Jonny Duggan interview

Summary

Kind: captions Language: en [Music] okay so I'm here with Johnny Dugen he's gonna be fighting this weekend Elite Fighting Championship it's first one ever in CK there's been a lot of pullouts there's been a lot of messing around me you spoke privately about how excited you were…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Kind: captions Language: en [Music] okay so I'm here with Johnny Dugen he's gonna be fighting this weekend Elite Fighting Championship it's first one ever in CK there's been a lot of pullouts there's been a lot of messing around me you spoke privately about how excited you were to be on this card and then it keeps getting pulled away it kept getting pulled away from you how does it feel to be matched and no one has going heading how are you feeling obviously fight week were only two days away three days away yeah like I mean like all is good Dave um first of all thanks for having me on um obviously there's been a lot go on um I suppose the first part of it is that like we are originally meant to fight someone from Dublin um what out happened there reasons unknown is what I'm going to say to be honest I'm not going to say too much but [ __ ] reasons yeah um then we went to fight a French fell um French fell came along and unfortunately last week he had issues with his passport look that happens things can happen that way um don't judge the [ __ ] in anyway shape of farm um that's going to be rebooked I am going to fight that French fell in the future so that's one to come um it's not going to be a during the summer probably towards the end of the year but I am going to fight that French F again and then we landed on this Portuguese guy who accepted last weekend so yeah we've had a bit of a journey like because obviously you see this card you know it's in your hometown because I want to say I'm gonna I can't remember the full card but you didn't fight on the core card in Premier did you saw a show just before or after it wasn't it I fought on chaos just after with kale D yeah um I didn't I haven't fought in the republic since December 2022 when me and J Ryan fought that's the last time we fought I fought in the Republic it's bit mad I'd say like that once You' seen the C was coming uh Brian Manning is obiously headlining it it's gonna be a massive show Brian is mental we Brian's a conversation for another day be a full conversation yeah it's a it's a full it's a full threeh hour Joe podcast talking about that f is um but like obviously Brian's at the top your co-main event you know it's going to be a big C is in Cork like what was your emotions like when it was like when it kept getting pulled away from you see like it's so hard like because like people don't get it when you're an amateur like we're not paid for this we're not paid to do it we don't like if you're lucky to have some sponsorship but amateur it's great but we spend hours of our own time training doing the extra bits going to the gym just all the extra bits away from family like I have two kids I have the whole lot that I have a personal life outside this you know I take time away to dedicate myself to this and every time someone pulls out like it's tough and look obviously there's reasons why it can happen like I mean I have to pull out in March I injured my Cal in March I couldn't fight Morgan Hines that's what I call a legitimate pull out pull out there's nothing you can do about that but like what annoys me is when people turn around they're like yeah I'll agree to the fight they get their little fight poster and then decide you know what I'm actually not going to fight you you know like I I I'm not like kind of built like that in terms of I'm not going to turn around and be giving out about people or anything like that but like you know it's tough enough to get fights at the Federate division in the Republic like you know so like I understand that like people have their own preferences where they want to fight what they want to fight but like my my main thing is like just don't agree to the fight if you don't plan AO us yeah know and I get that like as well I've had conversation like this it's more their Instagram fighter some of them are and they want the fight poster they want to be the big man in the in their town or Village or wherever they may be from and then when it comes to fight day it might not happen and like you said with the feder weight division it's quite hard now because you look at the likes of uh over the past year Solomon Simon has left it Mario defano left at GoPro ke K I know he was a duel between Banton way and fed way but he's gone Jordan Bradshaw's gone Ronan degan's been out for a while um you've got obviously right now you've got like emic Damen McKenna Michael Shields J poo there is more but it's kind of it it's kind of cut now because there is so many going pro so like do find it frustrating at that sense that there's only such a small pool at that and then to have the pull outs must just absolutely just do your heading yeah and like look it's happened me a few times like and like i' I've always lived by the kind of thing of like you know I'll always say yes to a fight I think if you ask any promotion in the Republic the N anytime I I'm ask do I want to fight i' say yeah you know and I I think that that's the way it is the only time you'll ever see me pull out of a fight is if I'm legitimately injured in any shape of farm you know other than that like I will fight anyone like you know that that's the way like it should be at amateur like you know what I mean people just deciding oh I'm going to pick this fight that fight I don't believe that's the way it should work like I've went in there and I've fought guys that are champions now I fought guys that are at the top of this division now and I've looked at it that way and my my opinion is why not fight them like it's only going to benefit you down the line I mean picking and choosing who you fight doesn't help in certain circumstances especially these kind of ones and then for people just to pull out kind of to pick your own fight look it's just not the way I work like you know and like you know me a long time notive I'm not a [ __ ] talker I don't I don't go out I don't call people out it's not my thing I literally just say yes to fights if someone turns around to me and goes do you want the fight yeah and that's the way it is so what is frustrating yeah that s things but at least we have a fight we have something to look forward to well I actually have two to look forward to but it's that's the other side of things as well so like obviously in the Republic we have the Federate side of things but in the north then I'm looking at the bantamweight side of things