Toby McNerlin interview (August 2026)

สรุป

Toby McNerlin is an amateur MMA fighter representing Bangtao MMA in Thailand, originally from northern Ireland he moved over there and has grown up with the fighting culture and lifestyle of Thailand. He returns to Derry at @chaosfightingchampionshipold to face Max Mahaffy for…

ถอดเสียง (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm it's my pleasure to have with me Toby M McNan who is a Bangtal fighter who is originally from Northern Ireland. He's coming back to fight Max Mafy for the bantamweight title on Chaos which is a fight I'm really looking forward to. First of all, thank you very much for your time. Second of all, what an interesting story about fighter from Northern Ireland. I I only kind of I had followed you for a while but I didn't realize your story and I'm quite intrigued by it. Thank you very much for your time today. How are you? And how does it feel to be coming back and competing on Chaos, the longest running show in Ireland, against Max Mafi, who's one of the top guys in Ireland, for a belt on the show? >> Thank you so much for having me. I just want to say this is this is my first time ever doing some sort of media thing, so uh work through it together with you. But I'm super excited. You know, I've uh of course originally from Northern Ireland myself. You know, was haven't spent much time there. I've been in Thailand for about 10 years now. Um, of course, kind of ingrained myself in the fighting culture and the fight scene on the eastern side of the world. So, getting a chance to kind of almost come home around family and a really solid community of uh Irish martial arts and get get to compete. It's it's really excited for it actually. And like even just to compare my skill set that I've developed over here with some of the best guys back home. It's very interesting and like it's amazing opportunity for me and I'm just so grateful to be able to do that and have a good fight and have a good show. >> Yeah. And one of the things is obviously you're you're competing against elite strikers over there. Um but obviously when you go back to different places, I'm not saying that they're not good at grappling. There's a couple of obviously Max is quite grappleheavy. Are you looking to see where your grappling stacks up there? because I'm not saying that there isn't people to level him there, but there's a huge focus on the striking aspect. >> For sure. For sure. Like a lot of uh the system that I've developed in martial arts has come with dealing with striking heavy disciplines. Of course, like in Thailand, you're going to have some incredible Muay Thai fighters. We've got some incredible kickboxers and boxers even here because the scene is so developed like especially where I'm at in Phuket. It's almost like a fight hub for the world. We have huge gyms like Tiger Muay Thai, uh, Bankttow that I train at and just everywhere. It is quite a quite a focus on striking. But the gym I'm actually at is a grappling gym. Um, I'm not sure how much you know about Bank, but we are a wrestling focused gym and that's kind of come through my style. When I first came here, I was sort of a swing for the fences sort of guy that just wanted to scrap. But since I got down here and was able to develop my understanding of control and position, uh I'm not sure if anyone's seen some of my fights, but you can see I'm quite grappling dominant. So, I'm excited to test that up against someone who's like who I would uh consider quite a strong submission threat from bottom. You know, I don't really feel that threat over here. So, it'll be very interesting to see like I I'm expecting some tricky entanglements and some some good scrambles. Some very good scrambles. Like, I'm not going to give too much away about the game plan. I'm still developing some stuff. We're a bit away, but I'm very excited for this fight. It's it show it show there's such good challenges and tricky situations that I'm going to get into and I'm so excited for it. >> I'm excited to see you over here as well on Chaos. That's that's one of the shows that I do commentary on as well. So, it'll be good to see you up close and personal. But talk to us about obviously you're quite young. You just said to me obviously you're going to be turning 21 quite soon. You've been living in Thailand for a while. What What was it like growing up there? Because obviously like you do come home, you see how we live and how you live is obviously completely different but to you it's normal. Talk to us about growing up there and especially with like language barriers and stuff. Was there any uh any anything that you had to learn or or work around to >> Yeah, I I I get it. Um I would say of course it was it was a huge culture shock for me. I was only 10 years old when I first came here and I didn't quite understand what was going on. Now, I will say a lot of people uh think that it's a massive bridge and a massive gap, but it's it's not as uh it's not as big as you would think. Like um me, I grew up I went to international schools here. So, there's a big international school and it's called expat community. So, we