IN DEPTH | EPISODE 16 | ADAM MCENROE

Ringkasan

David sits down with Team KF fighter Adam McEnroe to discuss his journey into MMA and his amateur career so far.

Transkrip (youtube_captions)

So, I'm here with Adam today from Team KF. You're going to be fighting in Your Fighting Championship 27th November for the featherweight strap. So, obviously this is going to be a title fight for you. It's going to be a big one. But, I want to go back to the start of your career. Let me know how you got into MMA and why. Yeah, so MMA would have been something I was always interested in since I'm younger. Like I was always watching the likes of GSP, Anderson Silva. Like watching all these growing up. Something I always wanted to do, but I didn't really feel I had the confidence or didn't know where to go. So, I started I go way back like I started boxing in Crumlin Boxing Club. Wasn't taking it like serious just in and out when I was a kid like every kid like growing up in the flats. You're always in some sort of combat. You're always fighting in the streets. You're always in bleeding martial arts games. So, would have started there. Started going through kickboxing, other sports. And then when I was in college, I started doing taekwondo and judo seriously then. In the sense seriously. Put my start taking it serious. Put my head down. Really training. And then when I had the skills and that, I was like right, let's let's try MMA. I want to see how my skills fare out in MMA. Judo and taekwondo mixing them up. So, that's that's sort of where I got the idea. I was like right, I want to I want to see how it works out in MMA. Perfect. So, then how did you find like obviously you've done all these disciplines and then merging that into the MMA with the training? How did you find that? Was it easy to apply what you already had or did you find it hard to integrate? Like It was like it's definitely hard cuz you're mixing and juggling everything together. It's not just focusing on one discipline. You're trying to get your jiu-jitsu in, your wrestling, your striking, your different styles of striking. All of these different combat things together. But, it's I suppose being able to juggle juggle it and then fight it's just like that actually works really well. Do you know what I mean? But, at the start it was hard, but you just have to kind of get organized with it. Um I was still doing taekwondo and judo when I was doing MMA. And then when I was starting saying right, I want to take this a bit more serious, I stopped doing judo and taekwondo. Which I don't know might be a bit of a detriment because when I was still doing judo, I was throwing everyone on the [ __ ] head. Like I was flinging everybody. Everybody was getting [ __ ] on the head with like hip throws and everything. But, maybe that's something we'll go back to now. My last year of college go back to judo. So. Perfect. Yeah, cuz obviously you've got your last year of college coming up. So, it's going to be your busy year for you in the next year. Um Talk us about like your first amateur fight. Like obviously you would have had different competitions before maybe at novice and different comps. But, like the first kind of amateur one would be kind of a milestone. So, like what was it like leading up to that? When did you find out you were getting a fight and how did you feel leading up to it? And did your training get more intense than leading up to it? I would say the training didn't really change. I was in martial arts at that time and I I was in it only a couple of months before I got my first amateur fight. It was in September 2018. So, it would have been basically 4 years ago now. It was on Cage Ring Championships if I recall. It was in the the Wright Venue. It was in a It was actually in a ring. And the same day weigh-in. I remember that vividly. But, I suppose it was just training. It was still kind of Dawson around compared to what I'm doing now. The training I'm doing now, it was still kind of Dawson. Like I was training every day. Um but, I didn't really have any nerves. Didn't have anything. It was just more excited to get in there and actually finally fight in an MMA rule set. Do you know what I mean? It was It was something I always wanted to do. Something I was always interested in. So, I was like great. I'm finally finally being able to do it. And then that feeling after. I was just like I'm [ __ ] hooked on this now. This is like this is what I'm doing. At the time like I didn't I suppose I didn't really have any idea in my head that I'm going to take it professionally and serious at the time. But, after that feeling of winning, I was like this is what I want to do. That's it. There's [ __ ] all else I want to do. This is what makes me feel like a god. