Keith Keogh interview

Summary

Keith Keogh is an amateur fighter fighting out of Cmac, with a record of 13-1 he holds belts at two weights, gold in four nations medals in nationals and immaf competition he fights on the upcoming APFC show, we talk about his year out and his future.

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Kind: captions Language: en [Music] okay so I'm here with Mr 13 and one I 13 and0 really um obviously you all know him he's one of the top bantamweights if not the top bantamweights within the country uh four nations uh doubleweight Champion Nationals imaps you name it he's been there he's won it he's he's done really well in all these competitions how are you thank you for joining me you're you're returning shortly again to the cage yeah yeah feeling good yeah rning two weeks two weeks on Friday so Feeling Good Feeling ready you know this I think to be honest with you this the hardest of H it's the highest I've been training since probably last year in the AOS and I've been back into the swing of things the last few months and I'm not even messing I think this is honestly the best I felt ever this is honestly the best I felt ever in the game like I feel stronger I feel FAS um I think obviously I haven't F year but I feel like in that year it's probably I've probably leveled up the most since that like I think when I took the two years off and I came back I was better I think this time I it's G to even be better again you know because I've had the experience of last year of last year's fight and then I've had that year off to improving me game so I think yeah I'm really feeling good for this one yeah and we can't wait to see you get in and this is a question that I actually asked a lot of Fighters because I know SBG to Lam more do it which you're quite familiar with I know you you cross chain with him sometimes yeah um that Kieran DAV actually he his Fighters out of competition to upskill do you think when you're not constantly in the camp and you're enjoying training and just going do you think it's it's quicker to improve like that rather than Camp after Camp after camp or would that vary per person do you think I think I think I it can't very perar but I definitely think it can be but I think as well a lot of amateurs get bugged down in like H are fighting so they trying for specific style you know they're trying for specific St we were always kind of brought up like training for whoever like we should always be ready as a as an amager like um he should always be like prepared you should be always like upscaling your own stuff like updating the hardware the software all that stuff um as an amate anyway so you should be always going to training everything and not just specifically for each fighter and so I think when now the way the image I seen is going people are like very in invested in one fight rather than like in like improving the all around games I kind of thinking about like one for f c an orthodox rest Striker so some people kind of will focus on that which is probably it's going away to win the fight but it's then if you go to somewhere like the imfs or you know you're down a tournament style the Nationals or the forign Nations it's good to have an all round type of game so it depends if you're fighting on shows all the time it's good to sometimes take a step back and kind of take the added pressure off yourself as well you know if if you're only in the gym training for that one specific St you're not learning everything else but when you have that bit of free time I think it's good to kind of take a step back sometimes and just kind of update everything yeah yeah no I I would be of that presumption as well but because I don't fight I always like to see other people's opinions like you said people will train for a certain fighter and I think especially an amateur you should really go in not not that you don't look at them at all but focus on developing your game as your own and making your own style and putting a stamp on it and and growing rather than than focus on them but like that you for kind of the who like um Ronan Degan W that Springs to mind I remember Ronan was on a tear at the time like you were you were taking uh win streaks off people like that when you look back at the competition you face you face the best of the best and then going forward obviously into this next fight and going forward do you think I would say you're very well prepared I'd say you could probably turn pro now at this stage is that something that's far off in your mind no Pro is definitely off far off and I think like having the tough competition that I faced H so far what does give me that confidence like facing that tough competition and doing well whether it's a win or a loss like you know that that just gives me the confidence to know that I can deal with a pro and definitely you're coming up against top fighters and top James that are well prepared and that does give me the confidence that I Pro I can I can kind of beat anybody you know what I mean and the difference between this fight and all the rest of me fights is I'm kind of I'm taking this more seriously with like diets and kind of training camps to where like not that I never took it f seriously but I'm looking at it as a pro store fight to where like you know get me way down to a certain weight caugh a bit more weight because like a lot of the time I was taking f a 66 like day before be waiting in a 64 and stuff like that but this time I'm the bit heavier so I want to do the water load I want to do the do right I want to look at it I want to look at this like a pro fo so to get ready for pro that's the only thing I've never really done even to make 61 I've never had to really make weight of water loaded didn't have to do a bath or anything like that