Jordan Scully

Summary

Jordan Scully is an amateur fighter from Sbg Naas, he travels to the immafs this weekend in search of another gold medal Having competed in many immafs he describes what he's learnt from them and the benefits he feels it has brought his career He speaks about how he has…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm here with Mr. Jordan Skully who's away to another IMAF. Uh he's a professional at IMAF now at this stage with the amount of competitions that he's been in. He's always done very well. He's always meddled and the people that he's lost to have always gone on to win the gold. So he's up there with the best of the best in the country amateur in my opinion. He's an absolute pleasure to have on. So I want to thank you very much for your time. How are you leading into obviously Saturday? It's a another big one for you. How are you feeling? Well, look, Dave, uh I've put in a lot of work in this camp and uh to be honest, I think this is the belt, the best I've ever felt and uh not a lot of people know this. This is going to be my last amateur one. And uh look, hopefully now I can go out with a bang. But look, if not, it is what it is. But I feel very good and uh I'm looking forward to testing myself once again against some of the best lads around the world. >> Yeah. And that's very interesting. Obviously, you're going to go I would say me personally, I think you're ready for pro, but I like the way you're going to go out with the IMAF because it like that if you go through and you win it, you're going to go through like the best in the world sort of way and you're going to get that extra before you go pro and that's something that we're all going to be looking forward to as well, myself included. Uh cuz I've been a big fan of yours for a long time. uh uh of you as a person and you as a fighter cuz I just think you're just a great person and the improvements we've seen over the past couple of months. Have you seen your your improvements? I seen them fight to fight. You just look so suffocating to fight. Have you noticed that yourself? Do you notice that in between the fights or is it when you actually get to test it in live competition? >> Be honest, Dave. I just think that's from testing myself constantly against the best odds amateur. Like look, I'd like to think I've never took an easy fight. Now, sometimes I've probably had to fight lads that were a bit lower level, but I'd like to think majority of the time, I've always fought lads that were the best of the best. Sure, if you look at me since my amateur debut, I fought a lad my debut who was 8 and0 undefeated. And ever since then, I've just been taking the hard route. So, I think that's something that's definitely stood to me over the years. And as of lately, even from making that move to Nace as well, I think the big change for me was more of a mentality. the mentality shifted things. Like obviously, look, I was always a suffocating kind of fighter with the way I fight and that, but I think more so it was the mentality and the mindset that changed the most for me. And I think that's why I've had so much success and as much as I've had as of recently. So, no, for me, I think it was more the mentality shift more than anything. >> And what would you attribute that to? Would you just would it be just age growing up maturing or do you think as well uh the people that you have around you in NAC or is it a mix of both? To me honestly, I think it's been it's like you said, it's been from being around like-minded people up in N like the likes of Alex, Connor, Max, all the other lads, you know, Nathan, Nikolai, Paul. Now, there's a lot more I'm missing out on, but you get what I mean. But for me personally, I think just doing them intense cardio sessions as well has changed my mindset a lot. and uh even just Peter as a coach and the experience that he brings to the table. I think that's something that has attributed to me especially like so much since joining that gym and uh you know like I said to you it was going back to the mentality thing. I just think it was the mentality more than anything and being around like positive like-minded people. >> Yeah. And you touched on Peter there as well. He's someone I really admire. I think we spoke before about when he lost and he had a bad loss on Bellator and he still turned up the next day. Uh shades and all whereas a lot of coaches because there is so many uh good coaches in a he could have taken the day off to rest and recover but he went there is stuff like that that you look at him and go that's why I like him being my coach cuz no matter what happens he's going to be in my corner. >> The one thing I like about Peter is that he'll say it how it is. There's no  with him. He'll tell you what you're doing wrong and he'll tell you what you're doing right. But the main thing is he cares about his fighters and he puts the work in for all his fighters. Even though some sometimes you think to yourself, oh, it's hard or whatever, he does it because he cares about you. And that's for me that's very important to have a coach who's willing to make you suffer so you suffer less on the night of the fight, if that makes sense. And I definitely think that's one thing why I've had so much success and why the whole team has as well because of a coach like Peter. >> Yeah. And and I get that tough love kind of attitude because I worked as a manager for years and little right and I I performed my best and was the best when I had someone who was hard on me. If you were easy on me, I'll just coast. Do you know that sort of way I won't realize my potential? Whereas when I worked with a certain lady, I won't say her name, but she put the boot on me and I I I performed a lot better and so I was just better all around. So I get that approach because like that you want to lose in the