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, no 100%. With that you won that one. I think you won your first two and then you then you had your first loss. What was it like? Obviously you said like you were on a high from the win. Like tell us what the loss is like. How does a fighter take a loss? How does that affect you? That that that first loss I remember it was to Adam Griffin down in Cork on Cage Legacy. I was doing I was actually doing all right in the fight and then I got caught in an armbar. Which was something that after the fight I was like right, I need to just work on guard cuz that was a big problem for me at the time. I was like when I was in someone's guard just not doing basic things. Being able to like control my posture if they were trying to break my posture down. Control them things. I was kind of panicking. And that's when I was leaving myself in a position. I think we we talked about this before on Instagram. Like fighters being half in and half out of guard. That's the danger. You need to be either fully in or fully out and throwing shots. You need to implement those shots. It just makes the big difference. You can't be like hands in hesitating. That's where you start getting [ __ ] armbarred, triangles. Like people are slipping off the back. So, that was my first loss. Um Pretty sure I cried after that fight. It was [ __ ] horrible. It was just a horrible feeling. And then I went back to training. I was training for a while and I think the fight after that I fought Keith Keogh. Lost on that as well. Which that was a bleeding nightmare in my life. Like I was going through a lot of [ __ ] at the time as well. But, that that Do you know what I mean? It kind of makes or breaks you. Like some people I see you always say you see them after a loss. They're just not the same or they can't really get back to them winning ways. They They're not themselves. But, that's that I think for most fighters it don't make makes or breaks you if loss. Like everyone can win. Everyone can It's all good when you're winning. It's all great. Everyone's on your [ __ ] side. Everyone's texting you. Everyone wants to know you. But, when you're losing, you really see like what's what. You see who's behind you. You see who's pawning you. You see who really gives a bollocks. And then as well your own mind. You see how you deal with that sort of [ __ ] because like I said, it's all good when you're winning. But, when you're losing and you're down, can you come back from that? Can you come back and correct what happened in that fight? And I definitely was able to do that. Perfect. What do you think it was that made you like that? Like what was it that kept you motivated to keep training after cuz I actually talked to Andrew Barrett. He lost three in a row like from the start. Like and then he said he just he felt down. Like what was it that kept you like that after two losses? Did you think back to the first feeling of when you won? Or what was it that that made you keep Couple of different things. Like definitely that was a big motivator would be like how I felt after the win cuz I was like [ __ ] that's This is all I want to do. It doesn't matter. Like you lose, you win. You're always There's always going to be losses in life. In in any facet like there's always going to be losses. Big losses, small losses, behind the scenes. Again, it's just how you deal with it. So, being able to think back to them times of like right right that's how I felt when I won or I won a fight. And it's like I want to get back to that. That's that's a big motivator for me. But, also just being in the sport. I was just like I just want to keep doing it. It doesn't [ __ ] matter. And and amateur everyone knows amateur is for the experience and getting the experience in. Whether that wins, whether that losses. Obviously you want them all to be wins. But, sometimes it don't go your way. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. That's just how it is. But, I think that's a big motivator is like thinking back to them times when you won and being like yeah, I want to get back to that. Perfect. You You touched on that. You said that you're going through a lot of stuff in your life. Is that something you'd like to talk about or is or is that off? Yeah, like in that period so it would have been like I'd say the end mid end of 2019. A couple of things happened in my life personally mainly. A few things happened that really like [ __ ] with my head. Um I was only a kid at the time as well. Do you know what I mean? When you're when you're that age and that [ __ ] comes down, not many people can deal with it. So, for me the things that was going on really affected me training, affected me fighting. I was in college at the time. So, just a little side thing. This is my third attempt at getting my degree. That was my second attempt. And at that time I had a I had a financial backing of an organization that I thought were going to pay for my college. They didn't and it fell through. So, that was that was something that [ __ ] with my head a bit. I had no money at the time. I had literally nothing. Um No car, no nothing. My mom was still paying for my bus route to go to training up and back. She was going out slaving her bollocks like [ __ ] like working in a cafe, doing everything she could do just so we could train cuz that's that was sort of a thing when I started training. She was like she saw how happy it made me, saw the confidence it gave me, saw the the benefits of it. She was like I don't care like whatever it takes to get you to train, I'll do. Which I'll always be grateful for what I put her through that. Do you know what I mean? But, uh in that time there was like bleeding eviction that was