bronze medalist, and national team representative—Ronan is ready to turn pro at Clan Wars on June 29. Hear how his day-one…

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[Applause] [Music] on Tony, is it? Yes, sir. Ron and Degan, right? Ronin League. Yes. All right. Um, so you got a fight coming up? Yes. Talk to me a little bit about it. Yeah. So, um, to be honest, I have a fairly extensive amateur career. I represented Ireland two or three times abroad. H, and I'm an IMAF h bronze medalist. uh European bronze medalist. So like h for represent Ireland a weight class move at the time. So no spots at my weight class. H two-time Irish champion. Uh just an all round doll. That's a heck of a resume for sure. Yeah. Yeah. And um I'm going pro for my um my next fight will be pro pro debut. Clan wars, correct? It's exactly clan wars the 29th of June and um coming up. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So very very soon. So, anybody who's looking for tickets, check my Instagram. You can find them in my bio. Yeah. All right. Use my link. Yeah. I'll throw a link down here as well. Thank you very much. All right. So, like first of all, talk to me about like events like this today. Yeah. You know, what does that mean? You know, for Irish combat sports like unreal like uh just so like Okay. So, with MMA, it's very like a lot of things, a lot of sports. The hub for it is either in Dublin or it's in like kind of the north. So, Belf Exactly. Yeah. So like this is a really really big statement for Tom Moore as in it's rising the level of Irish MMA in the Midlands. So like for example I'm going to be the first home martial art mixed martial artist to be homegrown from Tammore. I my start my first ever session was an air grapple and yeah so I'm a day one boy. H no but as in I literally so I'm the first on as we're about to see tonight um I'm the first to manage. You know what I mean? And it really excites me just seeing this cuz it really helps helps build MMA but also like feeds just like the whole momentum of it. You know what I mean? And like I really think like you're going to look back in years and like you know USC embedded and like that and just see like this will be clips in the promo and stuff. So I just think it'll be really good me Shane Don Jame just the whole team to be honest. It's like a too many people tune in honestly there's that many people and obviously massive like shout out to Kieran Kieran Davern is our head coach. Uh he's the main man behind the picture. That's a gentleman as well. Yes, exactly. The boss man. I can't see him now, but he's harder to get than gold, but uh yeah. No, definitely like it's savage. Speaking of Kieran, then like what's it like um you know, having someone like him, you know, as your coach? Like do you do do you feel pressure to perform in front of them or what is that like to be honest? Like this is something I really like and I appreciate. So I was in Thailand recently, but like I really appreciate me and Kieran. So, like I said, starting from day one, our relationship is like really morphed into something special. You know what I mean? He has a different unique relationship with everybody. That's a really good coach. It's kind of a good coach. You can read a different person, but like me and him were like very alike. We both heads, but like I said, we're very alike. You know what I mean? And uh we're very clear. Like I I just love the way we do it, if that makes sense. And like even when he's cornering me, people I'm not just saying this, every time I fight, he's always con like the connection he have. And it's like whenever he says something, I do it straight away. And that's just like that's something that's like a constant or like a Yeah. Like it's that's the type of person he is and the type of person, we just gel really well together. And that's why I think when you actually see it in action, you see it's something special. You know what I mean? Yeah. Right on. To be fair, he has that with every fighter he corners. You know what I mean? What you give is what you get with him. So it's great. like you know what I mean? So, uh yeah. Right on. Um you know, okay, so you're going you're going pro soon. Like what what is it what's the what was the leadup to like your decision to to decide to do that? Like it was there didn't didn't like Kieran have like a sit down with you and be like, "Hey, look, maybe it's time or Yeah, cuz it is it's a big step like you know what I mean? And like uh so for me it was um very much that um I had a layoff of two years. So I was like the number one guy in Ireland and England uh on top apology and then I I fought two times but it kind of happened with an injury. So I ended up um had to take two years out with uh someone taking a picture behind the scenes. That's why you smile. But I had to take a two-year layoff and I was itching to get back the whole time. But after my last fight and it was my first time being in there. It was actually very cool. Like my fight was a year and one day to the surgery. So it was just really special. And like I went in put on an unbelievable performance. I like it was the most composed they ever was. Me and him were in sync. It was like I didn't miss a beat and it was like I was like maybe one more but then I was in Thailand. He gave me the call and he was like nah I think cage war is coming back to club and I think this is the time. And I was like I think so too. it. Like now is the time and just I I feel something special building. I'm really excited and I think like I really do mean that. I don't want to sell that. Like I think like in time to come this like clip we use on like US competitors and like that. I just it's going to be very exciting. You know what I mean? But uh yeah, so that was kind of it was kind of a mutual thing. Like it wasn't it was a slow build, but then it was kind of like he mentioned it and we were playing with the idea and we knew we were very close and it was just like no, now is the time. Let's go for it. And it's really good. It's on. Okay. So like uh I don't I guess I don't know how it works like uh when you're