and getting into that side now as well um I've had a few fights of Banton W as well um just to try get fights you know and I mean like that's the that's the other side of things as well like I mean I've had to go up down way it's just to make sure I can get a fight you know sometimes I have to go to a different country but look all all it matters to me is trying to be active like you know and that's that that's where I want to be at the end of the day I don't want to be sitting on the sideline saying oh someone else is pulled out I have to wait for a different show or I have to wait for this you know I literally just want to sit there and foot simple no and I get that and I get and like you said I think fighting the harder fights are the top of division because obviously that's where you you you're climbing too and I I was talking about with Shay Cleland and Damen mcgan probably two of the best flyweights they fought right and then fighting each other and even though Shay lost I think that was a very close fight even though Shay lost that's like beating four or five Lads that might be like so of I don't want to say quality but you know inexperience stuff like that that fight is going to do more for him even though he came out on the losing side it' be the same for yourself or whoever fights if you fight these tough guys and like that you hang in with them for decision or or whatever way it goes you're always you're going to learn more off these better guys than you are of someone your own kind of level or lower so I think to improve you need to take the harder fights but I've a question about obviously you're fighting this week and you're fighting next week so you're fighting this week at feder weight so I'm assuming you don't have to cut much weight and then what's that like to go from that way to start cutting down for the the other way that is that going to be difficult at all no like I'm very lucky um we have a guy that helps us through everything Sean adaptive of H same Sean Fitz he's he's a nutrition guy and like he works with 90% of our team now at this point you know um and he plans everything out like he's really really good for this kind of stuff like so one thing I do have to do is I say I'll fight Saturday and Sunday I'm back into a different kind of C for the week after you know um and I suppose like that's part and part like you know I mean I'm looking for fights I want to fight people these two opportunities came up um and as long as Aaron my coach says yeah why not you know and that's the way I kind of look at it yeah no and and as well you've got this week which is obviously gets portuges guy but next week is going to be for a belt then as well which I think is mad because that belt has been up for ages trying to get matched and only for I think you were on the cork show is that why why you hesitate first and then true and then you and then you went for it how does it feel to be fighting and I don't we're not overlooking your opponent here but obviously I'm not going to get a chance to talk to you before your next fight as well how does it feel to be fighting for a belt on chaos um like the longest running show in the in on the island yeah and like I mean yeah not obviously not looking overlooking the guy this weekend look much respect him for taking the fight um but the one for chaos is a big deal for me obviously as well like I'm fighting Jason Tran he's a good guy uh see seen on fight um seems like a tough guy exactly what I want you know he's from he trains in zkj with the four brothers things like that like you know well aware who he is and I'm really really looking forward to that fight I've been on chaos once before um the guys that run it like the Jay mccave and all them they're they're great guys they they're always looking out for Stuff um and it was kind of mad off the way it kind of happened like I mean I was they were looking for a replacement for me for car show and like I saw this and they after putting up a post and I I kind of just cheeky text there and be like I'll fight B weekend if if it's all right with you and like I was expecting to get back in of like no just focus on this we go and he turned around to be fair to him and he was like no let's do it he was like why not like you know like let's let's go get a few fights under the belt and let's do this side of things and like I who who am I to say no to fighting that like you know I mean like if no one else wanted to fight Jason why wouldn't I you know and that's the way I look at it yeah and one of the things as well I can ask you a hard question right so if you had to choose one fighting C or fight for the title what will or can you even answer that you don't have to answer that but because that would be a hard one well I'm gonna my car group J is going to take first notice on this I'm gonna say car um front like it's going to be a very rare occasion until hopefully I go pro on time it's going to be a very rare occasion where I'm going to fight front of my friends and family like that's that's the other side of things like you know I mean that's a very very big moment for me like my wife is going to be there my my brothers my parents everything like you know like it's it's a big moment for me you know and like in order to suspect any other show like chaos fantastic show I love it the opportunity they're giving me is brilliant but like there's not going to be anything like this and I think Dave like when you see it like it's it's going to be crazy like we like from talking to barel Callahan the guy that runs Elite Fighting Championships this is going to be wild no and and I I truly respect your answer because obviously we had a show Premier last year or December the year before or whatever it was Brian F Jess and but other than that shows are kind of exemp not exemp from cor but they haven't been there in a while um and chances of them coming back around are long while again as well because you you know there's always going to be ones in Dublin you know the devonish is always going to be cage conflict Y is always going to be in Nori chos is always going to be in der uh it's only the likes of Nile from Premier who will move it around de Ken has talked about maybe moving around he's doing his his Liverpool show maybe he will go to corus that's one of the shows he promised but like that you can't take the chance like if you like you get to the end of the year and you decide you're going pro like the chances of of getting to fight in Cork again are going to be very very small so no I appreciate the answer but talk to us about Elite and and the show and this is the first and hopefully the first of many because from what I hear he's planning on going to be a one and done this is