Damien McKenna interview Fansviewmma

Summary

Damien is the latest Clanwars champion, winning the lightweight strap in an extremely exciting and close contest. we speak about his career to date and plans for the future

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Music] [Music] thank you [Music] okay so we have the clan war champ in the house he fought Shane Mullen in a very close and very very good contest so this is the first time I've got to speak to him in a while how are you how did it feel winning the belt I'm good one how are you um once we felt pass I made my debut on Clan Wars less than two two years it will be two years in August so it was it wasn't about even though we fight until about the fought for about last year didn't go in my way then I knew no matter what I was going to come back around and then I would knew that time Wars is the big one for me it's all about yeah and I don't have chaos as well but clown was the sort of one when I started watching them like that was the one that I've always been watching making so the one the clan wars one was the big one for me and I'm sure anyway yeah and especially does it feel more special because you started there you started with the fight against Rory which was I've gone back and watched a few times I must say because it was like for two letters that just started like what a fight that was and then for you to start there like that and then end up with the best like how like obviously you'd had the shot at that before like he did obviously he didn't win but like how did it feel not win at the den and then when you did win it did you feel like you kind of redeemed yourself from the last title loss yeah I would say I've redeemed myself I I'm a completely different fader like from then I just experienced like you've seen I just first fight already I went like it was foreign so I've just been looking for the best people but I told him about that was Unreal um you talked about fighting the best people and you have if you look at your topology you've gone to like the IMF competitions and stuff like that um do you take do you think sometimes amateurs like you're eight and six I believe uh yeah like do you think sometimes amateurs especially just amateurs with losing records that I see and you probably see that are fantastic do you think sometimes they put too much heed on the record at amateur because for me it doesn't matter once you go pro that's what matters and yeah exactly I'd rather have more losses at amateur and then start off on beating for your first 10 fights yeah like some of the people I fought around which are are like someone even like say my fight there was Sheen like I was a high level amateur fight and you know yourself whenever you go pro your first couple of Fighters like for my first couple of friends I don't like I'm gonna have this high level of a fake they got to get even full combo setup during the faith he's like this could be a proof it but uh I just think it's stupid people like having Maybe like parted not parted but like people not to translate the best people they can on an amateur for sure um I don't I like you're not anyone that's successful like anyone accused version you're not talking about their amateur record are they and even at being like taboology topology saving someone like Karen Clark as well I think he had a pretty mixed record as people I got and I look at him like he's absolutely smashed up like he always fought like it's people like that that I kind of like look at myself because I don't have the perfect record but I've literally fought the best people could so that'll stand by me whenever I go to Pro so as people that sort of challenge themselves at amateur will end up doing the best and proof they're like uh I definitely at this level I think you should really challenge yourself as much as you can Alex for sure yeah you definitely saw it and Kevin Clark he's one IO he's one I pick out the most because he had a tear a 13 and 10 record I didn't fight that weren't recorded with topology years ago whatever yeah but like that he's on being was he sex and all or something yeah I'm trying a few people around him but my head's just people like him like just I don't even know Karen like I'm not I've never even had him but it's just like here it's not the amateurs not the end of the world if I was I if I was on a I've only been beaten by like two people in Ireland it'll be different if it was say I was getting section of Only Fault in Ireland well that's different like I said was fighting people only a couple of fights but like the majority of the people have lost the bar bar one person everyone have lost it has been an IMF medalist uh neither of the Europeans or the world where they has been and then like everyone else who thought of all medals as well so I was like I'd rather lose them than just like fight in Ireland and Hillary even beat Blaster competition like because I learned so much more small amp every single time every single one whose trades taught me a lot even losing the worry no matter the [ __ ] talk I learned I learned laughing up and that stood by me like so yeah and like that can you see like that we were just talking there it was in August 2021 you started like can do you look back at your first fight like we talked about which is a cracker can you see your progression and how do you feel looking at your progression because like that you've improved improved improved improved uh you've taken like I said you've taken from your losses and you've you've built on them like when you look at what you've become over a year and a half just under two years like how do you view that because it's quite incredible I think I don't know we'll try not to think about it too much like I just I just have my hair like I'm not I'm not old at this point I'm 24 now but like I'm just like I've there's no time to lose okay so that's why I think that's where I proved so much because I trained like like a professional already um like I'm not it's not like I'm 28 when I started or whoever but I think it's not like I'm 16 and I have time to wear slick but um I know I've and the progression is phonetic watching my first week Brewery it was a serious fight and like we do both did well for a debut but just some of the differences between like I'm not first paid the game plan was basically box and avoid and I