looking to go pro like do you approach other like do you approach approach the promotions? Do they come to you? Do you have a management company? How does that work? It's a little bit of both. So like there's a lot of different ways to go about it, but the main thing is like you have to make the decision to go. Sometimes uh promoters have suggested in the past h that I be going pro. Exact. Uh like a lot of people sometimes get like encouraged to go pro by the promotions. Uh for me it was like me approaching the organization and saying look they like they would have known who I was and like it was like listen I'm looking to go pro. I'm excited to do it on your platform. The way I approached Clam Wars, I like me and K were kind of approaching the same the management of Clown Wars and we were like look I'd love to do it on um I think Clown Wars is Ireland's oldest show currently existing and it's like I want to be like one of the caliber that they look at like I think like a lot of people have fought on Cam Wars you know what I mean I think Ian Gary fought in Clown Wars Paul Hughes I think at certain point a lot of Irish professionals who are top caliber it's certainly it's a certainly a great stepping stone for sure 100% and like that's why like you know It's, you know, it's just really professional to set up and I just, you know, I think it's perfect for it and I'm really excited that they get to do it on cloud wars. So, I can't. Thanks, Clar. Clan Wars, cuz we just didn't say it enough. Yes, exactly. Yeah. Drop more. Yeah. Name drop. But no, like um Okay. So, what what what do you do? What are you doing to like kind of keep yourself zen, you know what I mean? Calm and like cuz it was it only like another two and a half weeks. Yeah. About just about 3 weeks or so. And like um so I'm always like uh I've always really been big into sports psychology and um like reading a lot of uh books, studying like podcasts, mindset coaches. I while I was actually injured and I knew I was like making the bill back to fighting. H I was always playing with the idea but um I actually did work with a guy called Mindset Mike. He's in America. He'd be like a mindset coach. And um it was just kind of something that like um how I I was always very good to perform, but how I knew it was like it really paid off was like I was in the cage for my that last fight and it would have been a two-year layoff and I remember like looking at my opponent getting into the cage and I literally was just like I am so happy to be in this cage right now. Like like a lot of people like talk fluff. I was just like, "God, I'm so grateful for this." And it's like a lot of sports psychology, they really emphasize not hyping. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to win. H but like it's all about focusing on the process not focusing about but the outcome I can't control that I can just can just control myself 100% giving it all that I can doing all the steps ticking all the right boxes and then like working with the right people getting the right training in and then once that's done I just get to switch off and be like I'm here now I get to enjoy every and especially with the injury I really there was a period where I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to return fighting so I then that really tough oh it was and I definitely like struggled with like identity crisis and stuff like this. But like um no like when I step in there I am truly grateful to be there. I don't need to shower. I don't need to not like all the guys know what I'm like. I'm like this is like Christmas for me. You know what I mean? Um don't not I'm not acting like I don't feel nerves. Everybody feel nerves. That's adrenaline. It's how you're meant to feel. But I send it in the right direction. You know what I mean? Right on. Yeah. Um so last one here for you. Like what what are you going to do? Like what's going to be like So hold on. Do you have to do you have to do a weight cut or anything like that or really? Yeah, for this one you're like looking at me like you have to do a weight. Yeah. All of my fighters got to wake up. Um no. Uh for this one it's at 63 kilos. So I'm doing a bit of a wake up but not much. What do you walk around? I walk around at 656ish. Yeah. 66ish. You know what I mean? So I can eat a little bit. I can like fuel up a little bit more. Um, so it's not that drastic. No, no, to be honest, that's minimal. Uh, but when I actually go pro, I'm aiming for flyweight, which is 57 kilos day before. Sounds like I look like I'm bigger than I am. Well, I am. I'm a big guy. No. Um, but I just the numbers look really well. So, I can do this like no problem at all. I just have to tick all the boxes outside the camp. Not be a Patty Pima. I love Patty to be fair. So, so speaking on that, like what u after a weight cut like what is what's that first meal like after should say after weight after a fight? Yeah. You can kind of really what's that first meal like what what are you going for? After every fight I always love a cappuccino. I'm like cappuccino. Yeah. Like Kieran always laughs at you because it could be like 9 or 10 o'clock at night and like I need a cappuccino and that and then just like any type of fast food is the job after I wake up. I can't can't it out. You have to be correct in the way you refuel cuz otherwise your body can have negative impacts. But once the fight is over, it's happy days. Right on. Pizzas, chips, burgers, whatever. H has chips. I generally always have chips, but apart from that, like, you know, I don't know. I can pulse around and a coffee. Right on. Right on. All right. Look, man, I don't want to take too much more of your time here. I really I really appreciate you talking to me here. I'm not generally not this pale. I am pale, but this makes me look way worse. Okay. I don't know what it is. I'll fix it for you. He's going to fix it. But but look, uh I I look forward to uh uh watching your fight. Good luck. Best of skill and um hopefully one of these days I can uh be talking to you again after a fight. Yeah. Sound. Thanks, man. Have a good one. Thank you. Heat. Heat.