get lots of Americans, a lots of Russians, diplomats, sons, like all of that sort of thing. Uh I grew up in Bangkok, which is the the capital big city. And um yeah, it was I went to a couple different schools there. I never really quite found my people, I would say. Um that's something that kind of pushed me into martial arts when I found a a way to express myself in like my expression of life and how I can kind of look through things and view situations. And it it wasn't I wouldn't say it was easy. It was there there were hardships, but it was it was also a lot of fun. you know there you you you end up in situations that you wouldn't usually end up in back home. So I think it's taught me a lot and kind of just shifted my perspective on life a bit you know. >> Yeah. No that's good. And what I like about that is you see obviously Bangta I do know I wouldn't know obviously the stars and that but you do see Bangta like Valenoski does be out there. John like so all the kind of the big and you've actually got uh some Irish fighters out there at the minute. I'm not sure if they're still there. Sen Kley was recently out there. um Michael Trronley and and people go out there for two or three months at a time. So, it's a well-known gym, like a very highly renowned gym around the world. But talk to us about like when you went in to do martial arts. What was that like? What was it your first time like stepping into into a a gym? Was it nerve-wracking? Because I asked this for people in in Ireland as well because it can be overwhelming and especially sometimes with different language, different cultures. Did that affect you or was it like was there initial was it overwhelming? Were you nervous or were you excited going in? And what was your perception to reality? >> I have uh I never actually consciously thought about martial arts. I always kind of like when I was younger, I I did a bunch of sports with teams and stuff like that. I always really like resonated with sports and effort to reward and kind of understanding that, but I never quite thought that it would be through martial arts. I think it was I was going through a particularly rough time when I was younger, just like sort of trying to figure out who I am, what my values are, and uh I signed up for this digital detox camp, which at the time didn't really want to do it, but I was like, it'll be a good experience. It was a it was like a a week away up in the mountains of Chiang Mai. It's like up north in Thailand, very like cold, very secluded, like no phones. We would be getting up at 6 a.m. doing yoga, uh, martial arts, and, uh, kind of just being living a healthier lifestyle and kind of separating, taking teenagers out of the city. H, and I did that, and I actually met this, uh, one of my main coaches today. Of course, he's not down here at Banks. He lives up in uh, in up in Bangkok, but his name's Tommy Hayden. He's an ex UFC fighter. And I think it was my rapport with him and the kind of role model that he set that kind of attracted me to the sport. And I came back and I was buzzing and I I started training with him on on some one-on-one sessions. And it it wasn't the initial love of martial arts, but it was the wanting to be the sort of person that was a martial artist, you know, like and and as I got better and as I kind of grew, like I I was I was stupid because of course you're in Thailand, you're fighting all the time. I think I was training two months before I took my first fight, which which was not smart. But he again it was it was this want to be like that ideal person like I like that kind of person. I want to be that kind of person. So I wanted to live the lifestyle and it just added so much discipline and kind of a drive and focus to like understanding who I wanted to be. So I I took my first fight, got my face beat in, you know, and then after then it was just off for the races. I just I fell completely in love with the sport. There was just a obsession with wanting to understand different how to do this and this will affect this and get fleshing out a full comprehensive understanding of the sport just became a passion of mine. >> Yeah. Know I I really like that that digital detox. I think I could use that now myself and I think a lot of people could because I think especially nowadays especially with the likes of Tik Tok, Instagram, people have very short attention spans. If someone sends me a video that's 5 minutes long, I'm like will you just send me the minute long version? really just just round it down. Um, and it just shows how reliant people are on it. How did you feel being away from all that and relinquish your phone? Like obviously I'd say for the first couple two or three days maybe you really missed it, but did you find it beneficial removing the phone from your life for that span of time? >> Definitely. Definitely. Um, learning to it's it's more like I felt like there was a dependence on it. um especially at a young age you know you get a phone and then you don't quite understand how to put limitations on yourself you know like I see I see technology and phones and stuff as this amazing tool that can connect