Dee Begley interview

Ringkasan

Dee joined me to speak about her debut on Karate combat this weekend, how it came about, her opponent and getting back to her roots in striking. We discuss her year in combat sports with her having a professional boxing debut this year also.

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

[Music] okay so I'm here with d Begley who's goingon to be fighting is going to be next week it depends when this is actually brought out but it's going to be next week against Alex pereira's sister in Kate combat which is a fantastic promotion and we know D from MMA SBG her Roo started back in Striking though as well so how are you today how are you feeling about the fight how did this come about by the way as well yeah yeah thanks David for having me on uh so yeah I'm really excited about the fight uh this came on because I I've actually been contacting the the Matchmaker in Kate combat again this is my roots I I started kickboxing at seven years old I've competed for Ireland you know for over 10 years and I've World medals World Cup um championships and it's just you know so it it made a lot of sense for me and you know I was just really excited about it fighting like that in a pce uh back to my roots you know just because I think for the the last while in MMA I've kind of gone away from from my background which is striking you know I took a boxing fight the other month just you know for for experience and I think it's really really helped you know it's only going to help for my MMA as well but again like I'm just I'm buzzing for this it's a great matchup you know Alan Pereira Alex pera's sister and you know she's from like a my Tha background so I think it's it's just it's fantastic it's a great matchup I'm I'm really excited about it and when they actually got back to here and they said this now did you realize who it was at the time because when you look at career she hasn't done a hell of a lot but a lot of people might be intimidated at the fact that who sister it is but you don't seem to be you're all over Twitter you're all over everywhere I I I don't care who her brother is brother who like you know she hasn't accomplished anything that her brother has accomplished so you know it would be like me saying you know I'm going off to say if I was flying the plane to Salt Lake City you know it's and I'm flying because my brother flew it like how confident would you be in the pilot you know so uh you know uh so no I don't care who our brother is it's great it's really good to to promote the fight it's it's a big name uh when they offered me they asked was I available October 11th I didn't care who I was fighting I didn't I really really didn't care I don't think there's very many people at my level in in Striking especially kickboxing you know I've 23 years experience I fought at the highest level you know wacko is recognized by the big Council you know um I fought people from glory in um K1 before you know and beaten them so it's it's not like you know Ellen has you know a few wins in glory but she also lost you know the a world championship fight there so it's it's not like she's really achieved very much I think I've achieved far far more in in kickboxing and striking yeah you you've achieved a lot more on kickboxing strike in at then MMA you've competed at the likes of the imass as well uh yeah you've you've competed on Invicta combat pfl like all these huge promotions that so you going into this fight is is nothing kind of new what you make of the promotion as a whole because president awesome I think is on Instagram he is uh the ghost actually I really like the go shed Instagram page as well but how's it been dealing with them and what you make of them as a promotion as as as I I think they're absolutely fantastic it's phenomenal what they've done for for karate as a sport you know and and what you know um president AUM and Asim has done since he took over you know as as the promoter um I I met um Asim at uh com combat Global a lot of his Fighters were competing on it when I was fighting on it and he just that energy he brought into the into the venue what he does for his Fighters it's it's incredible and he's really really brought that energy into you know karate combat and his gym has like become really really successful in in Miami I know um Jay Jorden um uh she used to to train with me here in Ireland and again from a similar kickboxing background to me in wackos she's actually going to be fighting on the same card but she trains there and you know it's no it's incredible what they've done for the sport you know if you ask me at like 16 years old I was asked what did I want to do um you know as a career and I was like I want to fight um you know I'd love to fight kickboxing professionally and you know it wasn't really an option and I don't think even for women like Glory was because it's not like you would have getting been getting getting paid very much um so I think karate combat is maybe that like you know you know that dream like what what MMA has been as well for me you know that dream being realized of of being able to um make money from doing something I love yeah at the minute what do you make of I think the especially in MMA the female side of the sport is is growing like very very quickly what you make like you said at 16 years of age you would have thought there would have been no career in this what do you make of the scene now compared to because it's just it's kind of exploded with the likes of Danny um J AB Bannon in the UFC Danny should be in the UFC but that's a whole another conversation that have to have a whole other yeah um but it'll happen it's inevitable you know she's made herself undeniable um she she'll be ready when the opportunity it's just a matter of when the opportunity comes for Danny I think um she'll be ready for it regardless but yeah the sport as a whole uh yeah Fe female m&a is absolutely blown up like when I started in the sport I was down in Cork you know in M like say in MMA down in Cork you know i' maybe one other like female training partner who' show up kind of every now and again and like the reason I moved to Dublin was to have like that team in SBG Ireland of the likes of Danny chenade Katie Saul um you know so professional fighters who are training like like you know I've training Partners every single day of the week you know when I go in so uh it really has blown up and when you look at it on a worldwide skate like stage