Dominick Rhodes interview

Summary

Dominick Rhodes is an amateur MMA fighter training out of Hybrid MMA Ards He is looking to add another belt to his collection and due to Jamie having an injury he will now face Jordan Scully in a fantastic match up. We talk about this camp which has been extremely long as he…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Music] I'm here with Mr Dominic all roads lead to Gold um so you've had you've had quite the you've got another fight coming up uh for another belt uh there's been a change in opponent obviously unfortunately Jamie's uh got injured uh these things happen in the fight game but Jordan Scully is come in on short notice you also accepted that on short notice so fair play to the tus how are you feeling um how did you feel obviously when the fight first fell out did you think you were going to be able to get opponent uh opponent and thank you very much for joining me fight week cuz I realized the week that's in there no 100% um how did I fail like obviously you get that demotivation I had built up fighting JY since it would have been two years ago now is when me and Jimmy were at the well we did fight last and I knocked them out so I built all that up in my head and it was all the the motivation and the right we'll do it again same job you know what I mean same effect we get the same finish um but good finish to the end of the year and then having him polite to be fair I thought oh here we go but when I saw his story it did look like a ACL there so that's quite sad to hear for him because I know they take a donkey year to um he up but yeah the initial feeling was demotivation but then it was oh maybe I could you know maybe I could just say I won't fight and I'll just have a lovely Christmas but n [ __ ] that I'll um get [ __ ] back into it yeah I got I said the AR about giving me a few names and he gave me a few names in Jordan he was the first one I heard and I was like yeah I'll take him that's cool yeah cuz cuz like that it's easy to have a nice Christmas it's easy to take it easy but from what I know of you and from speaking to you whether it be online or or two messages or whatever that's not the part you're CAU from you won a goal you've you've only C was it I trained all that time as well for our fight so like if if it's not GM it's got to be someone someone's got to get it you know what I mean yeah and that he comes in Jordan comes in obviously with a good pedigree I I was speaking just beforeand he was speaking about how he doesn't underestimate you even though there is a I I'm not saying it's good but an an experience differential he's had 15 fights you've had is it six seven seven six is what topology but I think there was yeah it's seven I no it be eight because it's I'm six and two my record's six and two I got one win one extra loss on topology that's not on topology so it be six and two yeah so we're going to have to get on to whoever works at topology he's start updating these te when I go I emailed him I did email him about it but it's like you need judges scorecard and video pref and I was like I can't be trying to get that so it is what it is it's only amateur record anyway it doesn't doesn't matter as much exactly exactly in what is it now two and a half years that you've kind of entered the MMA world yeah I would say just over probably maybe bit longer coming up to three would be yeah know two and a half sounds about right two two and seven maybe and then obviously you've been fighting you've quite a few belts as it stands already and then to be on a show on Dei show he doesn't really bring like you fought before on the show uh but he doesn't really like Titan shots don't come that quickly a lot of times you have to win a couple or whatever how does it feel for him to put you in for that belt against the likes of obviously originally it was Jamie but to be put up for the belt is it do you think it's because of what's been happening the past couple of fights you've beaten some good guys like Jay Gilpin is is very good very elusive that was a really good test that you passed there and it was you were fantastic in the fight and aggressive what we' expect but how does it feel to be fighting on your again but and but fighting for a belt this time and and how did you feel when you got to call for another belt yeah it was um compared to the last the last time we were at a yard didn't end then as well as I hoped um so for me then to come back and it's almost like a a shot at Redemption I would say and then the shot obviously on top of that is um yeah it's a big big swinger movement so quite happy with that yeah with the the buildup for this fight or not the buildup but the camp talk to us about the camp how the Camp's been um as you progress over time obviously you're going to pick up more things is is there anything you've added to the camp or or is there anything different obviously we don't want to give you away any secrets but how camp in well we were originally we were training for bla so the camp started at long long time ago and then bla got injured and then it was oh crap right we took a week off and then it was right we've got Jimmy do you want it and I was like I'm not too sure I would like that easy Christmas and then it was actually my partner my partner said if you're ever going to think about going pro experience so it was right okay back in the gear back into the camp bang bang bang training for jammie and then obviously then jammie unfortunately pulled out so the Camp's been long hard and I said Relentless yeah Non-Stop yeah and then like that I actually I actually forgotten about the playing one that's another fight that I would like to so there for me there's another two potential really good fights there and obviously blame Mill is quite highly skilled and