was eating pretty well so this time so ready in me skill in me skill and me like abilities I feel like I'm ready but there's other stuff including like the white cuts the the longer training camps and stuff like that that's the only thing I hadn't probably done where I always stayed ready year around but this time I'm kind of great I'm like focusing on this one fighter and that's the one thing I wasn't kind of ready for for pro but I'm taking a chance to do it now I'm trying and get it right you know and uh I think after this for maybe there something else obviously I have Lo up in November that hopefully I can now soon but and then after that like no fights next year it'll be amateur and it'll be proud from next year on with you and it's exciting times then to see Time pro like I only kind of came in I want to say about halfway through your career but I kind of followed it quite closely like I have the likes of your gym because when we started MMA in dep your gym was actually so good to fight I think in our six interviews four of them were actually fighters from your gym and that was just after the four nations as well but um with h the show that you're going to be fighting at it's ran obviously anony ptis it's the first time that has come outside of America I think J Harris was the first kind of foreign fighter over okay and it's taking place in the UK just host of Fighters on it between sen and Aaron Henry um You've Got Jake you've got so Lewis burn uh en Shan uh matis like do you think they've really looked at the Irish Market because I know Showtime management I've had a bit a couple of conversations with them and kind of put them in different directions it looks like they've really kind of highlighted the Irish Market how does it feel that they've picked you to be on this show to go over and fight on Annie P's show because the platform is going to be on Fight Pass he's going to be there like there's like the shows are ran quite well yeah like it's an honor it is it really is not it's like it's Anthony pet it's like the sh time kick like it's it's it's a big deal like it is a big like it's a big deal to a lot like I know it's a big deal to it should be a big deal and it is a big deal but I only touched on this in an interview today I can't be thinking to myself Anthony Pettis is there it's apfc it's this big show to me when I hear it's a fight it's a fight you know so I think that's the mindset I have to have gone forward and I think most people should have like I I'm not really looking to say oh like Anthony prce is in the crowd or this person's in the crowd I'm looking to perform every time I go out I'm looking to put on a show whether it's in the ga Hall whether it's in the back Arena whether it's in the MGM wherever it is I can't be like oh this person's there or that person's there don't get me wrong it's a privilege and I'm honored when I heard like that they want to sign me and they want to put me on the show I'm like gez this a big opportunity but that has to switch off quick you have to perform and if you I think the more people get bugged down details the less that they will perform that they'll perform worse but if I go over and just do my thing it'll be people wanting me on the show all the time then you know rather than me want to get on that show so hopefully I can go here put on a good performance and show them you know that's that's how I'm going to be grateful Bo putting on a good performance and showing what I've Lev like how I've leveled up in the last year you know yeah no it is good and I like your attitude that it doesn't matter because you could go to GA hall right and fight like that like cage Legacy the other night you never know who's in the crowd you never know who's what exactly take that from your mind the biggest eyes could be watching at the smaller shows um you talked obviously about your weight and there's a couple of things you need to do for pro which is quite good and I know Alexander is actually with Yanik as well isn't he's yeah he's with Yanik yeah with yanic yourself or do you just take the hints from from or do you do your own like what way have you worked wake up do you have a nutritionist yourself no I don't have a nutritionist um it's probably something that I should be and for probably will be obviously nutritionist cost a lot of money that I probably don't have you know it doesn't pay to be even a pro fighter let alone an amateur MMA fighter you know what I mean so it's something that I definitely will be um looking to invest in and last year shout out to Jen O'Neal she helped me for the euros and stuff like that and obviously horn Allen had been great to me last year and Allen's like obviously he's me physio he always keeps me in check but Jan also helped me last year with me physio coming up to the Europeans just to kind of show me what I should be eating how to get the we down and stuff like that but this year I just it's a bit different with the day before way and stuff like that I have kind of look I'm doing this nine years now you know what I mean MMA I'm in MMA I started in seac nine years ago and this month it was October so we started n years ago so I'm just kind of always been around seeing how what I people Do It um obviously i' probably never tooken on board as much I always was you know fighting above me weight and stuff like that because you know I love me shers and me piz and stuff like that but um I kind of not you know a f but I know how it's done now you know um I see people down for years and obviously getting tips off everybody in general and but it's definitely something we need to look into especially if for G problem because I be sitting there if there Crips in front of me like I getting mil like you know there bar there gone it is is like that's that's the only