Alex Murray Elite interview

Summary

Alex Murray is an amateur fighter training out of MMA cork, we talk about his fight this weekend and what it means to have a show on his doorstep. We discuss the wave of his generation coming through now, what it's like to be in MMA cork Plus much more

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Kind: captions Language: en I'm delighted to have with me uh another fighter from MMA Cork, uh Alex Murray. He's going to be making his second appearance as an amateur. He had a really good novice career. A lot of people were telling me about him and Jacob in particular. Um they kept going, you need to get him on. You need to get him on. You need to get on. So, here we are. Finally, we're getting on. How are you? Finally. >> Yeah. Look, I'm chilling to be honest. Look, the weight's good. The training's pretty much done. I'm just about to head in there now in the next half an hour. my last couple of sessions done and that's pretty much it then really for the week. >> And obviously like yourselves and all the guys you're training 100%. Yeah. Like coming up to How hard is it to switch off fight week? >> Uh it's pretty you know what it is difficult like I just like I hate sitting at home doing nothing. Like I always want to be in the gym you know I'm actually up here six days a week if not seven. Like you know just the same with Jacob too. He's always there with me. >> Yeah. and like that. It's really good. It's mad because you see you're like like you're only coming from novices into this and the amount you train is is unbelievable like you've trained like professionals even though you're noviceses going into amateur and that'll only stand you going forward and you can see by by the levels in your performance but how you feeling about this fight? Uh how's the way how's the kind of prep for it? How's camping for? Do >> you know what? Now, it was short notice enough. Like, I only found out about it last week, but the way we train in MMA, Cork, is like, you know, you're always waiting for something to pop up. Like, it's never really short notice. We're always training six days a week. Um, that's just the standard that we have in the gym really. Like, especially if you're looking to be successful enough at amateur, you can't really afford to, you know, take the foot off the accelerator. I'm I'm so confident for this fight. Um, if I was to give a prediction, I'm going to say a submission. To be honest, I favor myself as a much stronger grappler. And by any chance, if he is a better grappler, then I'll just piece him up on the feet like so. It's whatever really. >> Me by whatever. >> Me by whatever. I love that. You should say that after. Me. You know what? I'm going to put that out there as a little clip. Me by whatever. And I like that. >> Like like I said, it's kind of pick your poison. If he wants to sandwich it, he can sandwich. If you want to go to ground, you'll go to ground and then you see what happens. >> But talk to us about what it's like in MMA Cork. You've got so many good people there. Obviously the coaches Aaron Jack, you've got FIA, then you've got Brian Manning kind of obviously John Mitchell came from there, but he he's gone and done his own thing, but Brian Manning's kind of leading the the pro scene. >> Uh Jack back. What's it like in the gym at the moment with And then you so many good amateur fighters, champions. What's it like right now? >> Um do you know what now? It's it's just unreal to be honest. like it's it's more so of a family than a gym to me to be honest. Like like everyone that I'm training with I'm hanging around outside the gym as well. We're always kind of together doing stuff. Um as I said like the standard is insane. Even if I'm having rounds off some of the younger novice fighters that would be similar in weight to me like they're, you know, they're pushing a strong steady pace. There's some savage novice fighters coming out of our gym lately. Um Logan Keaton, he fought on the last DFC. He's he's probably going to be uh a problem going forward. My own buddy Funk Green, he's he has such a good um work rate. He just he just doesn't stop. Um Josh Draper as well, he's also another good young fell like they're all going to be future problems for, you know, future amateur fighters in Ireland. And then you have proper amateur fighters then. Like I'm I'm always training with Oliver Bala. your man Ed, he's fighting as well this weekend against um an opponent I was supposed to fight on the last show, Jordan Galabuzzi. That's going to be a savage fight. And then my buddy Jacob Dorston as well. Like that's kind of my click in the gym. And we're always we're always raring and tearing really, aren't we? >> Yeah. And like that I was I was up at Chaos and I watched Jacob first hand and man those shoulder strikes he was really creative with the striking. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> He looked excellent. He looked like I I believe was that his first strike ones with head shots was it? >> That that was his first headsh shot fight. Yeah. Yeah. >> And for me he looks like he could go on to to um amateur and like so after one it looked like right he's an amateur level. You could see it like strikes. It looked like a head but he hit him so hard with one of them cuz your man's head was like >> he was making him count the count the tiles on the ceiling with them shoulder strikes like your man's head clean back. >> Yeah. >> Jacob Jacob is savage like he's probably my hardest round in the gym to be honest. We'd be similar enough in weight like there might be a couple of pounds between us like but we work with each other really like he's he's probably been there now since day one really for me so I back him all the way. Yeah, a good trading partner to have and I look forward to seeing you both go forward. But talk to us about