us but if you don't manage and kind of moderate yourself it can it can take you down to some really dark places so just being able to like fully remove that from my mind for a bit at a at a young age kind of showed me the effect that it can have and I like sometimes like of course we're all human sometimes I'll spend too much time on my phone or I'll be going down these rabbit holes And because of that time, then I can acknowledge that and I can be, okay, I see what's going on here and I know that I need to cut back and I need to kind of reconnect with uh if it's on the mats with the with people, if it's out in nature, if it's just like taking some time to myself, going on a beach walk, you know, something like that like reenters you and kind of helps everything else in your life grow. >> Yeah. Yeah, know it's good and it's good that happened that it happened for you at a young age because like you said the internet can be the best thing in the world and it can be the worst thing in the world depending on how you use it. Like I said, you can go down rabbit holes that lead you to dark place or you can use it for promoting yourself, connecting with people and making like networking and stuff. So, but in terms of talk to us about fights that you you've had in Thailand, you talked about your first fight and getting your your face matched. How long was it then before your second flight? How many fights have you had in total? And would they be considered amateur, novice, or or what kind of way? cuz I know they have different systems there. >> Yeah, I would say for I in total I've had about 25 or 26 fights over all all my disciplines. Um I've got uh like three three Muay Thai fights, two boxing fights when I was younger. Uh, and then the rest of them would have all been MMA, which is quite interesting cuz it's very easy to get Muay Thai fights, boxing fights, but it's it's a bit harder to get higher level MMA fights like um the the separation between amateur and novice I would say would come from um where I've I've had these fights like I' I've fought locally in Thailand of course when I was younger like we would bring in some of the some people from the Thai national team or some some upandcomers or maybe some older fighters that have maybe gone off haven't done other things. But over the last two years since I graduated high school and moved on to Bangtail, I've actually started traveling around Southeast Asia for fights. And that's what I would consider like the cuto off between novice and the amateur fights. Like I would I I remember my first fight with the gym. We flew down to Ballet MMA and we compete in a fourman tournament there. I was able to win that. I've flown to KL. I've done the the I'm not sure if you know Gamma the Gamma Championships, but I've competed in the Worlds in Jakarta in 2024, uh the Worlds in 2025 in Brazil, the uh I just won the European Gold over there this year uh with the team, which was super cool. Like so that would be the cut off of uh how I would view them, you know, because this scene here is great, but as you say, there's there's limitations and like there's very good strikers, but then you need to be able to match up against grapplers and different styles of people from all around the world. You never know who you're going to fight. So going to traveling for fights, that's where the the cut off would be for me, I would say. >> Yeah. And then obviously you're going to be coming back to to Northern Ireland. It's a chaos. What's it like when you do come home? Like because a lot of people we were speaking before said, "Jesus, that must be weird." Obviously, you live in, but that's your life. That's how you live. Like, when you come back home, what's the kind of things that you either miss or appreciate that maybe you didn't really think of at the time or don't think of? I would say it's it's interesting because whenever I spend a significant amount of time back in Ireland, I'll find I'll appreciate the things in Thailand that I missed. And it's to see him when I'm in Thailand, I appreciate the things. But I would say I really appreciate when I'm back back home and uh around family and around like-minded individuals, restaurant, gyms. I love the people. I love uh the culture and a bit in the crack. You know, you the I really do think one of Ireland's greatest strengths is people and the way they can welcome people in. Like I've I've only recently in the last two years started going back to train and uh kind of understanding and learning the community. And I've met so many good people. I've been back for I've been back twice now to train in Ireland in the last two years uh like significant bits of time and I've traveled all up and down and I've made some met some really good people and um good good souls and very kind-hearted you know it's it's heartwarming to go home and for them to treat you like you're like you you can feel a bit of a divide you know of course I' I've lived here for so long and I' I feel a connection with the the Thai people and Thai culture but then also I feel this connection to home and being able to come back and still feeling like the new guy