problem I have that's the only problem I have is fi i t like most figh so for PR or something we be looking at but for now it's just kind of all myself down here yeah no that's good and and talking about Alexander and the kind of I was in like I said why is it see Ma I done those interviews with you what struck me was we went up it's not an overly Big G but the talent that's coming out there between yourself Jordan uh Ross who's an absolute OG You've Got Jake as well who was just yeah onto the team 10 and two like he's nearly the same record as you like in what year and a half yeah remember uh Henry leer um I can't remember the guy's name he fought he won good arar at Rory Rory it was Rory Rory absolute Beast not a big beast yeah yes I like seeing that Evolution like you said you've been there nine years so you kind of started From when it was the nooks and crannies that the the basics Basics to seeing Alexander suan walking out at CIA Warriors you Jordan Ross going to Ima uh four nations uh Jake is well doing what he was doing last year as well like he was stand out at the tournament what's it been like on that journey to now and that you're all still together as a unit yeah it is really is mad because like obviously before started the gy wasn't nowhere near that level obviously um it was nowhere near that level always had the potential to be always had the potential but like it's like when any sport you see like you probably know football is going up around the area say Jesus they're great but not everybody come like goes on and does everything you know um and I think just me starting at the time I did like I had JLo coming me and JLo kind of really started together Russ started a couple of years before us obviously Alex was there from the start um and then we obviously had the new Lads joining in but to see from where it it it started to where it is now it's like it mean it really does mean something you know because obviously starting from the ground up and like seeing how like d lad's progress you know like even like Rory there having his amage AB um only joined in the gym year I two ago and you know Nick Daniel all stuff like that people that are in the gym you know just seeing all these type of Fighters come in that you would have saying starting out as novice like always started out and then they're all down well you know winning national championships going to the OAS and stuff like that and then obviously the addition to like Henry and Jake are unbelievable to the gym coming in and improving all around it's it's it's it's a bit like you can't be emotional in a way like you're saying Jesus like how like we're really doing this we really like one of the best games in the country MO is like you know we we're winning national championships or winning bels Alex theying everything right where in my is obviously one of the best so it's a it's an unbelievable feeling and I've always said this like people say it's not a team SP fair enough you're in the cage and you're on your own but these having these people around me make me better go to any other gy I don't think I'd be the same person I am I don't think i' be the same fighter I am but having these people around like that are that good you want to be beating them not beating them but you in your own mind want to be as good as them you saying right there they like this you know I want to be at that level that's the level I want to be at like Alex and C Warriors I want to be down like that so we all make each other better and so it's it is it's an incredible feel in the gym and we're all close in the area wise you know like we all live close to each other like everybody's from Blan really like you know and so that makes it kind of a whole lot better you know yeah it is like like that you and Jordan shared go at the Nationals you shared gold at the four nations I was actually wondering if the four nations were they going to let you do it but obviously they did yeah it just seems like such a a well- knitted gym and I know everyone says that but for me looking from the outside I do agree with you I think you're one of the best gyms around and I think like that the emergence of yourselves uh there's an emergence of a lot of smaller gyms I I no want to say that you're a small gym if you get me but you don't have no know what you mean yeah um but you're seeing that crop up everywhere now and I think it's brilliant for the sport because there might not be a gym or a big Gym close enough to someone and you if you get these talented people like you have in your gym um it'll just grow and grow and I think I think it needs these like I said you're probably up there in the top three top five like just just a like FBI I think are are very good right now but like that I think I think like year up there year up there in the conversation with all the accolades from last year as well alone yeah um but going forward obviously you said you might have something November which we can't talk about and then next year is going to be Pro so the next couple of fights is just you like you said you believe in your skill set it's just you working on those little other things just to make yourself ready for pro and then we'll be seeing when do you think we'll be see you or do you have an idea or will it be just when you and Alex think you're ready um yeah I think it'll be just I'm hoping like you know you always like give yourself time frames like go will it be March or you know just after Christmas to get a good camping and stuff like that and so that would be kind of an ideal time period maybe April but like you know obviously stuff doesn't always well get I would obviously I was in Thailand there to be honest it was more of a traveling thing I went with me friends rather than training I know most people are g off