Nathan McGillian interview

Summary

Nathan is an amateur fighter who recently won the IUR lightweight championship on 6 hours notice we detail the events of the day

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Music] okay so I'm here Mr naan mcgillian mcgillian mcgillian is it right yes there s people down south that they can't say it for some reason well I I noticed who was it you talking was it Andrew McAn didn't say it right was it Andrew McAn on commentary and and he's and he's a teammate and then uh geez I just like for example at the four nations I turned around to kieren dver and I says would you hear us here and all here was like mcgillan and I was like just it's not so hard to say Millan see that's why I was like I I was saying that I was actually looking at your name and I spelling it out and I was like I'm probably gonna get this wrong right and I said I do it but obviously I speaking to now last Sunday um was a crazy turn of events obviously you became the champion but I'm going to talk up to the events that led up to it so I'm in the crowd you bought one of these jerseys that I have on here um I said right I give it to someone one of your teammates I see OB see em mlen fresh their muscle fit so I see Emma put up on a story he didn't think I'd be doing this on a Sunday so I went Daddy I give it to Emma because I know Emma's one of your good friends she'll bring it back to you and and whatever so I went over on chat to Emma and I said will you give this to Nathan she goes yeah should I give it to him after the fight I said is he here she goes yeah he's fighting I didn't cop it I actually got laid to the venue and just got there for the first thing so I I didn't get a fight card so I was only looking at the rest one fight by fight and I went you're he's not fighting she goes yeah he got called like I then sh like I think the message was will you fight today or something I was like I [ __ ] it and and then and then I went back I took the shirt back off of it and I said right I'm giving it to him I went back and I had look and there you were fighting and you came up against Adam Ma and we all know Adam's been around a long time and he's a very tough competitor so that's a tough fight to come in on a few hours notice um talk to us about the events from your point of view uh so I was as I said the post interview uh d m l my turkey H dinner the reason that being is because I was going for my Sunday lunches uh just after hard day sparring the day before uh Seb text me first says what's your weight like and then I should away I just I got the pet in my stomach and I said Seb what's going on here Seb says title fight today uh you're you're with uh someone's pulled out uh what we could you be so I went up as skilles and they were like fluctuating and wait and stuff so like I like had to rush the house so at the same time I grabbed the my young boy Joey thre him in the car drove up the my house he was busting for the toilet so I was stripping him down to get him to go to his we party St R myself down to get on the scales dinner L down the stairs next thing uh it was like like a hose going off he ping on the carpet so I was and everything I swear to God passing on the carpet I was running I was stand naked in the bathroom trying to weigh myself to get me weight down uh so all that got sorted down whatever we're just lying down the bed uh he's he goes for a nap whatever we're land in the bed and I was looking at the phone just went on the text they confirm no to drive up the road uh so I was lying there looking at the phone got the text literally got my gym bag out started throwing like usually I like being coordinated with my first my f Jersey and uh my shorts and stuff I just start launching everything in their bag and I couldn't find my cup and I was running out the shed to get my gloves and stuff just fired everything in their bag under the car listen to talk sport listen to football and the radio up to the venue and just noral proceedings from there on on then and obviously the performance was fantastic got there and you went in like I've talked to just after the four nations and I know Fufu and Fufu even said himself like he did win the goal but he felt like you were the stand out tournament and I felt like you were as well with the level competition you faced you started this year and ended last year with like a lot of hard like like you you lost in der to Aaron Bo then you lost there in in Derry again like you went through a hard time and then you've really kind of turned around this year what was it like to get that win and finally get a title yeah I beat I lost the Aron by split decision and then uh I beat Jack for the month after uh then I had go over overseas with army for six months so overall it's probably about a year out from the Jack forign fight up the fight in Conor car very tough fight to come back there Conor's one of the best amateurs in the country uh after that then I had a title fight in der that had its own complications where my original opponent who was meant to be Aron again for the belt poll night uh due to injury then his teammate uh had a few complications make him weight so on the same day similar to what happened to me and joer uh James slavin stepped in short notice and you it was just a bad night at the office lost that fight uh I'm going to call the curse of chaos now because I've lost twice of Chaos in front of my home crowd it's not a nice feeling but it is what is eventually sorted that out and at verus uh after the four nations and uh won it ver this and then obviously won this fight as well so um I've won four my last five now so I'm