or the guy that doesn't quite fit in. They make you fit in. So, it's very nice. Very nice. >> Yeah. Know that that that's like cuz I think in on this island I think we're probably the most friendly people in the world. You see that when our fans go to sports events. We've only been only recently overtaken by Scotland who went to Boston and seem to have a whale of a time over there. But we would consider ourselves slightly the the same the same but different. Uh but yeah, so you're going to be coming back over. How long are you over for? Uh you going to be over just for the fight for a week or are you over for extended amounts of time? Are you looking to travel to different gyms and do more training whilst over in Ireland? >> Yeah. So uh my plan right now is uh of course the fights on November 14th. So I'm going to my plan is to come down just for the fight. I'll come at the beginning of November. H have a couple weeks training at some different spots. Uh I'll be I'll probably be up at um Caracon Shannon. I'll be at Morris Martial Arts for a bit. Uh, I w to head down to 14th Street from Ross Common with Paul Havlin. Like these are all places that I've been before. Like probably even go down to Galway to uh Shaolin Martial Arts with Ben Davis. These are these are all people that I've met through Gamma and they've always been very good to me when I've come over and I want to be able to come back and maybe share some of my knowledge and they can share some of their knowledge of me um staying there doing the fight and then I'll be actually staying all of November and a bit of December up until the Worlds which are sometime in the beginning of December. So I'll stay until then fly off with the team hopefully bring bring home a gold and then I'll be back to Thailand for New Year's and seeing family again. I say I say New Year's in Thailand is a is a hell of an event. I can only imagine it it would be h but you talked about a couple of gym gyms there. Obviously Ben Davis is someone I really like. We've got Rein fighting on the card that I'm helping matching for for Super Banton weight. Gary Morris is someone who's an absolutely legend and Shay and the Havlins in 14 Street is a gym that just have really come to notice to me. I think in the next year or two you're going to see a lot of really good amateurs coming out of that gym because they've got a good novice setup. But talk to us about your own gym that you're in at the minute currently. What's it like? And what's it like training there? And like we said, there's so many like visitors in terms of Vulcanoski, John Jones, Adisani, all these kind of people come there. What's it like training there? And when they come in, is that just normal to you now because you've been around it for a while or do you still get a bit like, oh, there's such and such? It definitely uh there's a big shock when I first came here being able to to see the sorts of people and and there there's definitely a divide like I would say Bankttow is an incredible gym to come and train at the the amount of different bodies that travel in like high level martial artists coming for camps or coming even just on a holiday wanting to get some work in. There's always going to be high quality bodies. There's always going to be incredible technique being shown and lots of trust between people. Um, of course it's a bit more uh it is more of a tourist gym that you find there. There is this element of people circling in and out quite a lot, but we do have a core team of people down here that live here, fight here. Like we have our own private training sessions of just the team and uh those are incredible. Those are incredible. Like I think one of the biggest shocks to me um I'm not sure if you know but we uh Craig Jones is quite close with the of course like Adisagna and Vulcanovski and all these guys and we actually had privilege of him coming down for a month and taking private jiu-jitsu class like every day and showing us all these incredible techniques and it was just it was it was a m it was a shock for me because you start to bridge that gap between this idol and this person you want to be and just and you're just a you're a person just like me. It it the the goal doesn't become this huge thing that's far away and you can't even conceive it. It brings it into reality. That's that's the coolest part. Like I I've trained with people like uh Kobe Fitness, one of Okonowski's training partners, and I've done hours of sessions with him, and then just talking and picking his brain. It's like you're just like me, you know? You you you just accomplish more, have more time in the sport, but we think the exact same. We do things the exact same. You know, it's it it's one of the biggest blessings down here is to have that mindset going into things and being able to like not have a that big lofty goal, but just bring it into reality and saying time and effort will get me where I need to go. >> That's really cool. I really like the way he explained that as well because one thing I noticed when they do go over is the likes of John Jones and they train like Max Latty. I'm not sure if you're you're