Max Mahaffy interview

Summary

Max Mahaffy is an amateur fighter with four and all record fighting out of Hybrid Ards MMA he will take on Morgan Hynes for the bantamweight title at the upcoming Wrath. We discuss his entry into MMA when he decided he wanted to compete his relationship with his coach and his…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

I am pleased to have with me Mr. Max Mafy. This is the first time I've actually commented on his fights. I was in the cage with him on one of the Rat shows as well. He's got a fight coming up, the super flyway title on Rat front of the home crowd against Jake Duncan. Thank you very much for joining me. I appreciate your time. How are you feeling? >> Feeling absolutely amazing. Uh but by the way, thank you very much for this interview. Um but yeah, I'm feeling absolutely great. three weeks ago and I'm bossing for us. >> It's it's it's obviously it's a match up I I liked before and h it's after getting done on this one now. So I'm delighted I'm going be able to commentate on it. What you make of of Jake and your opponent because you made quite a splash onto the scene like you took loads of late no fights. There's been bit more of a camp for this one. Jake's a very good fighter. What you make of Jake and how's your preparation been? >> My preparation been absolutely amazing. And Jake himself, he's a really good lad. Uh I seen him up in um what the devilish where he was fighting in cage conflict. I was actually the first time me actually properly talking to him. He was he was a really dead on lad. He's really really nice. He was even asking about me about the situation. I got in not that long ago and I have to say to him he's a very nice guy. Um like after the fight and all whatever the outcomes want to be, it's going to be a paint bot for him. But yeah, he's he's honestly a good lad. And the preparation of this fight, you know, I'm doing really really good. and I'm back in the game and I'm busting for this fight. It's going to be good. I'll be good grab. >> Yeah, you're one of the people that towards the end of last year. I've I heard about you for a long time. You're one of the first noviceses, I believe, to actually have a title uh on Akuma and I'd heard about you for like maybe two years or so, so I knew you were kind of coming through. You really splashed on. How does it feel like you're going to be fighting on Rat, you've got your home crowd. How does it feel? You bring some support. I've been there. You bring buses. How does it feel to have that support on your home show? Home show. But home show it's feels amazing cuz like you know before the fight especially when you're like in the cool main or like very high up on the card you know able to talk to a lot of people it's just very relaxing and uh yeah it's just it feels I don't know how you say it like more just feels more like a like environment to me. I feel like more like oh my family's here you know friends that I I seen can make it cuz some some fights that I take are kind of a journey and not many people can't go. Boom. The people who are able to go, it's nice to see them there supporting me. It's just it's actually amazing that I'm able to fight like getting in h the Devilish Raph. They're they're so close to where all my supporters are. It's very it's very nice to see uh all the ones who can make it to come. It's really nice to see like >> and you know what I love about your answer there is how much you're enjoying that now because as I say to fighters when you go on into pro and stuff, it's going to be a long time before like PFL comes here maybe every year. looks like they're coming here again. But like relish these times when you have them cuz like I said, money's tight. People can't always travel. There's there could be issues. So when it's on your doorstep, enjoy it. And you seem like you do enjoy it as well. Um what does it mean to you to have that support? Because like fighters have do have big support, but you just have this traveling fan base that I've I've come across a lot shows. >> Yeah, it's really good. Um, I got like a few of my sponsors going down and it's just nice to see cuz like you know um yeah I know I have a few family members but a few people are actually bought tickets off me I don't know. It's actually really like whoa mind blown cuz like like back when I first fought it was only my family and friends but now people that I don't know knows me buying tickets. It just feels amazing. Just feels like people actually know me. You know what I mean? >> Yeah. It's it's it's weird being semi-recognized when you're walking around, isn't it? Um I get that the odd time usually when I'm up they're like oh you're the guy and I was like which guy what guy but they obviously know you for fight. But what what talk to us why did you get into MMA or or combat sports? Where did you start? Take us back to when you started and why you started. I started well I used to do boxing when I was a we lad. I was like around five but like only done for a few months. Then I joined rugby but I missed that kind of contact and that sport and I was like I want to go back to boxing but I love rugby at the same time cuz of the rough connection and all you know the rough sports and the rocks and all and I was like is there any sports out there that has both of these together? Then I found MMA and I was like whoa what is this sport? Then I watched it and I was like yeah that's what I want to do. And then I found hybrid and bangard and this is where I'm at now. I'm actually enjoying it. I only lasted rugby for 3 years which I've been four years solid in the sport which I'm doing think I'm think I'm always spend it till to the end. But yeah, it's actually amazing. Enjoy him. >> Yeah know and we can see and the way your levels have improved fight on fight and like I said I've heard about you for a while and we've been waiting for you to come true but talk to us about Hybrid talk to us about Arno what he means you and what he means you as a coach and as a mentor if you feel about him like that. Arnold, it's like the best way to put it. Arnold is like a family member to me because he knows so much about me and I know so much about him. Like he's almost like, you know, I'm in this gym every day. I'm like like like everyone else in the house, they're in the house every day because Arno Arnold always sees me. He always like he knows who I am and it's just nice cuz like like it's how weird it starts, but he feels like a dad basically because how much he actually does for me as a coach. like he does he he gives me so much and he puts his