you can see the see since he's gone to fi the the different things he's added to his game Jamie is another one that I'm pretty sure will happen once he comes back like uh hopefully he recovers from this in a orderly fashion and doesn't try and Rush himself back but the task in hand obviously you've got Jordan he's got uh he's got weal of experience um how do you rate Jordan how do you respect Jordan and what do you expect from Jordan this weekend the weer I don't really know much about him I'm the way I'm viewing it is the way my whole mindset has changed because of Arno it's it's not going to be about what what my opponent's doing it's what I'm going to do I'm G to impose myself it's me doing this it's not oh if I throw a JB and AC cross he's going to hit me with a left hook it's I'm throwing a job and across and he's going to receive it and then I'm going to you know I mean I'm doing whatever off it's all about what I'm doing like a a stubborn Cockiness I would say it's quite um it's quite a good mindset AR who's enforcing the main he's getting everyone else into yeah and I think you need that as well I think sometimes especially am level a lot of Fighters will worry about too much what the other fighter brings and obviously you need to be aware of kind of what they're good at what the potential traps are but if you focus too much on on du the fighter you never really going to improve yourself is that kind of the way Aro has still that in you in the team yeah like obviously we'll watch a bit of footage and we'll we'll see how the move what their habits are and stuff like that but if you focus too much on that it kind of goes away from your own fighting style I feel like like obviously everyone has a style and you you play to your advantages and obviously then your opponent's disadvantages yeah and if you're trying to C to them too much you really don't establish your own side you're just always trying to defend what someone else has for you you're reacting as opposed to being proactive and you know what I mean and being active like a reactive fighter is you can be decent but I think um obviously it's a lot better to be proactive yeah because like that if you're reactive and you go into a fight and if the person doesn't have what you expect them to have and you know yourself people can change from one fight to the next that amateur you could be looking at a completely different fighter because we can see the improvements in yourself uh every single fight I watch you you can see how much better and bet you're getting because it's so early into your career do you feel that as it happens or have you just kind of got to the point where you are now you look back at where you started and went [ __ ] me like or do you notice it as it happens it's quite funny to say that actually because I um I was scolling through my camera roll and I literally saw footage of my um two other mates and we were hitting pods and I remember thinking the time flip I'm unbelievable I'm watching it back now it's like I was 80 kilo slow as a [ __ ] I don't even know like a tractor and I I remember thinking at the time I am unbelievable and look I wish iars but like for me it's more the opponents i' not it's the opponents are getting better and better and then it's like say bl's name I remember having my amateur debut when bla had a title shot on the RFC real Fighting Championships or whatever it was called on that and I remember thinking flip BL Miguel oh he's going for a title and I didn't really know much about him but it was more like oh going for T played him and then the next thing I me were a couple months ago oh yeah by the way kage conflict them and I was like [ __ ] yeah [ __ ] ready so like it's more the opponents I've noticed have gotten better and that kind of is um a Telltale sign that I am obviously getting better better yeah yeah no you most definitely are I like that the bells you've collected like you said the names that are being important forun you now like like you said playe H Jamie you've got Jordan scly then as well like when like when they first kind of came to a cage conflict about the blame thing were you kind of like thinking like you just said there [ __ ] blame Mill like two years previous you were making your debut now was fighting someone who's G for title shots because he's he's had title shots on multiple promotions and and you've had it as well yourself in such a short short space of Time how does it make you feel that in such a short space of time you've made so much progress and you've been able to it's not even about collecting the belts it's like you said fighting these better Fighters does it feel surreal at any stage that you've come this far or with the work you put in is this is what you've this is what you've worked for and this is what you're expecting yeah would say I would get impostor syndrome like yeah I would say that's the best way to describe it it's like I feel like I almost it was too quick like I didn't um deserve it sometimes um but then whenever I speak to people in the gym they kind of help me help me realize that actually I do deserve to be here I've earned the right to be here if you know what I mean but I would get I would get that type of no I wouldn't say it's self-d but it's more like flip have I got lucky or but I think that's just naturally how I am I'm a Thor bread I mean I'm very athletic I'm literally yeah Thor bread is the best way to describe it yeah cuz cuz since I've kind of been following you really have taken to the sport of MMA it was mad how how it came about how you've kind of continued and how you've kind of done slow not not that surpris that you don't but like just the the Accel cation of it I just think it is amazing and and that's why I was interested obviously in yourself and Jamie at the time