IN DEPTH | EPISODE 35 | DAIRE TOMAN

Summary

Dave sits down with professional fighter Daire Toman for a chat about his life and career.

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm here with head coach of New Era Logan, Clan Wars double champ, and professional MMA fighter with four and two record at home. Thank you very much for your time. How are you today? How's things? I'm good. Obviously, you're here now you're a coach. We're going to build up to that, but you got into MMA a long time ago to get to where you are. What brought you into MMA and why? And what was your first gym? So, basically, whenever I was younger, about eight or nine, I always loved boxing. I competed in boxing. So, that went on until I was about 14, 15. And then around that age, I just started misbehaving. I got into drinking and drugs and just sort of went off the rails from when I was about 15 till early 20s. So, I just got myself in really bad shape. Eventually, if I'm away back in the full contact kickboxing, just as a way of losing weight and getting fit again. I was there for a while. I was training there and I ended up competing in it. So, I competed there for about 2 years, done well. And then I found out that I was going to have a child. But this time I was still involved with drugs and drinking. I was just partying every weekend. I wasn't I was in a lot of trouble all the time. I was always in court. But when I found out that I was going to be a dad, I just thought like, [ __ ] I have to wise myself up. So, shortly after that, I went and I got a job. I went and got like a real job. I started scaffolding. And eventually, I ended up working on a building site with a guy, Michael Doyle, who was a professional MMA fighter in the in the area, and he just opened up this gym here. So, it was just a brand new year. It had no members. It was only it was only getting off the ground then. So, I didn't really know anything about MMA, but at the same time, McGregor come on the scene. So, it was all eyes on the FC around that time. So, it was like, "I'll have a go at that." So, I started training with Mickey, and then I just had a choice where I can keep doing what I'm doing and go nowhere with the kickboxing. There wasn't much eyes on on the sport at that time. And I couldn't really see myself going anywhere with it. Yeah, so it was keeping me fit, and it was I was getting a an odd fight here and there, and there was maybe a couple of people coming to watch me, but it wasn't There was no hype around it the way the MMA scene was. So, I decided to go for MMA and just that was it, really. Had my first amateur fight, and then within a year of that, I lifted my first amateur title. And there was just no going back from there. Yeah. No, and that's good. Obviously, you'd said after you were involved in drinking and drugs. Just for young people at home, how easy is it to go down that path, and how fruitless is it to go down that path? Because there's no real good way out of it. Obviously, you've come out. You MMA has changed your life, saved your life to a sense. But like, just if you're going to give advice to younger people, like what would it be? Because it's it is quite easy to come across. I would presume it was the same in Logan here as well, yeah? It was very easy to fall into that road. And it's just like, what I noticed mainly was coming from primary school, and then going into secondary school, it was just a whole different world. In the secondary school, then you had all the older kids who were drinking and smoking weed at break time. It's just a lot of peer pressure and stuff. And then you you sort of wanted to fit in and then before you know it you're just you're fully into it and uh whereas then you start smoking weed and then you you don't have ways to pay for the weed so you start end up you're you're selling it just to get your own and then that progresses and then it's just it's just like a snowball effect and then before you know it you're that far into it you don't know what what what you're doing. Yeah, you get so far into it I've I've heard of people and I know people saying the same I'll sell mine I'll I'll sell it to get mine but then that creates like you said a snowball effect where all of a sudden I've known people myself where people have turned up at the door looking for 10 grand. So that's sort of way and it's it's it's not a nice way to live but obviously throughout all that were you ever scared during that that that part like was it was it ever dangerous or was it ever There was a few times where that uh like I left home when I was 15 because I had younger siblings and the lifestyle I was living I just goes to bringing too much trouble around the door so I was end up I was living in houses with other guys around the same age as me that were doing the same thing as me and there was nights where like we're putting scaffolding poles up the door to make sure the door doesn't get put in through the middle of the night and you're sleeping with machetes under your pillows and you're just always worried about sometimes you're not even sleeping you're just sitting up all night and then sleeping