going to be a a complete series what's it like working with Barry and the team running running the show so like obviously Barry's involved um Aaron's obviously involved as well so like obviously you know very close to both of them like on a personal level as well in terms of dayto day what the guys are doing TR and work in the background like Barry is non-stop working and I mean like to be fair to him like I mean how he's handling matches he's not putting matches on that it's matches for the car clads if you get me you you know it is every fight is a fight where it's interesting I mean the first show we're flying International as you know like I mean they're they're they're putting that effort in which is huge I mean like even the main event there like Manning's fighting a guy that was just at the imfs you know like I'm fighting a guy that was just at the imfs um Louise Brady is fighting a girl that was just at the you know so that's the level that they want to bring on every single time and I suppose like how how we worked it with them like obviously we know them all but like if you look at the card it's not just MMA car like you have SBG car on it you have Samsung on it you have guys from the likes of Bal um there's different places all coming in and they're supporting people with the exact same um kind of you know matching they want to make good competitive matches every single time and I think that's that's the best way to describe it like you know I mean like when you look at around like I mean competitive matching like you always see it on the lights of Y with Dey K did do a good job matching Lads up as well you know like you see that kind of s things that's the exact same thing we want here we want people to start coming to cark as well to say Okay I want to fight that now next or I want to fight an international person in that car you know that's that's what we want to get to no and it will get like that if the shows are successful and keep going I can't see why they wouldn't be like you said they're evolving all the course you've got SBG Samsung two J gyms that I absolutely love as well um and like that you've got guys coming over internationally that's crazy for a first event sure yeah yeah so kudos to Aaron and to Barry for everything for the matching on it but in terms of your opponent will it been a a short notice fight have you put much effort into studium or or is that something that you usually do or do you usually just kind of focus on you and let the guys kind of look at a bit or what way does that work for you see like I I let normally Aaron and Jack McGuire other coach like I normally the guys you know they'll tell me how to approach and that's that's the best way to describe like I mean like you know like yeah I do look at guys and you know I don't try to overanalyze at some because I think at times like you can over analyze some you can look at them like oh I need to do this I need to do that you forget what you're good at you know and I think that's a that's a big thing and it's something that I've definitely learned in the last year definitely with my last few fights um almost overthinking to the stage of like oh I'm fighting a Grappler I need to Grapple more whereas like oh I'm fighting a striker I need to be I need to be doing this or that you know like it's MMA like and that I think that's that's where I'm at that point now where I'm like yeah I do look at guys but like if I'm on Farm I don't see them beating me if you get me yeah just and like that just focus on yourself because I think you get like fighting is hugely mental it's a massive percentage mental and I don't think a lot of people understand that it's well people are going to sit here and go you're a hypocrite because you don't fight but I this is my feeling and opinion on it that there's a lot of ment got to do with it like I said you can get inside your own head and kind of Psych yourself out in a way and and kind of downplay your kind of your own strength rather and and making his seem not greater than yours but like that he's got a greater Str so you kind of stuff your your kind of strengths to kind of comat with what he's doing but uh no it's going to be a good show I'm gonna let you go because I know you've got training I want to thank you so much for your time is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone want to shout out and thank you again yeah first of all Dave as always thank you for having me on H you're always supporting the lads doing doing a bit for all of us you know we we we do appreciate everything you do for us next think um obviously to my team MMA CLK we have a lot of guys on the card at the weekend so if you can't make the show there's a pay-per-view link it's all there for people to watch up the country as well um and then obviously to my coaches Aaron and Jack mcgu who you know they put Tran effort into me every week um outside of that some other lads Oceanic trujitsu Sean Livingston all part of my camp this time just working on stuff um and then um the usuals the training Partners to Barry Kennedy's and of course if I didn't say Brian Manning I probably get in trouble but anyway no um all the ls in the club the usual crack you know yeah know 100% it's been a pleasure to speak to you again because we speak a lot outside of being the interview so it's good to actually catch up on this and then get some content made out it I can't wait I'm actually going to be there and um I've got my Alan from The Hangover suit to interview Brian after the show I think I don't know if I'm actually going to go through with it but we'll see on the day you're gonna have to interview me with that too if you're interviewing Brian I I want to interview that us lining up for that I'd say 100% that's what I was actually asking you gonna be I don't usually do interviews after shows but I said that Brian was saiding [ __ ] get it and do it and then I was like oh I don't want to get not that I don't want to get stung doing infus is just when you do the infus at the show you miss the next fight if you get me Jo to go to the medical then after medical we do it and then I come back cuz it happened before and I was like oh I don't really like the doing the interviews especially when I don't have run with me to do the the proper camera work and stuff but yeah I see if you see me arriving down if I'm coming down in my suit I'm actually walking into the venue in the suit and I'm sitting there the whole day in the suit that's what's happening I'm getting a lift down and that's I'm gonna respect it I respect it hit hit flask a whiskey for the drive down and then I'll see is all down there so I will see you my friend thank you for your time thanks again Dave see you again perfect