because he's not in it that long you're not in it that long you were both coming together this was a fight that I was looking forward to but like I said Jordan Scully is is a fantastic opponent and uh the experiences that you're going to gain off him is going to be invaluable going forward as well but what would it mean for you to lift another belt or does the not that the Belt doesn't matter but does beating Someone Like Jordan meet more mean more than the belt well I'll speak about the IR belt initially because it's um it was against jimie it was more jimy I wanted I want the Jimmy didn't matter what it was it could have been know I mean for free or whatever or not for free but you know what I mean and it could have been just a regular fight I just want to Jimmy it didn't matter and then obviously then with the added benefit of you beat him again you get a belt so for Jordan with the belt it's kind of changed my mindset cuz I was thinking I've got two at the moment we'll go for three and then we'll see what happens after that yeah um and the experience Jordan has would be very valuable to not like collect as a sort but um to I see how he moves see how he works um yeah so to me what it means I would view as more like an experience experience type of deal more than the I belt obviously it's an out of benefit but yeah definitely to do with experience and the more experience I get the better I'm going to get the more one step Clos we are to the end goal big promotions and all that yeah no 100% And like that you've gone onto onto multiple different promotions you don't kind of just stick to the same ones do you like the amount of promotions we have and what they can offer you as a fighter and what you think of all the promotions we have because there's so many that you could pick and choose from at the minute like how do you feel about the the way Irish MMA is kind of going at the minute because it's kind of a hot bed right now oh yeah it's class I think um yeah the amount of promotions is Borderland ridiculous you're getting ass like you could almost have a fight at least well I would say yeah once a month yeah or maybe once every two months but it is crazy there's so many promotions and they're all good quality they're not bad quality promotions they're good venues everyone's lovely um yeah as long as you can make we yeah you're you're laughing and then hopefully they spread them out a little bit more than they have this year I believe there is group I believe there is a group message I was speaking to Danny Co he said there is a group message um that they're kind of gonna kind of work with each other so that there isn't two on one day another one a week later another one a week later and and you were actually at that show cage Gladiator what did you make of the show uh in itself um and you were cornering there how do you feel cornering um as well like what is that like for a fighter to Corner oh flip yeah um I find it really interesting those boys I was cornering would be the ones I would um train with the most and I would be given my like personal tips to personal advice too so for them to then turn around and say doic we want you in the corner it did mean a lot to me um and it was first time proper fighting I've done it at um inter clubs before so for like a proper fight show corner I was interested I really enjoyed it really enjoyed it heartbroken over CJ's law so I was heartbroken over that I found that one really hard I was in the corner I could just because you can't get in and you know what I mean I could see um I can't get in and fight the fight for him but it was heartbreaking to see him um lose that one but yeah it meant a lot to be corner and that was a good promotion as well I thought it was very well around yeah I thought it was very well around it was packed from start to finish and it just seemed to I can't remember the guy out your Jim's name and he was strong Flying Kicks and all it was a mental fight Marcus marus he that was sparkus after that that spark that was one of the crazy spark he an electrician as well yeah well he he was fairly Lively now and there I was saying that fight was a that fight was like a what's gonna happen next it just oh my God it was crazy it was he was dying and then he was up again and then we were saying varus circle around and breathe the next thing he's got his back into the cage tell him to come on I was like oh my oh that was funny so funny do you get more nerv did were you kind of more nervous when you were cornering them than you would be for your own fights did you did you find that tall or was it I would say I wouldn't really get nervous to be honest I would get sced it would be scared until the point I'm in the cage and that's where I feel most confident but um nervous for them boys yeah definitely definitely they're are there's that um gut feeling in your stomach something's eating away OB you can't go in and control it for them which is probably like you said with CJ was was the hardest thing and and then and then like you said or like you would know the work they've put in because the work you put in and unfortunely someone has to lose his heartbreaking but it's going to be a pleasure to see you again because most of the shows I see I haven't seen you when was the last time I seen your fight of Akuma Akuma was you've had the you've had the fallouts at the show that I was supposed to go to I'm going to let you go I want to thank you so much for your time is there anyone to say before you go no no I'm all good shout out to the hybrid Arts yeah that's it that's all I got to say perfect best of skill this weekend it's gonna be a pleasure to meet you and see your fight again in person and thank you so much for your time this week it really means a lot to me cheers Dave 100% see you later