certainly really F me fight again and building good momentum going on the worlds yeah and the worlds is coming up shortly but like that there's been ups and downs and highs and lows like that you really come back and I think it's four and0 on your Fighting Championship as well isn't it I don't know who no you don't seem to lose nor and when you actually got that belt we spoke obviously you went to Barry who I actually spoke to then after um and you said that Chang your mentality and obviously there was a switch and and and things started swinging the momentum in your direction again do you think getting that last minute call and not overthinking the fight maybe going into it do you think that was a part to play or do you think that had no effect it's it's not nice for joxer and it's not nice for like it's not nice for me well kind of for me it's a free hit you know I could have went up just say right I'll take a last minute fight he could have knocked me out and people saying oh he took it last minut played him you know what I mean there's no pressure in that sense but like I I wanted that belt so badly um so for it to come up so quick whatever not to have preparation uh not to study my opponent whatever it was a big risk because potentially I could have sat out that fight being three and0 on the show look for an easy opponent and tried to get a title fight that with but you know I accepted it uh because I'm there I want the build I'm there to fight 40 on the show now um but it was more or less free hit's probably the best way to describe it because I could have went up played it safe know just even tried to grind out three rounds or whatever just thought you know what I'm just know I'm going to get good praise for this but I went in I wanted to one and I knew you could wion so I didn't think twice about it to be honest and it it paid off yeah and like that trying to grind out a a three- round decision could be a dangerous game to play as well with someone like joer like you said he could he could have done something in the first round like that I think he wanted to go in especially with the half break that he'd had before with like you said losing at Derry twice that you wanted to make sure that this was over and You' done it in Fantastics silent like we' both said that was a hard one of Jo and fair play to him as well because he could have said no to that fight as well because you imagine game planning for someone and then coming in last minute and he just went yeah I'd take it it just shows that the two year proper Fighters it's not nice I I spoke to joer after the fight know that's what happened to me in March when I was fighting James um last minute opponent pull out like I wasn't too aware of James just kind of just had to say yep I'll fight him because as a title fight you want to collect as much belts as you can before you switch over to the pro scene because you know not the belt really matter but it's you know it shows where you're at on amateur level so I just basically give Jo chat and says look similar thing happened to me it doesn't mean [ __ ] all just uh it's more experience game get on with know it's just it's [ __ ] for both us really but he'll be back you mean yeah so talk to us about when that happened to you with James on the day he said yeah I'll take the fight but you thinking like would you have game planned for your original opponent before James came in because you obviously you had to switch with ar and I think it was Robert was supposed to was it Robert was supposed to come yeah Robert and then obviously James so like that's a whirlwind of okay you've gone from you fought Aaron so you kind of would have known what you're going into there and what to expect and what you could do to go to Robert and then go to James what was your thought process there was it just yeah I want to get in fight or was there any part of it that was like [ __ ] like I I I Was preparing for Aaron or then Robert and now James comes in like were you worried about how to approach the fight or did you just go in go i' just go in and give it my best I don't Dave I don't plan too much to be honest I just kind of try and prove everywhere around um I just play my own game to be honest um it's just just I don't know it's just it's just a [ __ ] one cuz someone comes in last minute again like there's less pressure on the MFL uh they might be coming on a heavier weight they might be fresher they're not doing the full weight cut as well a smaller component um it's just not nice it's just I don't like I don't like the not known you know what I mean like even when s sent me that message I was like just tell me what it is because I the not known like oh what's he plan for me here know that type way uh was a mad few hours just driving up the road I didn't even know he was fighting up the road I don't know if it was Jake or Jack fighting I just kind of find out when I got the Vue as well so it's not nice but at the same time these things happen yeah it's the fight game and like that it's more experienced game like you said it was the same for you and Derry it's the same for joer and then uh both people obviously you're going to go on you mentioned the worlds there okay so obviously the worlds coming up when I want to say November is it uh you're definitely going to how are you feeling about going to them especially after your performances at the four Nation against really high level competition and then collecting that b well another day I could have won the four nations new um it was just a tough fight um I just I just feel like I don't know on my given day if I'm at my best then I'm good enough you know