you know look at the opportunities that Chade kavna has had you know she's fought Chris cyborg she's you know getting paid really really good money headlining events you know the likes of uh Kayla Harrison you know Dany winning two you know but defending her belt you know winning the invictor World Championship you know it's it's just you know you know Irish female athletes making history in in a fairly modern sport is absolutely incredible and it's just created opportunity and I think even you know um what I've done within the sport like I was the first uh female fighter to F for Irish fighter to fight on um combatti Global I was the first to fight on um pfl actually and I was the now the first to fight in karate combat so it's kind of just like you know taking the opportunity when it comes and not being you know uh not shying away from it like that like it's it's the level I'm competing at and along with all the other girls you see us all like just fighting at the the highest on on the biggest stages at the highest level yeah and and you you mentioned a couple of uh you're the first to fight on all these emotions how does it feel all these little Milestones that you might not have realized would have happened along the way on this journey but they kind of happened did do you take them in as they kind of happen or does it all go by very quickly with the nature no it's kind of like it's almost like afterwards it's like oh yeah actually I did I kind of did do that like because in the moment like I'm just accepting a fight you know I'm just like you know uh like and again especially the the last of like I haven't taken an easy route you know I feel like there's there's definitely an easier route that I could have taken in my uh fighting career but it's just not who I am and you know I can have all the the pundits and all the people you know like talking or not talking about me or you know not taking me seriously uh but at the end of the day like it it's not like I wouldn't be getting opportunity if I wasn't you know um like again my fights are exciting you know I'm a really good fighter fighting the best people the whole time so uh yeah it kind of just comes they they come and go and you know it's more like the preparation I think it's afterwards on on reflection a little bit that I'm like oh actually yeah I did do that and how does it feel after the fact does it does it make you proud that you were the first Irish person to fight on these promotions or has it really kind of sank in no like if you see from my activity it's more like what's next like that's fine it's like what's happening next it's you know um it's it's something even I suppose it does come a little bit from you know fighting so young and so frequently and kickboxing you know you'd be you'd be fighting every other weekend you'd have fights multiple fights in the same day depending on what discipline you like I was fighting in uh so it's it's it was unusual that was kind of the hardest part of transitioning over from kickboxing to MMA was the inactivity almost and even at amateur like I my amateur career stemmed from 2017 17 sorry 20 yeah 2017 to 2019 like 10 amateur fights you know and for in that time you know amateur female MMA it was quite hard like a lot of my I think I had one amateur fight in Ireland the rest were all like the world championships in Bahrain I had two over in the UK um so it's and another one in Dubai so it was it was quite you know it it's brought me around the world like it really really had but I think uh where where I'm at now as a pro where female MMA is it it's blown up like considerably since I I even came into the sport as an amateur yeah it it is huge now and when I was looking to I was just doing my research this morning your first amateur fight was actually supposed to be someone you're now teammates with is that correct well that's what happen yeah so my my first my first amateur fight H was yeah it was supposed to be against Danny and uh what happened Danny got injured and you know what this is so funny cuz like I'd never done MMA before I didn't know what to expect and you know there was that whole you know when you when I when I watched it you know fights you know there's all that aggro and stuff and you don't know what's going on in the background like uh so I'd been matched with Dany and I think it was two weeks before the fight Dany herself before I heard anything messaged me and she was like de I'm so sorry like Danny's just like the nicest person ever she was like de I'm so sorry I'm after getting injured I was really looking forward to our fight H I really hope they can find your replacement I know it's really hard to get fights I really and I know it's so short notice so look hopefully we get to fight again the future really sorry and like I just like was so taken aback by the message I was like oh my God this girl is so lovely like we were ready to kick the heads off each other she gets injured and this is like you know and then the promotion got on to me look the fight didn't happen and I I don't think I got a replacement but it made do you know her I don't think if if Danny hadn't done that I don't think I would have ended up in in SBG in Dublin because you know I actually messaged her when I was um when I was thinking about moving up and I I messaged her I was like look I know you've a lot of girls in the in the gym um I know You' have a lot of girls in the gym like uh like how like can I like what's the story with like you know joining whatever and so she gave me some advice uh and I don't think that would have happened if she hadn't been so nice and approachable I was like oh no this is a girl I could actually you know train with you know yeah it is mental I've met Danny in person I've interviewed her in person as well and she is like you said the one of the nicest people you'll ever come across it's mad how that message then transpired into you being able to message her when you want it when you wanted to move and yeah don't get me wrong like she pushes you her in training like she's not I wouldn't necessarily leave the nicest person to spare we give each other absolutely hell like in in the best way but do you know what it it kind of goes to show her character how we can beat the head off each other inpiring training like I've injured her she's hurt me like and what the minute you know you walk off the mat it's you know it's just done there's there's there's no there's no drama there's no