coming in the door. There was [ __ ] ESB bills through the roof. Do you know what I mean? Like it I tell people I'm dealing with that now. But, like at that time there was so much [ __ ] going on and other stuff as well. And I was just like I cannot deal with this. I was mentally in a very very dark place. Um and I probably shouldn't have took that fight with Keith Keogh at that time. Like if you watch that fight back, it's just like my body was there, but I wasn't there. Do you know what I mean? It's just I I wasn't even fighting back kind of. So, I was with with a tough tough time going on at the time. Um I went and got a job. I got a great opportunity off a place called Laptop Lab back from the future on George's Street. They gave me an opportunity to work as a computer technician as an intern at that time. Would have been probably September, October of 2019. Yeah. And that sort of turned me around. I got to get me a little build up in like when I'm going to be getting me own money again. Because I worked in the past. Like I worked a lot of jobs. I worked as a chef. I worked in delivery. I worked in cafes. Like back of kitchen, things like that. But, there was a period where I had no money, had no job, had no had no purpose. It was just dark times. Do you know what I mean? So, at that time I got a good opportunity by Laptop Lab. Um Colin Baker who's a very big mentor in my life. And he gave me that opportunity. And that sort I just propelled me on a journey of like self-improvement, which look you might say it's cliche, but look I needed that at the time. I needed to build myself back up from the point I was at, and that's what I done pretty much in 2019, and then 2020 going into that year I was in a much better position financially, physically, mentally, and then that was my best year so far in my life I think anyways. Yeah, no that's like you're saying that like when like it's hard when you've no money and stuff like that it's actually hard to keep going. And like you said, you're just one opportunity away from from a a massive change in your life. So, um obviously you were able to you said there like obviously the training all made you happy, but this was affecting your training. So, obviously um do you think like did you go to speak to someone or do you think you should have went to speak to someone? Um at that point in my life I didn't speak to anybody. If anything I would I used it as more of an outlet to start doing things that was the opposite of who I was. It wasn't my character. I started drinking. I started like engaging in like other things like drugs or whatever [ __ ] like that. Um which I don't do like anyone that knows me. I don't even drink. I'll probably have a blade and bit of wine with a steak of twice a year or something. You know what I mean? But I started going to sessions, and there was a point I remember this vividly. It was a session on in Drimnagh. It was after we went to the forge, and I was in this session like 7:00 in the morning. I was just sitting there. Everyone was scauldy talking [ __ ] and I was just sitting there being like what the [ __ ] am I doing? Like what am I doing? Everybody can get into them ruts. You know what I mean? Anyone can get in, and it's hard to get out for a lot of people, but that was like a point for me where I was like yeah [ __ ] this. I'm not doing this anymore. And and I was like right I'm looking for any opportunity. I'm going to start looking. And you know what it was look it was literally look I saw an advertisement for that um computer technician job on Facebook. And I was look and that some things supposedly happen for a reason. So, I don't know maybe it did happen for a reason. Yeah, people say like they a lot of things are luck, but also you make your own luck. Like the the fact that when you were at that session and you said right this is this isn't for me. Um because like that I know a lot of people like that like people will continue like that for the rest of their lives in a sort of way. And it is a hard it is hard to get out of. It's just so easily accepted I think in the culture here. Um But you talked about 2020 being your best year. Run me through 2020. 2020 so um I would have started off in that job doing really well like learning the trade, learning everything about motherboards, computer repairs, everything that I was always interested in since I was a kid. I'm like since I'm a kid I'm a bleeding nerd for computers. Yeah. I was always taking computers apart. More programming than actually like let's say hardware sort of thing. So, I was learning the hardware sort sort of things, learning what goes on the motherboard, how to repair certain components, learning from like specialists in areas, and just you know like meeting meeting people, connecting with people. That was sort of the year I became a man. I had to like step up and become a man and stop being a boy cuz before that I was a boy. I was I was just doing like things like [ __ ] immaturity things. You know what I mean? Like I wasn't I wasn't a man. So, um March 2020 I was supposed to fight. This was before the lockdown the first lockdown. I was supposed to fight a guy I don't know I forgot his name, but that was on Cage Legacy, and I remember calling my