during the day cuz you feel safer to sleep during the day but there was just some scary times and sometimes you people money. Do you know what I mean? It's just there's a lot of pressure on you. Yeah, it's it's not like obviously you see in the movies and you see people going around in their fancy cars it's not the glamorous like the top 10 or 5% have nice cars and the spoils of it all. They're usually in business suits and they're usually like said top class cars and then all throughout the middle it's just it's not really what people assume it to be and uh the life isn't obviously fulfilling but you made that change then to to MMA and like I said MMA had more eyes on it. Um when you look at it, we'll actually go into how it's evolved, but what was it like obviously you competed at kickboxing, but you said what was your first amateur fight kind of like? What was it like? Was there any nerves or did it feel different than kickboxing? Like what was your expectations versus the reality? It felt I was nervous, but at the same time I was just I really wanted to do it. I was so excited. That's what I wanted to do. I knew well before then what was involved because I was training kickboxing and then I came to an MMA gym. I thought I could fight. But I was I was all right on my feet, but I was getting kicked down. I was getting submitted and I was like this like this is real fighting or as close as you're going to get there. Real fighting I found out it wasn't as hard as what I thought it was. So it was just I just kept coming back and I just got interested in the sport and there's there's always nerves, but I was excited. I I wanted to do it and I knew there was there was more eyes on on it and it was just I was just a far better buzz if you get me. Yeah, cuz I've been to the likes of kickboxing shows or whatever and you go down there might be 50 people in the room. You know what I'm saying? It might be a sort of way and it might be a couple from your family, a couple for to your to your opponent's family and whereas MMA especially nowadays even the recent shows it's an event. It's an event sort of a thing. It's not like just going out and fighting. You've got the crowd. You've so much more to deal with. Um how long was it before like you said it within the year you won your first amateur title? Talk to us about that experience getting to the amateur title. Like was did it feel any different leading up to it? Did it feel more important? It was uh I told you I was I had started working on the building site with my my first amateur coach Mickey um he would been talking me into trying MMA and he was giving it like I was humming and hawing and then when I did start doing it and I had my first amateur fight I think we were at celebrating after and he pulled me to the side and he said, "Listen, drop all the other [ __ ] you're doing. Go in with me 100% on this and I guarantee this time next year you'll be a champion." And for me like I didn't have much opportunities growing up. Nobody's ever like put much belief in me and for some reason it come at his level like he was former Commonwealth weight champion. He was He had like like four or five professional titles at the time and for someone like him to say that he believed that I could do that was like [ __ ] I've got a shot here. I can do this and I did. I just I went all in then. And that's just how it was. I was an amateur but like to be honest like I've been training like a professional the whole amateur career. So I have. Yeah, cuz especially I want to say it was around 2015 you made your debut in amateur, wasn't it? The rule sets would have been different then as well, wasn't to the head. When my first couple amateur fights we were allowed knees to the to the head. So we were. Yeah, well that's not even a thing now, I don't think. was always just like if somebody's hitting you through you're throwing the knee. And now now you can't teach that. No, now you can't teach that and that's I'll actually get on to that cuz you've you've transitioned into coaching but you touched on obviously do you think that's what younger people need is kind of someone that done something to you is to kind of throw their arm around them and show show them that they can do something. Do you think that could be an issue? Possibly, yeah. Well, for me like growing up I was always looking up to guys who were what for a better word gangsters like. So when then when somebody positive comes in and like sort of takes you under their wing, gives you a different a different view on life and your possibilities and your opportunities that you can that you can you can do something with yourself. Yeah, no and it is good like that when someone comes in and they say, "I believe in you, you can do something." It gives you a feeling like that you can't get through any drug, through any drink, you know what I'm sort of a way. Um that is just like it's a fulfilling sort of thing that someone actually that you you have to work for it like the delayed gratification it's called. Yeah. to put some work in, you have to sacrifice something that you enjoy doing in life for something that's going to