what I mean um I'm going to one I'm not going there they just no play part whatever um I'm going there to one um it's a lot a lot of money to go over so U I'm going be calling for sponsorships in to they try to get sponsorship to help me with frees and stuff to get over and believe me like I going put on one H shift to try become world champion yeah so obviously enjoyed the experience for and like you said when you look at that last fight in for as go wasn't stopped early could it you know in amate you're usually going to stop it earlier than later that sort of way so I say that also plays on your mind going you know I could have got it that day but you're going to be going forward into the world is that your plan then for the rest of year because that will kind of see the year out that'll be obviously if you go to the finals and that that's GNA be no no no no no no if if you can't if you can't announce it don't no well no well I have big plans for the 10th of December that's all I'm saying but if things don't work out then I'll be looking unify to buildt on uh your Fighting Championships but I have something else up in the PIP line first so going to try to get that sorted as soon as possible if not then I'll be on l r I'll be I'll be fighting 10 of December regardless perfect so we're going to see you at the worlds we're going to see you at 10 so you've got a busy end of the year lined up hopefully then after that you're going to take a rest and enjoy your Christmas and spend it with your family also one question what was it like when You' seen that picture of your son watching you raise the belt that's that's the stuff you want like when you have a child that's the stop you like imagine in your head no you want everyone wants to make their son pride and like he'll look at that photo and maybe like 10 years time and be like wow my my dad was fighting MMA and he was a champion and I was watching him on TV and they already like I bring him the TR session I bring him the gym and stuff just like I'm not going to force anything upon him or whatever but it just seems to take a real L into it so like if he can follow my footsteps so I'm going to make him 50 times better than what what I'm going to be and I'm going to support him on whatever it ises yeah no that's good cuz I know that's happened to a couple of fights you look at shaa banon she was always around the gym when she was a kid and then obviously look at the way she's gone now and you see a lot of people you see it kind of pass down to gener like generationally because their parents or their brother or someone was in the gym that I kind of trickles down like said you're not going to force him to do anything but if he went into it it it'd be great just if it was even as a hobbi you know that sort of thing I think it structures people it disciplines people it humbles people and be good thing to do but it's been a it's been like that from a a bad place to a to a very good place it's been quite a journey this year like if you could describe this year so far I know you still have more to go in one word or a sentence what would it be um I could start I don't it just I I couldn't really describe it in a couple of words but I just say like when you go through the bad times like you just have to keep on push school and keep training I could have de like put the head down after a couple of hard losses at the start of the year um I just kept going I I I train all the time um I've never stopped I've always believed in myself and I've just tried to improve loads of areas my game and know it's a marun it's not a Sprint if you keep putting on the work like the set goes it's not who's who's best it's who's left and loads of people TR may have came and gone but you know I've always put on the hard work and I've always been consistent of through my years of training so just going to keep doing what I'm doing try to keep raising the levels um just train as much as possible get better and just see where where I end up yeah no it's been a fantastic year and it's been a fantastic year Watching you as well and I also want to thank you for the support for buying the Jersey they're actually quite nice aren't they they're class I love it I've seen a couple of boys that have bought them off me using it Jo when they're in training and they're putting up their training footage that I see a minute which is is good but uh I'm going to let you go because I know obviously you've got training tonight keep that one fresh yeah keep that one fresh um I know you've got training you've a lot going on uh so I want to thank you very much for your time I want to congratulate because like that a couple hours notice is crazy um you came in and done it and uh I was like I said I couldn't believe you were even there until I I met Emma went back to look at the card went oh she's not lying I said well I'm giv this t-shirt to him myself you're not giving it to him so uh I got to see you there person which was was very good as well so thank you so much is there anything you want to say before you go uh just uh anyone interested in sponsoring me come up for the World Championships I really appreciate the help I've been really blessed with sponsorship so far throughout my short fighting career so uh anyone who's willing to hop on board and help me out would be much appreciated and thank you to my team uh previous sponsors and yep and my family as well everyone supports me my dog and your dog your dog made a couple of cameos in the in the in the interday there there he or she is again um I want to thank you for your time and I will be talking to you very soon thanks Steve cheers thank you