grew up at all costs whereas now I'm taking people down I've got submissions uh forget taken going uncomfortable I'm just getting back up whereas like our game plan like we took off first fate I think it was 20 days out and we're like right if we're just boxing and avoiding grappling it at all costs so now I'm a lot more of a complete martial artist makes it all up like I'm my striking is on another level even from there uh probably the main thing for my fate was I've tried to take the hat off him from Ferrari first goal which I never even did in Spartan it was just it must have just been a dragon but a good thing of having like 15 fights in two years now he's just so comfortable in there like I don't even anymore but no I feel like I'm a lot just a complete martial artist now still only getting started but as far as far from now to my first fate progression assistant I'm still going up and open up and up so cool no it is like you said you were going to take his head off any fight I was thinking I've never seen that other than that fight like you usually like obviously your striking is is very very good it's elite like that and yeah last couple of fights and even the fights before that you're very calm you go in you do that never extend you don't throw power because you know they're gonna add up but then when you see that first fight and then you look at you now but even like I said you look at every other flight that's not you and do you think people pigeonholed you I think when I done the in this fight or Spotlight idea it was actually it was at that angle because a lot of people assumed you were just a boxer and now that you've got some submission wins and do you think people thought right we're taking to the ground and get them and then obviously it ended up with you with a couple of submissions you still find that now or or do you think that's faded away as time has gone on um it's probably still fine yeah but here it's probably an advantage to me because like my submissions are off my my defensive submission instead of gelatin's triangles talk about like to wear a family getting taken down like that's where I'm comfortable anyway kind of hang so it doesn't matter to me if someone wants to stand up with me I'm not very like but even she and like she ends up top class Striker like and he was doing a lot more grappling I would say against me you know he would have done most of his other Fates like I just think that like they will end up shooting anyway to be awesome you still know like Jerry said me and Jerry say I had very very hard like even I'm not trying to take the handle people know where as it was in my favorite Brewery but all my shots are like even enough frustrating against you and I was I rocked him but you probably it wasn't like a break one to where you like say in the second round against them but like my jobs are like backhands so I think anyway yeah because like I said however good a strike they are like once people start getting hit in the face and like that when you're you're precise and you're accurate with them and you just popped and popped and popped and there's only so many people anybody can take and it'd be the same if it was vice versa on you before you're like [ __ ] I can't keep getting in case they just because they're not huge rocking your shots but they're at an open time that you're like I can't connect and is that is that what you go in with just go in and just kind of overwhelm like like you're not going in mad but overwhelmed just pop pop make them feel it and then you know the shots coming so you're ready follow that model for the last few faces Jared me and Jerry I thought has had had them as many as times as we can I don't know because there was a point last year where I was sort of not thrown as much I was supposed to say even like when I fought wary the last time I was getting them as a good position so like my kids control is very good like cotton authoring cutting off the kids and black and multiplication and that's usually where I unload like if you see my fight against she in there I'm getting them backed up and then I'm throwing fours and fives whereas we for a while last year not the sort of this year I was like not concierge I was like overthinking whereas this when I normally when I'm striking I don't think I just flew like if I don't think that's what I'm doing my best so uh like tomorrow the last couple of fights has just been how many times can I hit this play in one round like obviously that's the game plan anyway but like it's literally when I'm landing I'm landing a lot on you and I'm landing hard so I've been working on you're thinking about it you're over complicating it maybe whereas if you just go with your natural Flow State that's when the best gaming comes out yeah I was just I'm still honestly I'm still young in this game like skill the skill is getting better and better the only like you can't replace experiences so that's why the balancers from me being so active is every single fade I'm learning even when I've lost like I'm like all right this is what's going on these are it's just like when I got on there against Xin and clown wars it just felt completely at home it doesn't even it's just like another day basically it's just used it now and compare that to obviously your first fight with Rory in your first couple of fights because I think what amateurs when they go in they don't realize obviously you can have into clubs or you can have this and but when you like the clan wars and all it's a proper show it's a proper event do you think how much is when they go into that they kind of at the start you you overlook that fact that okay you're gonna be sitting there for a while you're gonna get your hands wrapped how do you feel that time was that something that you had to deal with as you went on was that alien to you when you went in for the first time thought is by going to say like it it's very hard to win on amateur fight like it's very hard how many people lose their first homage fight like even high level Pros a lot of people lose their first fight no matter how good there's boys that have been a lot better say than their opponent and they've lost it simply because it's just completely different it doesn't matter really what you do like I remember the first day I got my I didn't even like realize you got your hands dropped at