be 10 times better because you earned it and you worked hard for it. Yeah, cuz cuz especially nowadays when you look at like the social media platforms, TikToks, people don't have a memory or a span of five five or six seconds to stay on a reel, whereas people want instant gratification, whereas what does it feel like to have that delayed gratification? I'd say that's a feeling like no other. It is, cuz you feel cuz you feel like you've earned it a lot more. Like you've put the work in, you've sacrificed, you've like you've dieted as hard, you've trained twice a day for eight weeks. You've sacrificed birthday parties, holidays, everything. Just once you get your hand raised, it's all it's all worth it. And even if you don't get your hand raised, if you know that you've you've put in you've done this best as you could and you've had a good scrap and you've made a good account of yourself, it's all it's all worth it in the Yeah, and I always ask fighters when they lose, obviously, when you win, there's the high maybe for the day, the day after, then it's straight back to work. What's it like What was it like when you took your first loss? How did you handle that compared to how you'll how you would handle a loss now? At the time, it's it's it's it's nobody likes losing, but if you can lose and take your lesson from it and get back to the gym and work on why you lost, on how you lost, on analyze how you lost, and use it to become better, and then learn not to make the same mistake the next time. That's what it's all about. Yeah. And obviously you you've passed that on, but you had you fought the who's who at amateur. I I was looking at you, obviously Alexander O'Sullivan was 30-odd fights. You fought so many good good people. When was it with with the pro side, when was it decided that it was time to go pro? Was it like but obviously it'd have to be between you and your coach, but did you just feel at the time that it was it was ready to go. I just felt like even from my amateur career, I won Clan Wars title. And then as I say, I had the kid and stuff and uh just family obligations and work pulled me away from the sport for a while. So, I wasn't even training anymore. And then my old coach Mickey came to me and said that he was he had too much work on and he couldn't run the club anymore and would I take it over? At the time, I thought he was mad. I was like, "Shit." It was just like a passing them. I didn't think I had the credentials or the experience or I would be able to do it. So, I went for it on and on and then after a couple of months of getting in and training the guys, I just fell back in love with it and had a made a comeback with my amateur career. I won the Clan Wars belt back and then I think it was in like a month I won the Akuma title and then I was like, "Fuck it. I want to go pro." Cuz the way I I said it earlier like with my career, I just see my fighting career as my CV. Cuz coaching is my end goal and I always I think I'm going to be around the sport the rest of my life involved in some way with coaching or coaching or managing fighters or maybe even promoting down the line. But running my own promotion would be in the pipeline maybe. Yeah, and like you said like that your your your your fighting record is your CV essentially and but you you're doing a fantastic job there and that's something that we'll get on to. Um but when you went into professional, obviously you went in your first fight was against Matisse. Um what was it like after being on such a good run at amateur, coming back like after being out of the sport, winning those two belts? And then what was it like to lose the first professional fight? I'd say that was a sinking feeling. uh the fairy tale start that you you think it's going to be. like everybody just expects to win their first pro fight and go on from there but it just shows you that it is what it is. It's fighting it's anything can happen. And plus that at the time I was my own coach up until I decided to go pro so then I moved to Team Torres about about 10 weeks before my first pro fight where I probably should have been there a bit longer before I decided to take my first professional fight but it is what it is. You learn as you go and I've been with Team Torres ever since and they've got me to where I am now. Yeah and and Team Torres is a fantastic club. What was the reason for picking Torres over other gyms was it you just like the fighters out there or was it did you have prior relationships with people? a very bit of a funny story cuz on the amateur circuit I competed twice against Team Torres guys and I won but I feel it was probably the closest fights I've had where their grappling was on a different level. I was come from a striking background so I was just my whole style was basically just defend the takedown and stick them with striking where those guys put me in situations where I like I need I'm not on the same level as these boys grappling so I would always like to get up and learn what they are learning. So I just decided to to go there. Yeah it's it's a good gym obviously fought Mickey was one of the one of the guys that you fought on