friend up and we found out in the January my grand my granddad had cancer. In the December he had his 75th birthday, which I was in a position that I paid for things for that. So, that that made me feel really happy cuz for for me he was like my father figure growing up. Yeah. He was he gave me everything as a kid. Anything I wanted he always helped me. Like we didn't have a lot growing up. Me ma done the best she could. But he always helped. He was always there. Anything we needed he always gave a helping hand. So, it was like the first point in my life where I was able to kind of give back to him for his birthday, and we had a great time for his last birthday, and then we found out a couple weeks later he had cancer. And then I'd say I don't know within 6 to 8 weeks or something maybe even less he died he was gone. So, it was that was that was pretty hard for me, but again I was like thinking back to 2019 all this [ __ ] I've already been through. I was like I'm not going back there. I'm I'm I'm propelling. I'm going up the mountain more. And like me ma she's still grieving and still in bits and that. You know what I mean? She was very close to him. So, I was like I need to be there for her. I need to be strong for her. You know what I mean? So, that made me again what I'm talking about some things can make or break you. That that made me I was like right I need to be stronger. I need to do better. I need to you know what I mean? Do do do him proud in in a sense. And that made me like just work vigorously at everything in my life [ __ ] everything. I went to like flat on my I went from starting as an intern embarrassing I know nothing in that shop to running my own branch. And like sales through the [ __ ] roof, selling like becoming the best salesperson in the place. Getting everything I know about repairs. I started my own repair startup, starting my own repairs for computers, for phones. Um got my driver's license, got my first car. Bulked up. I used to walk around at about 70 kilo. Bulked up to like over 80 kilos. Got got big. Got a bit of fat. Started lifting weights properly. Um started I made a new group of friends. Like everything it just seemed like everything was going great in that year. Everything was perfect. And for me it really set up things for me being able to deal with any issue. So, after that I was like I can deal with [ __ ] anything. Anything that comes my way I know how to deal with it now. Whereas before let's say a good example the first time I went to college a bit of stress happened. College assignments all overdue I just couldn't handle it. I wasn't able to deal with the stress. There was too much going on. Now I'm like right I can think back to things where I'm like I I can deal with these things. I can juggle a hundred things and still deal with it. So, that was a kind of year of making me as a man being able to like right I can deal with anything now. I'm after coming through so much. I have confidence in myself now to deal with [ __ ] anything. Perfect. Um fight wise and obviously like you said the lockdown happened. You've been to the IMMAF as well. Do you want to talk a little bit about your experience there? And what you feel you gained or what you maybe might not have gained from it. Yeah, so the IMMAF is deadly. Like went to the first IMMAF in Prague. Would have been the World Cups. I lost me first fight split decision to a I think a guy from Norway I think it was. It was it was it was a You know what I didn't really perform in it. It was still at that stage where I wasn't performing in me fights, and that's something we'll talk about in a bit, but that was a good experience for me being able to go over there with the likes of other people on the Irish team, compete against people from other countries cuz you don't really get that. You you get to compete I suppose from people from Ireland. You get different styles over here. But then in the IMMAF seeing people from let's say Dagestan, from [ __ ] Norway, from all these countries being able to feel what they're actually like because we don't have that over here. We don't have that high level wrestling. We have some of that over here, and you can get some wrestling over here, but it's good to get that I suppose exposure to other other cultures, other countries, all stuff like that. And also you know what I mean? Look we we were training with them. We got to know people. Made again made more connections. It was good. Um The the IMMAF in Abu Dhabi was good. I don't know. I had a first fight, and that was a TKO in the second I think. Got a TKO against a guy from Guyana. And then me second fight I fought a former world champion, and I think he was the European champion as well. Um he's actually pro now. He's killing it pro. He's from Dagestan, but he's fighting in that by Ryan you know. Yeah. And I said he was but he was he was a very strong fighter. I lost submission hidden arm choke. But just the experience of the whole thing was just great. Look we can see there's different people that say different things. Like it doesn't prepare you for pro because you have to weigh in the same day, and you're wearing like a rash guard and things like that. I understand that perspective, and it makes sense, but at the same