to bank H but I'm looking at going back in everybody but to maybe just go to bank H stay there for the four to five weeks and go with the lads out of the gym so if I was over there really putting in a camp um maybe in February March and then looking at fighting in April sometime I don't have like a set that there's nothing that I want to do um but even this year look I've been working on maybe like some H look stuff even defens wise you know so that I'm in them positions maybe TR some elbows from the bottom off from the top and from the bottom you know because obviously I have the high gu so I think the pro game would suit me there if I TR elbows up me back and just kind of all that stuff I have been down in the year with the time off that I've had and so I think Pro will be more than ready like Mard I always feel was great sort of the longer rounds will be good it be good for me but as in regards to time a date I don't have actually have a date but I think yeah in around the April time would be nice because I would like to go maybe two three and0 by the end of the next year yeah like that you do stay active when you do fight obviously it's going to be a more cautioned approach when you come to Pro you can't jump in these fights last minute but like you spoke obviously about Thailand and you were out for a while with in injury and I see you then whenever like like you said Nick is someone who I forgot about I don't know how slick Nick with the he's fairly Nifty at the boxing yeah um yeah every show Corner was there ever at any stage when you were out inj going I'd love to just get back in there yeah yeah there was like there was times there was Times Obviously like you did get little sudden or just like you know to get back in there I think at the time I really got was probably going to like when the lads went to Serbia for the World Championships because that wouldn't have been too long was February maybe um and it just kept me out it just kept me out like you know you know and then there was times after I was meant to have a feel foot but and there was just other stuff going on maybe personal stuff that and just kept me out and the injury probably took a bit longer than I thought as well like with the eye you know just wasn't fully where where it should have been and so obviously it was kind to Mar so like yeah I want to get back in I want to get D and I want to get them nerves before the fights like just yeah kind of want to get back in there there it's always been in be mind like you know like a year out now feels like honestly forever but it doesn't at the same time if you get me so it like like I think the world championships was probably really when I was like oh I need to get back in there like you know and and obviously it's been a while like that was February but we're here now I think I like the break isn't wasn't the worst thing I've have 4 amage fight and to improve him that time that kind of like what we touched on so it's it's all working out GNA have this fight and I think it's going to be it's going to be good yeah know I can't wait for I've actually booked the day off work so I'm actually just waiting to book my flights and book the the hotel and stay for the weekend go as a fan appreciate that and and enjoy it and it's like that cuz I was talking to you about I said right I'm going to get booked and then obviously sing got put on everyone else get put on I was like it I have to go now and I'm GNA go and enjoy it as a fan for once and have a few not worry about have to get you live up to the name fans you you need to enjoy it you know exactly exactly but look I'm looking forward to your next fight coming up obviously whatever you have in November when you have that announc and then you're Pro I'm going to let you go but is there anything you want to say before you go H not much not much to be honest just kind of thanks to all the lads in the gym and not not really much just ready to go man just ready to go and that's it like you know I think we've touched kind of on everything but H just thanks very much to for having me on you know I know you're all sting some other stuff as well we' be all looking forward to that you know most of the MMA saying like the one that there at every show there every show and everybody's always there and I know you're talking about this for being one of your last interviews but I'm hoping to get DEF back on with you no matter what it's still so we'll be looking forward to whatever you doing also da yeah thanks very much perfect I want to thank you as well like that you Alexander and all were so open to me doing the MMA in depths and like that I am s some other stuff I'm not saying that I won't come back to MMA at the minute it's just one after another after another and I think there's this expectation of me to do so much and I can't live up to those expectations so I want to do this other thing look I could be back in three weeks I could be like oh yeah you know that sort of way but these are other interest that I wanted to soon so I'm going to do it so I can do one a week and then like that when the show comes up maybe get the two main event Lads or one or two off it rather than like you see me before boom boom like suay doing two three inws a day for five days a week then spending all weekend that shows it taxes yeah I know when you work but I want to thank you for the kind words when you go pro we will definitely do an interview 100% exive Fu and for I know there no comment I'm neutral I'm neutral I'm I know you're I'm only messing I'm only messing I'll actually cut out because I actually do like the boys right so I'm got to let you go thank you so much for your time and I'll be looking forward to the fight in two weeks thanks very much for having me on da appreciate that perfect thank you