the way up. Um 10 weeks out obviously doesn't seem like a long time. Obviously in hindsight you look back what kind of if if it if there was someone joining the club or going over to a club you need what maybe six months or something or probably even longer to get used to the style of the club would it? Uh probably just for me maybe a bit longer time I'm a very like introvert person. It takes me a while to come out of my shell or in like from a in new surroundings. But I think maybe just I just I just sort of rushed my first pro fight. Sort of. Just wanted to get out there and get to get out there but it is what it is. And get it done but obviously you went from there you went on I believe it was you went on twos and then you lost one and then you came out and then you fought Breslin. Uh so, you became double champ. Well, I had the amateur title and then won the professional title. Oh, you were the first ever person to do that, was it? Oh. What? No, I think Andrew Splender done it, too. I think there's been a couple of guys done it. As a as a So, what was it like obviously you lost the first one and then you go on a little bit of a streak. Um when you started winning, did you feel more comfortable then cuz you said you were your own coach, but having someone to guide you, did you feel that was more beneficial obviously than being your own coach? you can you need a team. You need a you need a coach. Amateur, I got away with it for a while. But, I knew like if I'm going to professional like I need to get a coach and I need to have a team around me. Yeah, and obviously you need the the bodies around you and they've they've got so many good bodies in there. So, but when you get to the the title fight at professional, does that feel any different? Does it feel any better? Does it feel any worse? Does the nerves feel different or is it just is fighting just fighting? It's just fighting. It's just fighting and every fight's just the next fight. That's all it is. Obviously with the title it's a bit more of a motivation behind it, but it's just the next fight and if I'm just going to work as hard for every fight cuz I think you're only as good as your last fight. And that's that's one of the funny things about this sport is people tend to forget what you've done up until that point, which is Do Do you find that quite I think obviously I'm not fighting, but I think it's quite unfair and I think it it it could create quite quite a lonely sort of a feeling as well that when you're winning, you have every everyone's in your messages, everyone's in thing. Well, who's there when the losses come? It's just it's just you just have to accept it for what it is. Like you could be on a winning streak and you could be like filling buses of people coming on you fight and then you get a loss and then the bandwagon drops off a bit and there isn't as many support for the next fight, but once you if you know who your real fans are and your real supporters are then it doesn't it doesn't really matter. It's not like the real ones won't care. Do you know what I mean? And like I said all the boys here like you might lose a fight, but look at your favorite fighters. My fighters that I have are my favorites. Like they're not all perfect records. They've got losses. They've come back. They've Do you know what I mean? It's just It's more like the fighting style. If you bring the fight and you put up an entertaining fight then you're still going to have your fans and your family is still going to love you at the end of the day. Yeah, 100% and see like especially in MMA no one other than Khabib who walked away at when it was a 29-0 30-0 you're not going to have a perfect record and that's what I love about MMA and dislike about boxing cuz in boxing if you lose one fight you're considered a bum. But you feel sometimes that feels like with some of the way people are preparing their careers and stuff like or if I don't want to say casual fans cuz I hate that word, but when when fans that aren't the hardcore is looking do you think that's starting to creep into MMA in a bit a bit now? If people lose there's just It's more there's people that don't really understand the sport who would like you lose a fight oh he's [ __ ] Do you know what I mean? It's MMA there's not many things can happen. Like the same two guys could fight each other 10 times. One of them could win five times and the other guy could win five times. Do you know what I mean? It's just on the day anything anything can happen and it's a sport there's that many variables in it that it's like that's why it's so hard to bet on MMA too cuz there's just so much that can happen. You can [ __ ] tell me about that. I think I think my slip last week or for the last one was all all red X's, but sure look. Um Obviously you were supposed to fight there. I want to say it was last the end of last not last year. Last June I was supposed to fight. So so about a year ago from today and obviously you you'd broke your some part of your foot. Are you looking is there a comeback on the horizon? Possibly I'm back training now and I think with that time off that I had I've really got the gym