time I think the the main benefit is being able to fight people from different countries and being able to fight day by day. Look there's some people that come could come home with four more fights than they had the previous week. Imagine that like you're going over to a competition, and you're coming home with four more fights. And let's just say they all go the distance. Think about that in terms in the cage. You know what I mean? That that that adds up. You know what I mean? For for that much effort for your experience level. So, we think for experience for getting like quality rounds in with high level people from different countries it's it's it's priceless. Yeah, cuz obviously like you're saying if you go against Bahrain or Dagestan like they're specialists in that area, and you can then you get to feel what it's like cuz obviously when you compete against people in Ireland like I said not that we're all going to have similar styles here, but like Dagestan he's at wrestling or like just top notch in a sort of way. Um But like the like so you got that. So, would you recommend if people wanted to like if if young people like you said it doesn't prepare you for pro really cuz you have to weigh in every day. Um but experience wise would you recommend if there was people coming up? 100%. The only kind of downside would be like the kind of politics and money involvement in it, which I don't know some people might be discouraged from because look it the sport's still not recognized in Ireland. They have to fund yourself. All the athletes that go everything is self-paid. It's a bit better now where companies and and gyms and stuff like that being sponsored so you can you can get a bit of money off people, but like for me I had to pay it on myself, which it's grand. I'm in a position where I can afford it, but I know there's loads of other people who can't. There's people who literally train, and they work part-time just to get them by week by week to train. Like they wouldn't be able to afford like let's say Bahrain. You're talking in the depths of well over a grand probably two grand there before you get over there. And then that's without spending money and everything else. You know what I mean? So, some people can't really afford it, but other than that it's priceless. Like the experience you get, the people you meet, the the uh the whole I suppose setup and being able to compete at such a high level on a on a high high stage it's it's priceless. Yeah, no that's what most people do say. I think I don't know why you have to weigh in every day. Actually what weight did you fight at? Because you fought at like four different weight classes. You fought four different weight classes, yeah? So, IMMAF I competed at 77. Um 2021 I competed maybe I competed one at middleweight. I competed at featherweight. I could pay it at lightweight. Um I've competed the day before welterweight as well. Um me next fight is at super featherweight, 68. But the the main goal is to go back down to 66, featherweight. Yeah, that's the main goal because look, I was I was bigger most bigger last year and the year before. I had a bit more body fat on me, but I'm I'm not I'm not middleweight. You know what I mean? I'm not welterweight either. After sparring some of the lads here like true welterweight pros, like you just see it's a different [ __ ] ballgame. Like it's Yes, you see the difference between welterweights and lightweights and middleweights and welterweights. You know what I mean? In the program, it's it's different. But suppose that at the weigh-ins when you're walking in saying the weigh-in, it's it's not that big of a deal in front of some of them Dagestanis and in the in the sauna, you know, you can only lose a couple of kilos. You know what I mean? They just have it down to a T. They have the best of the best, the doctors, the nutritionists. They have everything for a for the whole setup. So, it's still I suppose it's still a it's it's still a a process of determining where I'm going to go, but I think it's 66. That's that's me best weight category. Yeah, so that's why you're tapering down now towards the end of your amateur career because that's where you're going to go so you can start getting the weight cut and all right when you go into pro. Yeah, so like 68, that's going to be a good one to just see how I feel at that. I reckon I'm going to be a [ __ ] beast at that. I'm going to feel it unbelievable. An extra 2 kilos from 70 is not much, but I just want to see how it feel and then maybe have one or two at a amateur at 66. Yeah, how it goes, but the the the aim is 66 at pro, yeah. Yeah, perfect. So, you've obviously you've moved over to Team KF. Uh tell us what the likes of Tom and Chris like means and this team means you now because you seem quite together. The team is so active for there was one weekend there was seven fights, seven wins like and I think I Chris said if I'm not mistaken, it's around a 90% win win rate here. So, the slogan is we're different. Tell us why they're different. I suppose it's just like the the work ethic and the mentality and then it's just you know what? It's it's very much like a an organization like you get you see like subordinates that the leader of like Chris would