nothing and I think it just goes to show you know like her her character when you can just you can just be friend it's all forgotten afterwards yeah no because it is it's all about getting better about being the best fighter you can be in the the way you're doing that is on the tra mats with the with the bodies that you have in SBG talks us about SBG you've got obviously John kaver Dave roach who goes under the radar a lot I think I think he deserves not that he doesn't get credit but I just think he's he's he's he's uh one of the top guys there and he's fantastic and he's lovely to deal with no and and like the time he puts into like and how he studies the sport he's incredible IQ you know himself and and JN are like the perfect pair like you know JN has like the the grappling and you know just like MMA in in general don't get me wrong his striking is incredible too but da Dave is um absolutely phenomenal and he's been with the gym like you know as long as I've been there and even longer before that but he what he brings is you know that like you know the analysis he does the breakdown like I am so confident in the game plan for for this girl going like you know next week purely for the way that like you know Dave's broke it down the game plan we have so yeah no phenomen phenomenal coaching you know support in the gym phenomenal train training support you know it it really is you know um a tightnit I know it's it's it seems like you know from the outside a really really big gym but it it's quite a close-knit like family everyone you know gets along everyone wants to see everyone else get better and succeed so you know when I see other people getting opportunity doing well winning like it only like it's it's incredible because you know the it just goes to show the level of my training Partners on that's only going to make me better as well yeah they they're basically if they open get opportunities it's opening the doors for everyone else in the gym in different like obviously cage Warriors haven't had an SVG Fighter for a while Conor McCarthy's after signing now now Max L so once one person gets the opportunity it kinds of opens the doors for other people in the gyms with other promotions and stuff like that and and Dave and John are both fantastic coaches and that's I've heard about Dave the game planning is is where it's at but um you're going to be going away H next week when do Fly Away what what does kind of fight week look like for you so I'm flying out tomorrow morning I'm leaving Ireland at I think my flight leaves at half night so it's on in Salt Lake City so it's at altitude so there will be a bit of an adjustment period so I'm I'm getting in I think half seven at night Salt Lake City time the plan is to do some some pad work you know just because I am going to feel uncomfortable uh it's my first time fighting fighting at altitude so there's just not going to be as much oxygen in the air as there is here uh so just getting used to that so first literally fly in get settled have a shake out next morning kind of do the same I have some media obligations on Tuesday just photos um get my gear sorted um maybe do some interviews and again just get like workout in get my food sorted Wednesday then I think they're doing a bit of a press conference so it's interesting this event they do it in conjunction with like a crypto conference so I think it'll be busy busy enough so I'm looking forward to seeing what that looks like and then weigh in Thursday Fight Friday um get job done fly home Saturday so in terms of H your it sounds like a very very busy week obviously the last week you this this fight has comeing in on on short enough notice so You' usually have your training camp and then you kind of dial down how hectic is it to have the week of doing media doing this that the or you enjoy all cuz I know a lot of the amateur Fighters when they're here they just have the the weak of cutting weight you're not you don't have as much of that because it's at catch weight um like how hectic is it doing media and doing this and doing that or did do you enjoy it to embrace it it's kind it's just like you know it's it's part of the job you know you you just have it's h it's an obligation you know it's a you just have to do it I don't really think too much about it I think it comes with experience I think it comes as well like I have a background you know my my career before I kind of went full-time training was in in corporate banking so you know meetings doing all that public speaking isn't something that I would have struggled too much with don't get me wrong it took you know a a like like I I've been a pro for a good few years now so having the cameras and the lights in front of you it's just something you kind of become accustomed to um so yeah it's just kind of par and parel and like my my week is so hectic my life in Ireland is so hectic right so it literally does feel when like I'm away for a fight week I'm like oh this is all I have to do today that's it to worry about my whereas usually like I'm worrying about my food my two training session like doing my bit of work in between meeting people socializing where like being away it's almost like oh no this is this is Cam this is nice and yeah so it's it's actually quite a caling week I enjoy F week usually yeah CU a lot of people say when they fight in Ireland you've got uh like you've got everything that you usually have to do uh with your personal life um I know obviously you'd left you've left the the banking sector to pursue MMA fulltime I believe yeah yeah so I'm actually in the process of setting up my own business which is probably why I see going away as a bit of a break because it's h it's been quite quite busy but the sorry yeah fighting in Ireland can be tough because your family your friends like that you're in the country so they don't really see see it as your normal fight week though they're still ringing you to talk about their like you know oh such and such happened at work or you know where is when I'm away they're like no de's away now and like being on a t different time zone as well means you're not really available in the same way you know there's like seven hours of the day where everyone else is kind of still asleep so it um yeah there is that kind of it is nice I much prefer biting abroad don't get me wrong like I fought in Ireland in June actually that was so long ago 2021 in Belfast and it was just after covid so that was a little bit