training room and not in the fight. Do you know that sort of way? And I think that's obviously what he's doing. But talk to us about the the the like being in there with the likes of Conor McCarti's Nathan Chamber who who's an excellent addition to the team as well and he looks very good. We actually haven't booked on rant now for a title fight in a banger if I must say myself because I did make the fight. >> Uh like I said, Paul Fitzy, there's so many others. We I can't go through them all, but what's it like being in the and around those people and watching the likes of Connor now like on Cage Warriors doing so well? Like what's it like just being in the atmosphere and training with those people on a day-to-day basis? >> Well, look, there's no easy rounds, that's for sure. And uh you know, we we help each other. We learn and we learn and grow as a team. And just to see the likes of Connor and Max, they're like the two pro lads obviously coming up. To see how well they're doing is truly inspiring. And even getting to train and learn from lads like that is uh it's amazing honestly. And uh I think as for the rest of us, even like Alexo and Cage Warriors, I think it's just going to it's just the start of like great things to come for SPG NASA. And you know, I wouldn't just say that, but I just feel like as of recently and especially next year, I just I think you're going to see a huge rise in the level of all the lads and even like the likes of Nathan coming up, Nikolai, all them lads that are probably going to go pro after me and Alex, you know, it's just you're going to see great things coming from that gym. And uh, you know, I'm looking forward to what the future awaits for all of us. >> Yeah. No, no. So am I. And I spoke to Nate and I don't know if she in the interview and and the fact that he bypasses Dublin to go to Nate says something about that gym doing a sort of way. He told me to travel and I was like you are mental like that's that's that's an unbelievably a long I wouldn't travel for that when I'm getting paid a sort of way. It's like two and a half three hours. So it just shows the dedication. It shows that there's something in that gym and like said like Alex Ko is just something to behold. I can't wait to see him him go pro and like you said the people coming up and it seems to be a team across across the country though not just in ace but in other gyms as well you see the CAC have a huge rising out of it as well and it it's good to see see just the the country at the minute rise up but you are going to the IMAPs again talk to us about what this means for you especially like you said this is going to how you end your your amateur career >> listen Dave to be honest I'm just going to go out there I'm going to give it socks I'm gonna put it all on the line. Win, lose, or draw, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna do my best. No matter the outcome, I'll always say I'm proud of myself for putting myself out there. But I do feel very confident I'm going to win this one. And even just this is the best training camp I've ever had. Don't get me wrong, Peter has made me suffer so much through this. But look, it's like you said, going back to what you said about tough love. if he he wouldn't he wouldn't do that if he didn't want me to perform my best and if he didn't see the potential in me. And to be honest, I think just going through all that, it's completely changed my mindset going into this into this IMAP. So, look, I'm going to go out there, I'm going to give it socks, and hopefully now I can come back as the reigning amateur world champion. So, you know, I'll go out there, I'll give it socks, I'll do my best. >> Yeah, I like that. You always do. And what I like is um when you won that medal, you gave me a phone call as well. Uh, I really appreciate that. You were just like, "Dave, I won the gold medal." Uh, and I was like, "Yeah, good, man." Because like that I'd followed you for so long and it was just it was great to see you get that. Can I just ask one of two questions? What weight class are you going to be going into because obviously it's the day of weighing. >> Yeah. Uh, well, I'm going into 74.8 for this one. As you know, I obviously did 70.3 two times, but I just found a way cuff for that, especially with getting a bit bigger as I got older. I just thought it was too hard. And look, I walk around usually 78, 79. So, I just felt like it was the right weight class for me. Obviously, I did it in the last one. I got bronze at that one. I do think I could have won it. Just made a silly mistake in the third fight. But look, it is what it is. But personally, I feel good at that weight class and I feel strong, feel energetic. So, I just I was chatting Peter about and I just felt like it was the right decision to make. >> Yeah. You know, cuz cuz like that a lot of people who who might be watching this and might not understand the IMAF format. Jordan's been to quite a few of them. You have to weigh in on a daily basis and and you have a time to weigh in at. So you can't go and start eating nice food. You can't let your weight get out of control. You have to keep it. So obviously if you keep as close to your walkound weight, it's going to be a lot easier. You're going to feel better. You're going to perform better. Do you did you feel that you could feel more energy and did you feel stronger when you done it at the higher weight class yourself? Yeah, like I did. I remember obviously I won it at 70 kilos, but you have to be extremely disciplined to do that. I was dieting for three, four weeks just eating protein. all carbs. And uh obviously, look, my energy wasn't as good. But I felt like I had a size advantage, that's for sure. But mentally and just physically on your body, it's just it doesn't feel nice. Now, I would recommend it to someone if you're willing to