the work needs to be now where I can afford to take a wee bit of a step back and maybe focus on getting the fight myself. Like I said with my fighting career being my CV I feel like I I would like to fight on probably some bigger promotions and cuz I know the guys that are coming through here. So at some stage some of them are going to be turning pro. So I want to get out there and make the connections for those guys turning pro for those guys to follow with the bigger shows. And create just give everybody opportunities. Yeah and like like that you've done a fantastic job with the gym. The I'll talk about a couple of fighters in a few minutes. Um but so you're basically you're looking for a comeback. Obviously Clan Wars have the link with PFL as well. So with you being champion there there could be something in the pipeline. Do you have a have a time for when you'd like to get back fighting? I'm just I'm back training now so obviously it's with the conversation I need to have with my coach so I'm back training so I'll have the chat with him and we'll go from there but preferably before the end of the year I would like to fight again yeah. Yeah and like that there is the likes of PFL, Bellator's which are actually merged now. You've got octagon which are around the UK and Ireland as well. So um how when you first started obviously with the gym and cuz the gym's gone so well how hard was that to balance? Like your own kind I know you got injured but like how did you manage to balance your own kind of fighting career, the gym and then like you said family life, kids, stuff like that? It was always a struggle for me trying to find the balance between coaching and competing. It always it always was but from last year where I had that time off injured I've just been solely committed on on the coaching. And I think I've got a I think I've got around 10 amateur amateur active fighters there. And the gym is going well, but it's got to the stage now where I have guys that are quite well capable of jumping and taking a class while I'm away somewhere. If I have to go train somewhere else, it's we're all working together and we're all running the place the way it should now, where before I was I was a striking coach, I was a wrestling coach, I was a BJJ coach, I was taking kids classes, I was taking boxing classes, and then I was trying to fit in my own training there, too. Where now I've got guys that are allocated to certain jobs. Do you know what I mean? Even cleaning like the cleaning this place twice a day was time consuming. I have a guy that comes in and cleans for me now, so everybody is just helping out and it's very well organized now. And it's a credit to all the boys I have around me in the gym. Yeah, it isn't like that. Obviously, when you start something new, there's always going to be teething issues, but you seem to adapt with time and experience. That's what you've got figured out. And you said there's a there's you a couple of active fighters. Obviously, Jamie was was here earlier. And there's your brother. Uh Kelsie Crossley I was quite impressed with. Do you get like explain to me what this as cuz I spoke to a coach before who competed or was still competing. And he said he got more satisfaction out of seeing those people grow than his own fights, which I found kind quite strange cuz it's kind of a selfless thing. Whereas I think MMA is a self you have to be selfish, isn't it? What's the kind of feeling like when you see the likes of Jamie who just became the chaos champion, your brother went out and had an absolute banger at your fighting championship. And then Kelsie Crossley as well who looked very good. Yeah, there is a lot I love to see it cuz a lot of the times these guys coming in here just remind me of me. And I said like they could well and truly be doing a lot worse things than being in here training. Do you know what I mean? Especially with the town gets a bit of a bad rap sometimes, but there is good people in the town and there's people that want to do well and want to see people do well. And if Like help somebody change their life for the better and maybe there's not like I didn't have any qualifications or anything when I left school and I've managed to make myself a career out of this and I think MMA is it's an industry on its own. Like you can get involved coaching, you can fight, you can ref, you can judge, you can be on the cut team, you can be part of the media. It's just there's lots of different avenues you can go down. So, if I get somebody interested in it and they they like it and they make something of themselves out of it then it's a win, isn't it? Yeah, then obviously you're you're taking from your past experience and and seeing potentially people going down the wrong road. I mean, so is that like is that you giving back to MMA what MMA has given to you to to change the lifestyle and change life? So so like I love the coach the coaching is my end goal. That's why I'm always going to be around the sport coaching in some way shape or form. So, I just enjoy fighting too and I'm going to try and make the most out of my career while I can on them. I'm healthy