amateur that first day of Clan Wars and I was like this like it was about surreal um and all that now like that was the first the first event back with fans that clown was there was like 400 people like and the place was sold from the first way to the last fight so it is very different but I think when there's a big crowd like even like brothers that's probably the most pressure and amateur can be under like your own you're literally your hometown crowd like nearly a thousand people there in on the main event but that's Whatever It Is by me that's where I perform the best like even in the gym I might not perform the best some people might perform me in the gym but then one of my best skills has been able to do it then in occurred so that's like half a bottle as well but I just do a lot of like visualizing that like if you if someone's beside me and I'm not talking to them like if they've seen what was going I'm literally and they'll fight like 20 hours a day not even really realizing them but like I'm not I'm thinking about the fight I'm visualizing the whole fate but most of using like right I'm gonna go up I'm going up the road about fast whenever I get about first what's going to happen I'm going to do my medical I'm gonna get my raps done like I have the whole day I'll just and then whenever I finish today I'll just restart up my head so I'm just whenever I'm doing it then sort of just doesn't really feel any different plus I've done it 15 times there in two years so when you step to this point but like I'm just visualizing it all the time so it doesn't really say as big of a difference I am whenever attacks are happening yeah because that's that's quite a lot of fights and like you said the fact that you have a planned out visualized in your head is quite good because you're going right I know I have to go through this to that whereas I think that's where a lot of amateurs get caught out and get overwhelmed by the thing but we talk about verses because you talk about their fighting for each other talk to us about that because like what an occasion that was for me I went to that show first very first show that was extremely well-run the crowd was excellent your performance like the whole show there was bangers on it what was it like performing in front of that crowd didn't really last long anyway like it was only like 33 seconds but uh I was unbelievable it was really like this my celebration lasted longer than the fade I think I was dropping around the cage for about three minutes before I finish they came down but now it was amazing to be honest that's brought the most the most pressure I felt like we had literally had a billboard that I had to drive past every day twice today to go to the gym for me stuck in the middle of it and that was coming off I lost against Wally as well so that was like the best thing that could ever helped me though because like at this point like that's the type of pressure that the high level proves we'll be going through anyway like because no one like how it happens in normal really a big event like that was just kid like really happens no more and like for me to be right me and event Hometown against a boy a lot more experience boy and like in front of him yeah 800 900 people that was literally the biggest test that I could have at that point and it stood like that made the world look good but that was amazing I just can't wait for the soul rest as well it's gonna be I think it'll be even better it was unbelievable but I was literally only in the place for about half an hour like I went in the morning weighed in and get back home and I was just something about all that it's weird because like I'm always having to drive to Belfast or go to Dublin or whatever for my fights or most half an effects haven't even been in the country so it's just something about it all day literally arrived hands are up warmed up and I was out again it's probably the shortest I've ever been in a venue in my life probably was that your shorts fight uh 30 seconds uh I've got a few frustrian finishes but that was the shortest one I was that the record for the night as well I think that is a record forever when the earlier finishes I don't think so again hadn't already finished on that actually didn't he no I actually did I didn't even really watch much stuff I'd say about us because there's something at home I watched it's mad that you're just I just sitting at home casually rocked up one day and it's so weird that was the weirdest feeling because I was stepping in my room like what I even be out now I actually like going a lot of people like don't like going away but I like being in a hotel or whatever and then like you know you're on a job whereas you know give a job to do or I'm sitting at home here I'm sitting like watching YouTube and then just didn't even figure it out but anyway I felt a lot of pressure that whole campaign on the fact that I want to wait and it was really like like normal something um no I think that she was gonna be even better as well because it went so well last year like nobody really know him the gamma is still very small anymore it looks not like Dublin or cork or whatever I still just built notebook we have a very real good support like we're only a small gym but there's like we sit in the paper and all at any time or like everyone's sharing stuff and all but there was no that was the first ever MMA of Anthony um and a lot of people don't know what to expect can hang like it was all friends and families and they were sort of like the air because they knew someone on it but like I don't anybody was disappointed after it there are straight away everyone was just accidentally when's the next one and all so unless you're being background yeah I I was very like I said I was very impressed I've been to a lot of shows um and I was very impressed with how it ran the fight the whole thing it was just so seamless it was just like you know fight was over in and out and what I liked was actually there was room for me to just float around as well yeah it's saying like it was very well taught out for the likes of photographers the media as well um at the next one obviously I'm presuming I I haven't seen anything announced for a year and if you do we don't want to announce anything but we presume you're going to be there and you're going to be the main event again yes um no