time just to train me up to become the man I want to be in my dreams and I just really respect that and I I don't know how to pay the favor back but yeah honestly Arnold is a really deadon person he might be small but uh he's a bigarted man >> he's going to love that part of the interview >> I might get choked out later on here but you know sure >> he won't see it for a week or two anyway so I clipped that bit out but yeah I think Annos I've had a Obviously, you know, I've been uh doing matchmaking, some matchmaking stuff on R. So, I've got kind of close to him. I think he's a really good guy. And I don't think coaches don't get the credit they deserve a lot of the time. I think when when it goes wrong with the fighter, sometimes they get the blame, but I don't think like they're thinking about you, your D and then how many other fighters, you know, the sort of way. So, it's it's not easy. It's a slug and I think they have to love it and obviously he loves what he's doing and you can see it with what's coming out in the gym. But, uh what's your future goals in the sport? Like do you have a set obviously there's a set goal but do you have a journey to get there or are you just kind of enjoying the journey at the minute? >> I I'm trying to get I'm trying to become to the top. That's what I'm trying to do. But honestly I love uh uh the fighting and all. Um but the journey is is really the praise uh Jesus Christ. That's the way I feel like I'm going to spread the gospel around everyone around the world. There there's people that do it in the streets, but since I'm good at fighting, that's the way I'm going to do that. Is the main purpose of the reason why I'm doing this. That's going to be the journey ahead of me. And uh that's what I'm going to be doing is every time I get a fight, every time I have a chance to go in the microphone, his name will be called. And that's what really my journey is going to be from the start to the finish. >> Yeah. You know, and I see a lot of fighters like that. The most kind of prolific in Ireland, Kieran Clark, he always has the cross and and like that. and and the fact that you want to spread that and spread spread the word of him because of what he's meant to you and done to you, I think I think it's fantastic. And whether people take to it or not, that's up to them. But you can only do what what you can do going going forward. But um with the amount of shows that we do have, obviously you had the the four fights last year, a couple of on late No. We've got a lot of shows. I want to say about eight to 10. What's it like having those options available as an amateur fighter? >> Wonderful. It's amazing. um like having all these opportunities are actually really good. Like there's almost every fight every month. It's actually incredible how much you can get. Um even for the we kids like the junior league for example, I have to give credit to them cuz now I'm seeing more uh kids fighting and even myself and it's just really nice to see cuz I know when MMA was barely a fight, no one really had a chance to fight. we see now. It's actually incredible even seeing the ones I coach in this gym fight too and myself too. It's just so many opportunities. Every month there's some somewhere you can fight especially in all of Ireland. It's just something that's amazing. >> Yeah. And you mentioned the junior leagues obviously that's run by Henry and Adam from FI and I've heard that that I've heard that runs as good as like shows run. I've heard they've done a fantastic job and we've got so many good shows. uh like you're so lucky there's a lot around your kind of area as well. There's about four I think just like very close to you as well and I >> I think it's fantastic like it just shows the depth. What do you think of the depth of talent in this country? Because we've had I want to say three shows in the last couple of weeks. So we're going to have four shows of in five weeks but they've all been good cards. Do you think that's because we've got a a huge depth of talent in this country? >> Oh yes. I think Irish fighters are all together the toughest lads in the sport. Um like you got you got the Russians and all but you see see from here honestly everyone's a credible fighter. It's just it comes down to your discipline. Sure. If you know if you stay at it stay focused you become a good fighter. I know everyone has all different levels but the levels over here is absolutely amazing. Um I I see a lot of potential in this country uh of fighters. >> Yeah cuz we had a good few in UFC PFL. We've got the lads doing their thing in Octagon and and there's others around Europe >> and Yeah. How does it feel for you? Obviously, you're still in the early stage of amateur career. But years ago, it used to be just cage warriors kind of UFC. Now you've got Octagon, LFL, PFL, all these different options. What does that feel like for you knowing that there is more routes to the UFC than just the way it was before that there is this many options on big platforms? >> It feels amazing. like like I said from the last question, you know, there's always something every month, you know, there's more contracts to get what's actually incredible cuz it just shows you how fast MMA is actually growing as a sport. You know, there there's so much you can choose. You know what I mean? And there's a lot of routes to get to the UFC, but it's actually incredible. You know, it gives us like us ourselves and other people around the world has a higher chance to make a career out of this sport. It's just actually just incredible to see more fight promotions out there. >> Yeah. Yeah. And like I think Octagon's really done well. has done well with the lads and uh cage wars and cage wars and like that. There's so many around. But look, I got to let you go. I want to thank you very much for your time. I really enjoyed this. I can't wait to see this fight and commentate on another one of your fights cuz like I said, you were one of the kind of rising stars at the end of last year and I think you'll continue through this year as well and it'll be a pleasure to commentate again. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out and thank you so much for your time? >> No, not really. I'm happy enough. But yeah, thank you very much for the interview. Uh, this is probably my first proper interview and I I want to say thank you very much. >> And you couldn't tell it was your first because you done very well and I really enjoyed it and I can't wait. I can't wait to be Kside for your fight in three weeks. No, >> happy days. I'll see you soon. Thank you very much.