different but it would be nice to fight in Ireland but I definitely like the kind of separation of of of fighting abroad yeah because like said people realize you're away you're there to do your job whereas when you're here like said people to ring about their day or look for tickets or or or stuff leading up to the fight but um so you obviously you're going to be fighting karate you fought boxing uh and then you fought MMA this year so you fought in three three different disciplines at professional level is that due to like you were saying earlier kickboxing you were so active is it you just want to keep active and there isn't as much activity in MMA or is it just trying new things because the boxing was your debut how did that feel going into to that fight yeah so it again it is kind of down to activity you know like the way say Jujitsu um you people have the luxury of having a lot of tournaments that are on they have you know the likes of Polaris and all that that they compete in whereas there isn't necessarily that for for striking and obviously you're taking you know damage when you're when you're doing that so it's it's my way of kind of sharpening up my my striking without you know taking you know too much damage like uh yeah so my boxing debut was I was never going to win that fight right they're flying Me In from a foreign country like it it's just the politics of boxing um in my head like and with like John and Dave it was it was always going to be an exhibition so I went in there implemented a game plan and you know like performed really really well um I I arguably like you know won it was a very very close fight um so it was good I really enjoyed it and it's given me a lot of confidence a lot of confidence going into this as well um and we kind of fixed a few kind of Tendencies and bad habits that I had in my in my striking by doing it so and it kind of took me away from being over reliant on my my kicks to break distance so we used it very specifically um to help with the with the MMA and my my striking as a whole um and that's what I like and I did it before I've I've competed in the last couple of years and a couple of kickboxing competitions I went to the world championships in 2021 and you know so I'm just trying as well to stay active but also it's kind of giving me the same opportunity that like say like the likes of the IB jjfs and all that do for for Jiu-Jitsu you know um Jiu-Jitsu people so it's that that's my equivalent that's how I look at it anyways it's it's staying active without taking a lot of damage and yeah it's just it's progressing you know because there's only so much you know in a training environment there's only so much when it's when it's live rounds um you know small gloves it's very very hard to to get that you know to simulate that fight night uh feeling so you know do doing the boxing you know having to do you know and what was nice about the boxing is we were able to take away the stress of like I had no weight cut so then that week it was all about just performing showing up like what does that look like so it it it was really really good um it was almost like doing a fight with you know with training wheels yeah because because like that it's not I've heard people who perform fantastically in gym and then when it comes to night of a fight it's it's not just the like you said the live rounds this it's the atmosphere it's it's it's uh multiple other things involved in it and like that it's to get that experience you can't really get in the gym but with Kur the karate fight this week is this just a one fight thing or obviously when you get the job done will it be looking to have you back or were you just talking about just this one fight or is there any F I wouldn't so so it is right now just the the one fight but I would it would be something that I'd be very very interested in doing more frequently you know if I could mix it up between having um a karate combat fight or like you don't know like I you know go out win this fight you know they they don't have um a female champion at at you know at 125 you know that would be something that I'd be very very interested they have shows every month you know why why not why why not like you know it would be like the you know you see the likes of like Clarissa sheeld she's gone off and done everything in boxing and now she's gone to say MMA it's like I'm almost that like it with the karate combat it's like I'm doing the opposite where I've gone you know from kickboxing to MMA back to because the opportunity to do you know kickboxing at that level wasn't there when I was doing it fulltime yeah no because H I think they've done fantastic with the promotion of it uh just their marketing and all of it as well I think is fantastic and it looks like I just like watching people fight it doesn't matter what seven where box boxing can be all right at times but I prefer to like some white tie Kickboxing Karate and they've just made it so watchable they've made it so watchable so attractive casual fans so what I have people have been asking me about it they were like so what's different to watch you're fighting next week compared to MMA and I was telling them it's basically MMA without jiujitsu it's you you can't submit you can't hold if you take someone down you five seconds to to land strike Brees there are elbows there are Cal kicks left leg kicks and you're allowed take down sweeps so it it it kind of is it's um like MMA without the JJ yeah which obviously for Strikers would suit a lot of Strikers um yeah going into it but no it's going to be a fantastic show this weekend I can't wait to see you fight I'm Gonna Let You Go is there anything you want to say before you go or any want want to shout out and I want to thank you so much for your time because I know it's a busy week ahead of you no thanks David um no i' just like to keep give a big shout out to to my team to uh John kavner David roach and to um karate combat for making this fight happen I'm really really excited for it and uh just you know like it it takes its toll on on my family and my friends and loved ones you know that I I am kind of active because I'm not really around or available um so yeah just a big shout out to them for uh you know everything and thank you so much for having me on David it's been great to chat you perfect it's been lovely to chat you and then hopefully we'll get one in after the fight after you get the knockout yes 100% take care perfect thank you