opponent yet we're still working on nothing what does the tangling side sure just one of the guys over with me for over first and then I've had a week to enjoy myself last week I was back trading and all but be back back and count nine really new goals set and just ready to Smash Brothers to just looking out for an opponent um I'll let down leave that up to Jerry Hill yeah you just get it do your trading and and then just show up on the light would obviously would have been the second show the first one will there be any titles on the line to think well obviously he's only planning on doing once a year maybe twice two times a year so he's not planned there's no point say like if it was that's August and then we're not having the next one until next August or even like January February there's no point helping titles because like people could not even someone who has a title in a Year's team they're either not doing anime or like after holding a title and you understand they're probably gonna maybe think of my Pro but they're doing the Grand Prix every team so it's gonna be like two fights in one night once I think it's even better than a title because like that's even coloring season the father with Grand Prix I'll not be and I'll be fighting that late with because the same day so I'm excited to see that I'm not sure if there's anyone in ice for the others there uh I don't know I know I do because I was sat in this area myself but I'll have a look um and see but I like the ground piece I I actually really like the idea that they came out and like I said if the if the fights are really good matchups which they were you don't really need titles on them anyways the title is yeah like the cherry on top and like you said in the clan wars or your Fighting Championship which is running three or four times a year it makes sense to have one yeah but if it's once a year just stack the card do good fights exactly yeah so before so you said you've got new goals and obviously versus is going to be the next one can you talk about any Euro goals for the rest of the year or is it something that you've want to keep underground no just yeah I started the year like it's downwards sort of landed well where it's you know it's like I've got the whole sack in half a year start of the year went probably as bad as it could um if first fate so my goal just had me for the year yeah and I have been sad went on interview at the start of the year and then just wasn't happening the way like that's um just how big I got got that one on Clan Wars now reset whatever one or losses I've got this year is done and I've got a big second half of the year so we've got for this and then hey chaos is in the end of October so it'll be passion for it as well and then I forget another I think I get another fake maybe in December level being better as well so we're gonna be four interviews a year will be good yeah because I would presume Clan Wars is probably going to come back at the end of the year as well you'd be defending your title so one of the advice that you had obviously you thought Frank wasn't it in there tell us about the Nationals the experience of the day and what you learned obviously from the fight uh well I thought like two weeks before I even have to get there I don't know I was falling clown was just meant to say that's when my first favorite machine was meant to be and then on fake week then she and something happened as medical I don't have to pull out and so then I ended up fighting my day again yeah it wasn't too far yeah it was like two weeks again um as I said I just couldn't that's whenever I felt like I couldn't get going like I was back in the morning getting in good positions there's just a lot going on with myself even at that point of the year and here I just didn't perform well like I lost the fight well on the day and then I fought in the Nationals around two weeks later uh against Frank just I feel like I want them on the wrong mindset like I was just sort of straight after that fit because I wasn't even sure if it was going to do the Nationals at that point and then I lost I fail against where and then I was like here's an assholesome too he's like I'll just I was doing it to sort of scratch off being on a lost can hang rather than like write them prepared I want to be National Champion obviously you want to be National Champion but like my main goal was at Clan Wars versus Sheen originally and then like Aaron started getting mixed up and there's a lot of like even personal stuff going on um like the wrong mindset I was just trying to like knock you know lost rather than trying to actually you need like to be in a tournament the god you need to be getting being coming in prepared for that tournament alone I'm in the right mindset so here that was probably one of the lowest points in that late for me like that's first time lost to in a row I don't feel like I should have lost I feel like the first fate I didn't perform at all on Clan Wars I just was and I couldn't let go whatever was wrong and then being in that room main seven Nationals it was just didn't get the one leg and then after that was like I was first time losing two fights in a row and at that point I was like that was corrupt freedom and then I was thinking like do I even want to fight for that for a long time like from awful again I didn't want to stop feeding or anything but I just didn't want to feel out again then just here had that once again just have to scratch that off and just brought the Fate offer from clown wars and give me a new goal and I just obviously put me hard on the last count so it worked out well like yeah pay dividends a lot of people don't talk about that the mental side of obviously you don't have to go into too much you said the LCD that you hit low point do you think that's something wild Fighters go to and they just don't talk about because like that a loss doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad fighter sometimes there is reason there could be injuries like you said the mindset and I think mental is wanting that's extremely overlooked in fighting it's hugely mental I think um like do you take a lot of Fighters go through that and they just don't say it and and when you were saying do you want to fight again was it like was it you were doubting yourself or was it just a feeling now it's just a feeling