familiar with Max Latty from here. um he was involved in training camp >> like like that's that just shows you obviously the level that people in that gym are at that the likes of Max who's from Ireland was brought for they actually helped each other for they were both coming up fighting and like you said it just goes to show I think MMA's probably one or combat sports in general my Thai and all most humble people that you they just show up as people they don't have big entouragees they don't have this they just I'm assuming obviously they will have people with them but like to see like Jon Jones or someone just and Craig Jones my god what a legend to get one ones off that like probably one of the best in the world and he's just like you said he's down to or normal but um like what kind of with with being in the gym how long have you been in that current gym and what does the gym mean to you as a fighter >> so I've had uh of course it's quite quite a new gym uh I think we're only open like four years or something but um it's actually very interesting how I first I I met um the owners, Frank and George Hickman, uh Hicking Brothers. They they run the team and they run the guys and they're kind of the the headmen around here. And I've been fighting locally gyms out of Bangkok. And there's not too many events, especially going back a couple years. So, we would always run into each other and uh there'd be a rapport. I'd sometimes fight some of their guys, sometimes they fight some of our guys. And they saw me on the scene quite a bit. And I would uh once I kind of learned who they are and the style and saw the value in the gym and their knowledge and saw how good their guys were doing, I really made it an effort to come down to Bangta on holidays. Like I remember every summer holiday, every Christmas like Thai New Year's any festivals or if I if I would get a week off, I'd be coming down to the gym. I'd be chatting up with the guys. I'd really be building that relationship and just I always had a mindset to move out and pursue my dreams here. Like this is the spot in Thailand to do it. I think it's it gives you the full the full package with the AC like the facilities, the coaches. Um the environment itself Phuket is incredible just to hyperfocus and only think about fighting. Like it's like I live five minutes away from the gym. I hop on my scooter. I'm in three times a day. I go back, I cook food, you know, it's it's a perfect setup. It means so much to me and it's like it's like my little island where I just get my work done and only focus on that. >> Yeah. And I can see the smile from your face and how much it actually means to you to to live that lifestyle because a lot of fighters, like I said, will go out for a month, two months at a time, but you live and breathe that fighter's lifestyle because it's it's it's a different lifestyle to fighters in Ireland. Obviously they'll trade in the morning, they'll have 8 hours of work, wherever it may be, whether it's a building site, office job, then they come back and train later. Whereas it's good that you've got that focus and then you've got that really delicious food there as well. Talk to us about the Thai food and list your top three favorite Thai dishes. >> Thai dishes. Now Thai food's awesome because I'm not I'm not I'm I'm not like the portions back home were quite big compared to me. Thai portions here are tiny. So, when I'm cutting weight, it I'm on the Thai food. Um, some of my favorite would have to be I can't name one specific dish, but it's a it's ean food. So, food from up north. Um, it's lots of sticky rice and really nice grilled chicken uh marinated in some super nice spices. We've got some really good fishes. We've got some really good fishes. Especially in Phuket, you get these large basses that are just covered in like thick layers of salt and herbs. That's good. And I like chicken and cashew nuts. Chicken and cashew nuts as well. Really good. Really good. >> Yeah, I I'm a big fish person. So, if I ever go to Thailand, I'm going to try and fish what you're talking about because it is good. But the food there is supposed to be sensational. But look, we're looking forward to having you back over here as well. It's been an absolute pleasure having this conversation and hopefully throughout the years I'm going to follow your career from here on out and we will have a lot more as you hit the different stages. So, it'll be a pleasure to follow it, but I'm going to let you go for now. Is there anything you'd like to say before you go or anyone you'd like to shout out and I really appreciate your time today? >> Thank you so much for having me. This has been super cool. Um, it's nice to chat and talk to you as well. Um, I'd shout out this gym right here. You know, I just need to say that I'm very appreciative of them. They've done so much for me. All the guys here, uh, I'll not list everyone, but big thank you and expect good things to come. I'm going to fly down there. We're going to get the job done. We're going to have a great time. Thank you very much. >> Perfect. Thank you. Enjoy your day and I will talk to you soon. >> Thank you.