be let's say the leader of the MMA team. Tom would be involved in it as well, but more more towards the gym itself, but like just the the respect that we have as a team for Chris because the respect he has for us and the time he puts in and vice versa like he's putting in time like [ __ ] nobody else. Nobody else I've seen the time he's putting in. Like for example, he's he was away yesterday in England one of the lads fighting over there. He'd be probably getting a flight home early this afternoon. He's going to be up this this evening or this this afternoon for sparring. He does all the time. Like another example, he was uh he went midweek to a family holiday over in Spain somewhere and then he came back on the Saturday to Belfast or maybe to Dublin, drove up to Belfast to corner the lads in Cage Conflict, then went back to his family holiday on the Sunday. You're joking. I swear to God. So, like that just that speaks volumes about who he is as a person and like his character and then how much he's invested in the team and and growing the team and and making it like the best in the country if not the world. You know what I mean? He wants world level like top athletes and the top fighters in the world. So, that's that's like the the coaching side of it. Everyone knows what Chris is like. He's just fully invested in it. It's fully in. It's not half-arsing. He's here some days, not late for sessions, none of that. He's here 24 hours a [ __ ] day. He's fully invested in the team. So, when I saw that, I was like right, this is this is where they're different. You sort of say it like I suppose everybody knows. Like everybody in the country knows how good Team KF is, but then the level of training and how much people train here. Even like some of the teens are like younger people. Like they're doing three, four sessions a day and that's all they that's all they do. That's all they want to do. They only only want to train and it's not again, it's not half-arsing. One week they're here, the other week they're not. They're out partying. No, they're fully invested like they're always here. They're investing in the strength and conditioning, the nutrition, everything. It's it's everything dedicated for it. So, it's no no half-arsing or anything. It's like fully invested and then obviously going hard as well. Smart training. Yeah, cuz obviously Chris is invested in you. If he can see you're investing time and like I see Dylan Logan obviously moved over as well. You've got a couple other people who who've who've migrated over here because of the the training stuff. And he said what Chris said to him was like if the lads don't like you, like that's it. You're not going to But that's good though. Like there's obviously a line you have to be invested. There's like standards that have to be met as a Team KF fighter, I would presume. Yeah, 100%. That Chris said something similar to me the other day cuz he he kind of gave me a trial where it was like I think it was a week or two weeks trial here and he was like let's see how the lads look at it. If they like you, then you're on the team. If not, you're not on the team. Like that. And I was like right, it is and it it kind of put something in me head like right, this is like a [ __ ] I don't know. Like a position you have to fight for. Like you have to get onto the team, which I I didn't really see that anywhere else. You know what I mean? Like another gyms. It's kind of like in some gyms some people can kind of just train. People coming off the streets doing it as a hobby, they can train with the MMA and mix with that team, but like to be on the MMA team here, you have to meet the criteria, meet the standards to firstly get onto the team and then to maintain your spot on the team, you have to meet standards as well. Like if you're slipping up, like like it's [ __ ] you just told to [ __ ] off. You know what I mean? It's it's no messing about. Like I said, he's putting so much time and effort into it. So, he won't stand back out of us if we're [ __ ] half-arsing it and going on the session and doing [ __ ] all sorts. He just like kind of washes his hands and like it that's it. So, you probably have some sort of warning before and then you'd be told you're not allowed on the team anymore. That sort of thing. So, there is a high standard, very high standard, which that speaks for the the success of the team. You know what I mean? Yeah, and I've heard him in the corner myself like if you're not doing what he says, he like he's he he he doesn't take it lightly, let me say. Yeah. Um I He's very vocal. Yeah, he's very vocal, but then again because obviously he can see anything you've worked on a game plan and if you're not listening to cuz there was one fight, I can't remember who it was. I'm not going to say who it was if I could remember, but he was just like like you're not listening to me. You're not listening to me. It just shows how how technical he is and the advice he gives. How beneficial is he to you in your corner? Yeah, very beneficial. Like that fight on Oil War with Sam Solomon, he was screaming details at me and I'm like I think what I feel is like this as well, but I can only hear me me coach. Maybe some little pieces from me me opponent's coach, but