Rackie Pascua interview

Summary

So basically um I took this fight on short notice on Tuesday. Uh I was originally meant to fight at 61 kilos but uh my coach wasn't able to get me anything for that weight class. And whenever we heard uh the fight that uh your boy Thomas was having at 68 uh that his boy pulled…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

So basically um I took this fight on short notice on Tuesday. Uh I was originally meant to fight at 61 kilos but uh my coach wasn't able to get me anything for that weight class. And whenever we heard uh the fight that uh your boy Thomas was having at 68 uh that his boy pulled out my coach offered me the fight which I gladly accepted because I think I'm game for it. He also uh said that he leaves an game game to fight even if I'm going to be smaller than him and like still trying to get my weight up but I'm very sweet fighting fighting him. >> Yeah. So I like that your game obviously there's a little bit of weight difference but you just want to get in and scrap so I really like that kind of an attitude. Um with it being a home show obviously with Valor. Uh what's the buzz like in the gym right now? >> Pretty good man. Pretty good. And I feel like cuz especially with our camp and all that, everyone else is fighting at the same uh everyone's been pushing each other really hard, especially uh I've been because I'm one of the smaller guys in the gym, but I've been pushing it hard, especially with guys a lot bigger than me and I could hold my own fine. So that's why I've been so comfortable with accepting this fight at a higher weight. And I really believe that like uh I could show up all the skills and everything that I I put up, especially in the last few few months. I've been at it since like the end of September just full long camp been training away since my last fight as well over the summer. So I feel like I'm game for anything. >> Yeah. No, that's good. And then obviously but to get to kind of where you are now competing stuff, you had to start somewhere. Talk to us about why you started and when you started uh combat sports. >> So I I started actually like over a year ago last August. Uh I just wanted to try something different. I was obviously fit and just like going to the gym and everything and I was just like why not try a bit of bai let's see what it's like joined a boy tai gym for university just to try it out and then just having my first few sessions uh I loved it right away man obviously I wasn't as good as I am now and I had like my the head beat out of me a few times but I really loved it and the environment everyone like gave like I honestly just couldn't think anything else was better than this. Like especially like mentally and physically I' I'm in the best shape of my life and uh I wouldn't have been here without actually starting combat sports. >> Yeah. And I think that's one thing that people overlook. I think like sometimes uh combat sports gets marginalized because obviously it's violent, it's this, that the other, but there's so many positives to bring to it. You spoke about your mental health and your physical health. Like do you think people overlook that when they look at combat sports? Um, and it's they have this perception that it's all like juiced up guys or animals or or that. But when you go into the gym, it's it's probably the nicest group of people you'd meet. Would you agree with that? >> Oh, definitely not. Like when I actually like stepped into the gym, I was extremely intimidated, of course, because like I I joined alone as well by myself and uh walking into the gym, I thought everyone was just going to be like weak heads and just like just just not nice at all. But obviously when I got to know everyone, everyone was so nice, especially sparring with guys that were higher level than me. They would literally step me aside and like show me what they were doing to me and like helping me out of techniques all the time. And and I it was so encouraging especially with all the coaches always just being there just to support like I honestly think like the environment you get from doing combat sport it is just amazing for you like it gets your confidence up so high. >> Yeah. It's like that I've been in different circles whereas GA soccer, I think MMA and combat sports in general is everyone's together. Everyone wants to help each other cuz everyone's there for a certain reason whether they started for mental health or or physical fitness or or whatever or they just want to be champion of the UFC. Everyone's there for a reason and everyone wants to help each other and and that's why I like doing these interviews to show that side of it as opposed to what people presume it to be. But you've got this fight and we're not looking past your opponent. But do you have anything else planned for the rest of the year or are you going to take a rest and enjoy Christmas? >> So uh well like at the moment I'm in my final year of university. So this first semester was really calm for me. So I was able to camp. So second semester I'm pretty like filled up with just like trying to finish uni. But so probably for the next few months I'm going to be resting. I'm still going to train like mad like train like two three times a week just to stay fit. And then whenever I finish uni, I could fully just focus again on fighting at the end of the year. Just get a good few fights in. Like uh honestly like the the feeling of fight camp is just different as well. Like I so locked in and obviously like you have to be disciplined. Like I'm off the train. I'm off everything. Like but then whenever I actually do get a break, it feels almost like it's earned instead of like just uh doing stuff just for the sake of it. Like it honestly feels great. Like >> Yeah. No, it's good. And I like that the fact that I know you're in uni and you like cuz you probably know fighting doesn't have a long shelf life as a career and you know yourself there isn't that much money in it um to make so you're making sure obviously your future after fighting if you go down the professional route that you have that kind of in the back pocket as well cuz like I said it's only going to be one year out of fighting or a couple of months compared to you're going to get that degree which will then carry through for a lifetime as well. to have that kind of backup plan as well. But no, it's going to be a really really good show tomorrow. I'm going to let you go and I do appreciate you coming on so close to the fight and I actually do remember watching your last fight now. Um, >> thank you man. >> Now that I think about I I I'm pretty sure it was a wild one. Um, but yeah, look, is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out? And uh, thank you for your time again. Um, honestly just shout out Hyper Devil, shout out um, Stephen Buster, shout out Andy Young, man, because like um, and obviously just shout out everyone in my gym because without them, man. Like honestly because of the environment they created around me, man. Like I I love that gym so much. I don't even live in Banganger. Like I travel, train up and down just because I love everyone there. I love the coaches there. I love the environment. So shout out them because without them, I honestly wouldn't be here. Like >> I love that. I love that that you're actually traveling to there because of the people there and the atmosphere they've created for you and everyone else in the gym just is a credit to what they've created there. But look, best of luck tomorrow. Thank you so much and I will see you soon. All right. Cheers, D. You have a good one.