elite competing on elite so close to home because man, you guys you travel hours upon hours and especially MMA Cork is one I noticed even if they only have one fight on the card, they're there like >> what's it like having it so close to home and not having to travel? Um I'm yeah that's something I'm looking forward to big time about this is that like I don't have to take a three-hour drive up to Dublin or seven up the Derry. You know what I mean? Like this is literally 15 minutes from my house. So I'll get a good night's sleep. I won't be in a rush obviously and afterwards I can just head home if I want. Like so that's probably the best thing about it really is that it's on my doorstep. Couldn't be any better really. No, no, you can't cuz like that a couple of minutes like when you're fighting in Derry or Belfast it's like right we have to get up at this time because obviously you have to be there to get your hands wrapped early fight rules stuff like that and then if you have a fighter that might be on the main event which has happened or closest it's a it's a long day so it's good and I'm glad that there's elite down there and we need more shows in Republic but they're hard to keep going for monetary reasons it's quite expensive to run. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's not easy. It's not easy running a show. Like I'd be, you know, I'd be kind of friends with the promoter of the show. Um, Bario Callahin and it just looks like such a hassle to keep shows running to be honest. Like you're you're constantly dealing with obstacles being thrown at you. Like so I wouldn't want to do it myself like but I have serious respect for him for going out of his way to organize this for us. So it is what it is really. >> Yeah. I I have great respect for him and like that's why I like doing these interviews and helping him. >> [snorts] >> You probably knew that I actually collected Brian's opponent from Dublin and brought him to Cork for the show, Joe. So I was like, "Barry, I have no car at the minute. It's in the shop. If you rent me a car, no problem." And he's like, "What else you want extra?" And I was like, "No, that's it, Joe. Pay for the car." >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And that's it. But um obviously this is your second fight. This will be the last kind of show this year, I think, MMA wise. And there's a lot next year. Um, how do you feel as an amateur like going into the amateur like starting off your amateur career and having so many options? >> Um, do you know what? Now I'm just trying to take it one fight at a time to be honest. Like I um there is serious variety of shows in Ireland. You know, there's EFC down in Cork, there's a couple in Dublin, and I have no problem fighting up north either. So yeah. >> Yeah, it's good. It's like that like and especially like I said you had to pull out on uh like on elite and in March for six weeks for six weekends there show so just say if you were in the middle of one of them you could easily get rid on another one and >> yeah yeah yeah it's going to be a busy year next year I'll put it that way like >> yeah and that's only like there seven so there's nine announced already for until May like that's mental but >> um what do you make of the talent like you've talked about the talent in in the gym but what did you make the talent across the country and and how well we're doing. I think especially flyweight's one of the divisions I'm really excited about. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> How do you feel what do you feel at the talent level in this country? >> It's it's so good to be honest. Like whenever there's foreign fighters coming in to Ireland to fight us like we're pretty much always the favorites on home soil, aren't we? And yeah, as what you said like I I'm not just saying it because I am one like but I genuinely think flyweight is the hardest division in Ireland and the UK. Like it's just like the talent that comes out of flyweight like it's just it's just unmatched really isn't it? It's the quickest division as well. So you're always on your toes like you can't afford to stop really. >> Yeah. Like like years ago everyone wanted to see heavy weights and this whereas now >> you can see the technical ability of the flyweights. It's like you said it's so good. It's so quick. So flexible and they're just exciting fights. Banton weighs the same and it's kind of the views changed and it's kind of gone towards the lighter weights now as well. And like you said, there's been some really there's some really really good lads around at the minute um uh at your weight class. But um talk to us about your weight cut. Do you have much of a weight cut? You walk around kind of near your weight is >> uh like I prefer to fight fly day obviously. So I don't have to cut that much weight. Like I'm probably walking around normally at like 61. So the cuts don't take too much of a toll on me to be honest. So I don't mind it. I don't mind it. >> Yeah. No, no. It's it's going to be good. It's going to be a good night of fights as it always is. At least I said like Barry like to show. I won't be there unfortunately. I've got prior engagements. But I got to let you go. >> Thank you very much for your time. This is going to be one of many, right? I know this be one of many. Um is there anyone to say before you go or anyone else? >> I suppose shout out to everyone that's after helping me in this camp. Jacob the Horus, Oliver Bala, Fun Queen, the lot of them really. And anyone who doesn't have a ticket for EFC this weekend, you know where to get them. I expect the finish for me anyway. Put it that way. >> To finish by whatever. And that's what I got to put up. I got to put it up the day before the show. Thank you so much for your time. No problem. We will talk again soon. Best of skill this weekend. Go on. Good luck.