I can only hear me coach and me corner. So, I was hearing everything Chris was saying and I was trying to go for things. Anything he was telling me to do, I was doing. And he said to me after the fight there was a a part of the fight where I had 50/50 over unders and on the on on the overhook side, I had me palm facing away, which you should have your palm facing here. I was in the corner when I had that error in the detail and Chris said it to me. He was like palm facing here, palm facing here and I switched as he said it to me. So, I was like right, that and he said like he was he was kind of saying that was good that he like he switched and I I like got I taught you something in real time in the cage. So, that was good. Like it it I I think I need that. I need someone who's like very vocal. Again, doesn't take [ __ ] Gets his gets his voice across, gets his point across of what he wants done and is not just like you see many coaches like this where they're in corners and they're on pads and like oh, you look beautiful, you look great, but the fight is not doing what I told which like I need someone like that which is like listen, you're not [ __ ] doing what I'm telling you. You need to do this or let's say you're down the fight. You're you're two rounds down the fight. Not being like ah, go out and do this. You're [ __ ] losing this fight. You need to get it finished. Go out and [ __ ] like do this. You know what I mean? I need I think I need that that sort of voice of reason so to speak in me in me corner. You know what I mean? So, it's it's deadly having Chris in the corner. Yeah, you need someone who's not going to let you sleep, who's going to keep sleeping who's going to keep on top of you all all the time. Like intrinsically, you should be able to do it yourself. Not should not in a fight like that, but just like say what you're training, you're slacking. You should intrinsically be able to do these things yourself, motivate yourself, be able to have discipline to go train and all whatever. But I suppose for me, it's just that extra bit of having someone like Chris where I know [ __ ] like I need to keep a high standard. I need to be on time. I need to be doing this. I need to be doing that. And then fights like I need to be listening to him. I can't be [ __ ] slacking. I can't be sitting and waiting. So, I'll give you an example. Me last fight I fought a guy in Liverpool and uh in the second round, I went for a takedown because the first round I dominated him. [ __ ] him in his head a few times. Dominated him. Second round, I went for a takedown and got reversed and I kind of just sat me back, laying me back and I was resting and you can't be doing that. You know what I mean? You cannot be doing that in MMA. You're losing a round and it's only [ __ ] three rounds. So, you need to be like fighting for every round and I gave that round away because I was just sitting. I just like I get a break sort of thing. I can't be doing that. After the fight, I said it like I sent [ __ ] Chris a text saying like I'm sorry. I [ __ ] I don't know this. I don't know that like I cuz in my head I was like I'm at the [ __ ] I don't know. Disappointed him in the sense I was like I'm I'm not at the like doing what I should have done the fight. So, that's how much like respect how much I look up to him. It's like I I really respect what he says and whatever he says, I'm I'm I do. And he probably appreciated the fact that you noticed it yourself as well. Um like with that good foot, I'm going to ask you a question on your fights. What's your favorite fight that you've had so far and then one fight that you think you've learned the most from? That's a good one. That's a good one. I'd say me favorite fight would be I don't know. That's hard. The TKO one in Eumer was one that like stood out to me because I got a TKO when I was a very very good performance when you look at good grappling exchanges, good overall the trips and throws, control, me just look good. A good ground and pound as well, but still at that point I didn't feel like I was performing. I like compared to what I do in the gym, let's say. And I I know a lot of people suffer from that, but I felt it was just so bad like I was just like, "I cannot [ __ ] get what I want to do in the cage. I can do it in the gym. I can do it anywhere else, but when it comes to time to do it in the cage, the most important time, I can't really perform." So, at that point, I still kind of feel in that. So, I think maybe the Sam Sicilia fight would be one of me favorites in terms of how I felt I performed because I thought it didn't perform perfectly, but I really felt in my mind I was [ __ ] enjoying the process in there. Whereas before, I was like it felt like everything was closing in and it was just pressure. I just had to squeeze and like any position I was like I'm fighting for [ __ ] life or death here. Whereas in that fight, I just enjoyed the whole thing. Every [ __ ] bit of it. Points where he was getting the better of me or points where I was getting the better of him. I just enjoyed the whole thing. And then after that, the fight with Liverpool then again, performance felt like I got better. Felt more comfortable, more calm. Didn't feel really