and I'm fit so why not? I'll only regret it in years to come if I don't stretch it out as long as I can. But I've got three fights left and I'll be going full time in the coaching after that. Yeah, no and I can't I can't wait to see you come back and fight and where it may be and who may it be against but like you've done so well like changing everything around. Obviously you said when you had your child that was kind of the main factor as well. And then to get to here when you look back like on your life back to that point to now, can you even like It's mad. Sometimes I just have to stop and think to myself like [ __ ] I could have been in a whole lot worse of a situation here than what I am now and I'm grateful every day for the opportunity that I got and the life that I live now. And one thing I seen you'd posted before is someone had said to you MMA won't pay the bills. Oh, this was a guy that I used to hang about with. We were at the gym one day just lifting weights and I was telling them what I was going to do and he was like, "You're mad. MMA's not going to pay the bills." but I've made a way out of it to make it work. And how does it feel like to have your passion as kind of your work and that's how you get money? Uh, like you said, changing these people's lives, bringing them on to be fighters. Like I said, Jamie just won a title. He's looking He's looking like he's going to be a hot prospect in the near future. Um, and then like how does it feel to to be able to to live your life the way you do with MMA and pay the bills with it because a lot of people said like if you don't if you love what you do and you don't work a day in your life, does it feel like that? It's still work, but I love it. You know what I mean? I've had a lot of jobs that I didn't like and I never really find myself. I could never I never really got on well in the normal work work environment. So, to be me own boss and pick me own hours and do what I love, it's just I'm just grateful to be able to do it. Yeah, no. And it is like I said, when you love something, it is work, but it doesn't feel as It's It's not like going to an office from 9:00 to 5:00. like 9:00 to 5:00 Monday to Friday and then make the most of your weekend and dread going in on a Monday. I I'm here 7 days a week. I love it. Well, that's that's the main thing. It's And then like that how long have you actually been at the Hammer this gym because like I said, you've got about 10 active fighters. Um, and it was I want to say it was it one or two shows that you actually you had a clean sweep on. It was on your fighting championship I guess. it was about 3 weeks ago. Yeah. It's I've been head coach here for about maybe 5, probably 6 years now. And plus at the at the time I was more focused on me own career to be honest. So, I would have the odd fight here and there of somebody coming through the club or there was nobody really made like a a run at anything or a career of it. It was just like sort of one-off fights here and there, but I think the time off that I had I just focus on the fighters that I had and bring everyone on. We're going well now as an active fight team. Yeah, it is. And And obviously Kieran Brady was one who I actually forgot. When you see Kieran Brady and fight on Cage Warriors for his debut, and the fact that he came from this gym, like this is where Like how does that make you feel as a coach and as a person? I probably at the start of Kieran's career probably motivated him in some way, shape or form. Now, he motivates me. That man is a workhorse, like and he's got a bright future ahead of himself. So, he does. No, he does. And like that I was It was a good night watching him. He puts himself in these dangerous positions to to put his opponent in danger, but it is nerve-wracking to watch, but uh when your career, whether it be a fighter or a coach, and when people look back on uh your career as a coach or as a fighter, and they think of your name, what words or what sentence or what phrase would you want to associate? How do you want to be remembered? If somebody just remembers me as the guy that got them started and made a positive impact on their life. That's all I'm in it for, to be honest. No, and that kind of roots back to when someone was kind of positive to you and kind of set you on the path. the martial arts side of it, I think it's all about like your lineage. So, like if I'm part of somebody's lineage and they go on and then they have their own lineage where I can like trace my lineage back to my coach and his coach. If I'm somewhere along someone else's lineage, it's such a pretty cool thing. Yeah, like when you look back at the black belts who got their black belt off who. And obviously Kieran show your lineage, he actually has set up his own thing now as well, so. has his own gym now, so he does. So, it's it's So, it's it's it's it's I just want to keep this thing going as long as I can, like if carry it on down through the generations. Yeah, no. And you're doing a fantastic job, like I said, with your fight career. Hopefully, we see you back. And then with the gym as well, so. Thank you very much. this. Thank you.