how to say like maybe myself as well I'm not she's like I thought I was the best guy in Ireland and I'm losing it like I don't even care like I shouldn't be losing the people that have lost it um so I was just like excuse me I'm not just because I think I'm but it was more just that feeling like I know people that would lose in a bit like all right whatever like whatever because that I know they don't work as hard as me but that's the people like so the people it really affects is the people that put their absolute heart and soul they're not like I know we're only amateurs but there's like I'm shooting twice a day six times a week or six days a week I'm Traditions every day so then whenever you're losing that like you put your heart and soul and then you're not getting the result that those effective athlete back time and then also like I don't know I just then there's just a lot going on at that time so and after that I was like gee I don't know I've I haven't felt that once again what where it was going to be but yeah even if I had a lost that last fight against Sheen not that was ever an option but like I just took some time after that Faith to sort of cello at first like take a bit of pressure on yourself man like I wouldn't want to end up felt like I wouldn't have been able to handle the camp but the main focus for this Camp was just enjoying it like enjoying I really enjoyed my training like this is the hardest I've ever changed and I was absolutely like broken some weeks like I was exhausted but I was a really really hard enough for someone on enjoying my training where before I was sort of like for a while I learned and last year sort of this year was just sort of like feeling like I had to do it but I'm doing it because I wanted it that sort of the thing you need to remember you got to do it you don't have to do it yeah I like that that you enjoyed the train and then like that yeah a lot of Fighters like you said that's what I that's what I hate about the sport there has to be one winner and obviously it would talk to you a lot I talked to other Fighters and I might be talking to both e coming up to the fight and I know what you put in what's shame and it doesn't get me when I go into the cage and you're doing the winners losers and then I'm just like I you can see the devastation in someone who has trade can't you can you see that because there's some Fighters are like not that like you said not that they don't care but it's like okay you can look in someone's eyes can you see that when you win and you see your opponent and go you can see he's devastated like you can see some people are just happy to be there like that's just not I'm not just doing anime I'm not just fighting because for just just to take part as they say like I'm fighting and put I am literally it says on my Instagram I am old enough like if I don't think that I'm gonna give my hold everything I wouldn't bother doing it like anime is not a game you're getting punched and kicked in the head like I'm eating friend someone's trying to take the head off me like I am all and unless but then I do watch and see some people and they're just like all right whatever and obviously you shouldn't be like it shouldn't be ruining your life if you're losing like there needs to be a lane emotionally but then there's also like some people already you can see that they're just show like they're not putting in that harder training like it's not a fact I'm not much so now I don't know maybe it's further on like if they don't put in too much then they'll be able to say oh sure I didn't even train but I'd rather be like here I put my heart like iPod everything I had into that whether a winner to Austin before but like I can tell he's on the same boat as me like he's all in I didn't listen to this interview with you but he seems like it's kind of personally he we both train like we're professional like we're still amateur but we're both very very dedicated and I've respect that a lot like like yeah he I think like he went to Thailand he took a lot of time out of violent went to Thailand under that train and then I think he fought only one since he came back and that's what he's so he says every fight he's putting it into so like obviously you can see that I can see that and fire as well like and I like what you're saying is because if you if you want to get to where you want to go right and then at the end of it you don't want to have that as I didn't train hard enough where where do you win or lose you can say well I tried like I put everything into it whether because if you didn't train hard enough you'd always be well what happens if I did yeah so yeah I'm sure there's some people who are happy to do it like happy they only get 50 because then they'll be like I have to do losing well even during the counter probably like oh I'm sure even if I lose at least secondly say and that's an execution there is but like I'd rather have no excuse since they're losing like probably 50 percent excuse and lose like nah okay yeah so obviously you turned around you had to fight clan wars and it looks like you've got a busy year ahead of you which I can't wait um like I said chaos as well it's another championship um I can't I'm gonna let you go because there's actually a timer on the zooms believe it or not um so I'm Gonna Let You Go I want to thank you so much for your time it was a pleasure I watched your fight online it was a pleasure because I've seen you a couple of times I will see you definitely advertis and yes as well it was my first time at chaos last one and it was fantastic so all right again is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out no just shout out everyone supported make sure that Jerry Bruce should all the team right now as well and Belden and team Reynolds I have come on down there every Saturday during this count that was a big like as I say I just literally pushed myself to an honestly even more like seven driving down the Dublin fins for three hours and come back up like it's been a massive help and um big thanks to all my sponsors as well capture and adapt everyone because thanks thank the opportunity perfect thank you so much for your time congratulations again on the Victory and I can't wait to see you fight again and hopefully the rest of the year goes as you planner yeah let's figure ahead and I can't wait thank you