nervous, anything. So, I suppose that was like a breakout for me personally in my head where I was like, "Right, I'm able to perform now. I'm able to really kind of start showing my skills here." So, that the more I'm going on, the more I'm going to be able to do that. Um the most I learned from, I'd say, is maybe the Terry Harris fight. That one in Iowa. That one where I got dropped where I got dropped by a right hand. I think I took that fight. I took the fight on the week the week of the fight week. Um it was 77 day before. I think his opponent pulled out. I was like, "Fuck it, I'll just take a hop in. What's the worst that can happen? Get more experience." Um and then the first round, I threw a sloppy inside low kick. I got dropped by a right hand. He cracked me. Cracked me. Cracked over a shot. And that was the first time I'd ever been like rocked, concussed, anything like that. Fell on me back. It went black for a bit and then I was back up and he was like landing heavy shots on me. I was like, "Fucking hell." After that, I was holding him. The the bell went for the end of the fourth round and I was like, "Right, I need to dig deep here." Cuz there was points on the ground where I was like, he was throwing shots and I could He He could have finished it. He probably could have finished it if he really [ __ ] threw them on me all right, but in my mind, I was having that battle which I always [ __ ] I was like in me head being like, "Ah, like I'm going to let him finish that people like jump. People won't know. People like it looked like he finished it, but but from the shot and it looked like he got finished." And then having them battles in the cage, that's that's what I love as well in the cage. Like being able to battle yourself mentally. Um it's one thing having an opponent in front of you, but having them things in your own head where you're like, if you're down in the fight like that, you're being dropped and you're [ __ ] you're close to being stopped and your mind is telling you, "Ah, I want to just go home. I like it's it's grand." sort of thing. And I'm like, "Fuck that. No [ __ ] way. Not a chance. I'm getting up here. I'm not to come in all the way up here. The fight is going to took on a few days now. I was I'm not coming out to lose. No [ __ ] way." So, them them mental battles, I think that was the one I learned the most from. Um coming back then in the second and the third, we were like I was bleeding. A wild thing like swinging everything at me, coming wrestling from bleeding. Double legs from across the cage nearly. Take them down and just like grind them the win out. Grind that win out. For me, that was like again, that was a point where I was like, "I can come through [ __ ] anything. Anything. No matter what people throw me. They're going to have to really like take me [ __ ] out cuz if I can get over the own battles in the battles in me own head of like there's negative thoughts or there's like thoughts of being you can't compete, go home. No one will know that you lost or whatever. If I can overcome that myself, what the [ __ ] anyone else going to do to me? If I can overcome these things in me own head, what's an opponent going to do? What drops me, takes me down or whatever. I don't give a [ __ ] I'll get back up. I'll I'll walk again. I'll I'll keep going. So, if you can't be broke mentally in your own head, who the [ __ ] is going to stop you? Yeah, exactly. It sounds like what you said from the Sam Sicilia fight, everything started to fall into place from training to performance. Um I'm going to let you go, but there's one more question I want to ask you. If you want to be remembered by anything as a fighter, what would you want to be remembered by? Um me work ethic. Definitely me work ethic. Like I suppose everybody wants to be looked at or remembered for some of their highlights or their skill set. I I was never born with like the best genetics. I was never born with some people like especially here like some people are just freaks, man. Just freaks. Like they just have genetic genetics to be bleeding. Like unbelievable like strong, speed, power, all these things. I was never born with any of that. Like I never I didn't have great genetics growing up. I didn't have like great nutrition growing up. I was fat growing up. I was like loads of loads of bleeding matches. So, that's something I want people to be able to say like he worked his bollocks off and he was able to compete and beat people who were better than him athletically. They were more talented or whatever cuz I didn't I didn't have any talent. I had maybe like I don't know, a little bit of athleticism, but nothing nothing like [ __ ] noteworthy. Do you know what I mean? So, I think me work ethic and me mindset, being able to come through these sort of sort of situations where it's like I think I might lose here or I might I'm down and out. I'm I'm down in me luck. I'm losing or a [ __ ] whatever it is in life, being able to come back and fight against that and I always [ __ ] win. That that's what I want people to remember me as. Me work ethic and me mentality towards anything I deal with. Perfect. I want to thank you so much for your time. I can't wait to see your fight. Cheers, brother. Cheers, thank you.