be extremely disciplined about your diet and that, go ahead. But if you can't do that, there's no point. Just go up to a higher weight class and uh you know, if you feel like that's going to benefit you better, do that one. But look, everyone's different. I wouldn't tell anyone to let's say do that. Everyone's different. But for me personally, I just felt like 74 was the right decision to make, especially towards the end of my amateur career because I'll focus on the big weight cuts when I go professional. >> Yeah. And especially when you have the day before we don't have to weigh every day. Like I said, there's a lot of discipline. There is a lot involved. And obviously like that you said, you don't really want to tell anyone what to do, but like obviously you can give those bits of advice. You've been to so many now. like I would class you as like a senior member even at a young age. If is there any like is there any advice for someone who may be going or may want to go to the IMAS is there any advice that you'd give to them uh yourself? >> Yeah, look anyone who's looking to go to the IMAS or wants to know it's like just embrace it, enjoy the journey and take in the moment. Obviously, it's going to be a very nerve-wracking week. You're going to feel those nerves, but just embrace it as best you can. go out there, give it your all, and as long as you know you trained as hard as you could in the leadup to the competition or whatever fight it is, then you should be more than confident to step in there against anyone in the world, against anyone around the world. So, yeah, that would be my advice to someone who's looking to do it. >> And and when obviously you fought a bit on the amateur scene, you you've beaten some incredible people on the regional scene and in the IMAPs. Did you feel when you went to the IMAS, even if you if you didn't get the goal, but you came back and you fought these people, did that give you confidence coming back into the regional scene, uh that that like you've gone out, you face the best? And I'm not saying that the fighters we have aren't the best, but I'm just saying >> uh like obviously if you were facing top competition, there'd be always that bit of pressure. Joe, kind of do you think the IMAS helps you with your confidence going into coming back to the regional scene and fighting these big names? >> Yeah, like I don't know. Personally, I just felt like going to the IMAPs that even fighting on a stage like that where there's a massive crowd, you could get booed, anything. You're fighting different countries. Yeah, it does kind it does give you a lot of confidence to fight anyone around Ireland. Now, there are some incredible fighters in Ireland. Like, like I said to a lot of people, Sam Simon gave me my hardest fight ever at amateur. And uh you know, I fought some of the best lads around the world that I'm off level, but styles make fights at the end of the day. and Sam like out of out of all them lads, Sam Simon gave me the hardest fight. So yeah, no, I'd say it definitely gave me confidence, but that doesn't mean necessarily that the fights were harder like like going back to what I said, Sam was my hardest fight at amateur, but it still does give you that confidence, of course. >> Yeah. No 100%. I remember I actually put that as one of the the free Friday fight kind of things that I do to for people to go back and watch cuz it was my favorite one cuz I believe I may be wrong now. My but I believe did he drop you in the second round? >> Uh nobody rocked me. >> No, he rocked you because I cuz I remember going first round Jordan second round was quite tight. Sam done very well and then obviously you got to choke in the last round, wasn't it? You know, he uh during that fight it was when when he was hitting me on the bottom, I was all right. Now, he still marked my eye up pretty nicely here, but when I came up on that taked down, he cracked me like this. That rocked me. And I remember I looked at him. I was like, "Fuck." I just started moving my head and I just was like shoot. >> Yeah. No, it was. And and to be there for that fight and see it in person was unbelievable. I've seen a lot of your fights in person. There's a there's a really nice photo when you're going into my camera and I I just I just think that's amazing. I have a couple of photos like that and see it's moments like that is why I love doing this. I cherish the the relationship and stuff that I have with fighters and and he always especially yourself sending Ki's another one. Brian Manning. Uh Aaron Henry's another one. There there's so many that like will always come up to me after the fight and go thank you for supporting me. >> But you know what it is Dave like that's why you should take the hard fights. Like don't get me wrong, that was an extremely hard fight for me. But if you look at what happened four what happened what happened four weeks after that fight I won the IMAPs. So you know I clearly paid off and that's why I always say to people take the hard fights. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. You could look at some amateurs and let's say he might have a losing record. Let's give an example like Joe Ryan has a losing record, but Joe Ryan's a very, very good amateur fighter and he's got a couple of titles, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's bad. That just means he's took the hard fights. And Jaw Ryan is a great example of that. Someone who's took the hard fights and you know, obviously not all of them went his way, but experience it like going through hard fights like that are going to pay off for him when he goes pro. And there's plenty of others that are just like him as well, but that's just one lad that comes to the top of my head. Yeah, and I like that uh who you've mentioned there because for me he would be I think there's him, there's almost Oliver I think is probably the best bantamweight amateur >> and I think there's him, >> there's Owen, there's Jar and there's Jake and I think they're three and >> with Jar he was zero and four zero and five or something or one and five. >> Yeah. Well, he fought four professional. He fought Aaron McDonald. He fought a few I don't know who else he >> Georgie Groav Kieran Brady and Damen McKenna and they would have been at like the likes of lightweight Joe he's fighting at banttom but that's what I saying it was >> he actually said to me like I really thought about quitting but then I was like if you look at those fighters that's like for your first four or five fights that's like a murderous row of of fighters like said there's >> three four out four of them are professional now like >> do you know so and then he went back and he was on the streak and he's he's he's won and lost like that. He's he's fought the best people and for me he was one of the most improved fighters last year in my opinion because >> it just showed what he done in the ground work before and like you said amateur take the fights obviously if there isn't a big huge difference in skill Joe if you're like one and0 going against a 10 and one or something that doesn't make sense but if you're like if you're close enough take it because like you said what you've learned from it you went from that Sam fight and went and won the IMAFS no one looks at your amateur record except for like except for me. >> Another example, Brian Manning. He had a losing record. Then now what's he on like a six fight win streak or is it more? >> I want to say seven, seven or eight. >> Yeah, he was what was he? He was like one and four, two and four and then he went on a crazy win streak and now he signed with Octagon. Like Brian Manning is another great example of that. And it's not even just him. There's a lot of great examples, but he's another lad I can think of as well. But also because he's a mad bastard. That's why you can't the top of my head. >> Yeah, I was actually there. Jess Paulo came in last minute. He was one and three, I believe. That was the fight that changed. I think he only has only lost one since then, and it was to Dar Ward, which is no shame because Dar Ward is an absolute animal. And that was a cracker of a fight. >> But his momentum since then, um, I think he's done very well to brand himself, put himself out there, and make himself marketable. You don't need to market Brian. Brian does it himself. I think often too >> like everyone loves him because he's crazy and he just doesn't give a about anything. Even I'm a big fan of him as well like you know but I but you need a bit of craziness in MMA you know like every everybody who does this sport obviously you need to be a bit smart in that but you have to be a bit crazy to be in this game and Brian Manning is definitely a perfect example of that. I don't say that in a bad way I say that in a great way. Yeah. No, and like you said, you're a fan of him and it's like obviously we all support each other, but I've had a lot of fighters like I say that like I'm secret, not secretly, but like I'm a fan of him. Like I'm actually his fan. Not that he's a peer in Ireland, but I'm a fan of him as a person and as a fighter. And you don't hear that a huge amount among among kind of the community. And >> I'm honest like my favorite flyway is probably Shay Cleland. He's actually another lad with a losing record, but he's a fantastic fighter and he's just entertaining to watch. He's my favorite flyway fighter in Ireland, I'd say, just based on the scraps he's in all the time and he always puts on an exciting fight. >> Yes, he he's another one I really really like as well. He's a like I just think the scene here is just buzzing and it's just it's crazy and I love that we can have this conversation. Me and you could probably have this conversation off off camera and and go on for hours, I'd say. But >> honest, I like there's certain fighters I'm fans of. Even the amateurs like, you know, there's a lot of them I'm fans of. >> Yeah. No, and me too. And like that I'd love to seeing how your career progresses and I'm loving seeing how your career is progressing. Um I'm going to ask you just one or two more questions and then I'm going to let you go. Obviously, you're not looking past IMAS, but you're saying obviously it's going to be your last amateur. Are you planning on having that at the end of this year or you going to wait till next year? >> Right. I'm going to see how I am after this IMAS. If I feel good, I think I'll take a pro fight by the end of the year. But if not, I can wait until next year. But it all depends on how my body is and how I am after this IMAFS. Now with the way I fight, I should be okay. But if, let's say, I have a few knocks, I'll probably have to take the rest of the year off, which is okay. Like my birthday is literally in two days. I'll be 22 and uh I'm at the perfect age, I think, to go pro. And I always said 22 would be the age I go pro. So I look whether it's this year or next year, there's always a right time and a right place for anything to happen. So like I said, yeah, I'll just wait and see how I feel and we'll go from there. >> Yeah. No, 100%. I'm going to let you go. Thank you so much for joining me again. Best of skill this weekend. I can't wait to see what goes on. It's a big weekend for Irish MMA. You've got the IMAS, you've got Cage Warriors, and you've got guys fighting in P. I think we have three or four maybe on PFL on Friday as well. So, it's a big weekend for Irish MMA. Um, best of skill. Hopefully, you come back with that goal. I'm pretty sure you will. We'll What happened there? Okay, so Jordan seems to have disappeared. I will uh let you all go. Thank you very much. And I should have centered that a bit better. Have a good evening, guys.