Danny Corr interview

Summary

Myself and Danny Corr caught up to speak about the inaugural cage Gladiator show, the commission that has been set up in Northern Ireland and the special moment of seeing his two sons compete on the same card for the first time

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Music] okay I'm here with Mr Danny core after is it it's what about two weeks now removed from a very yeah week in a week in a couple of days yeah removed from the very successful show I must say I I thoroughly enjoyed it there was some absolute bangers on it there was some good knock there was some really good submissions I like that I think it was the triangle with the guy on top with the Nar was oh we really yeah yeah there was there was a couple but we are B removed so it's I kind of think this time is better to talk to because all the emotions and kind of everything adrenaline's gone how did you find running that show like I said it was fantastic but stress everything leading up and and how did you feel once it was over and it was it was a success yeah look the buildup to it was was very a l pretend was very stressful um partly because I it was in a council sort of government facility so that brought with it a lot of other issues that you would normally have if you're on in a hotel so insurance is up the to the health you know risk assessments passing through processes cils and stuff so that that was difficult although I don't mind that kind of work but it still was difficult because you couldn't just push forward with everything on your own B you had to wait for these approvals and the fact only told the boys us after on the Wednesday theth I got an email from the the people running at saying brilliant all the stuff we've done fantastic uh with just one more approval to get from the council then it's good to go I thought yeah really on the Wednesday and I didn't find that out until the Thursday night after that it was all perfect good to go you know so that was a bit that left me go one sleep last night definitely you know so and also there was issues with there was they had a bad attitude I'm not a bad atude there a bad feeling about MMA from some previous things that MMA shows that happened in there you know so um so they're just a bit more cautious but they I love it sent me messages after and emails and I've met them already said fantastic and the next one's Mo you know so happy days so yeah congratulations and I getting that email my God I would say my heart would have left my mouth on Wednesday yeah on the Wednesday evening five o'clock and Jack Jack says you know there's something wrong because he asked me something simple like you know you know where's his gloves and I went [ __ ] up don't talk to me yeah there's something definitely wrong there but yeah we get through it and done all that I mean for the next one everything's in place so I don't need to go through the process anymore you know so yeah once they enjoyed it and they thought it was good and I thought like you've been around MMA years I've only kind of been in the scene I want to say Tre but like yeah doesn't usually be trouble at shows like not usually trouble with fight like because MMA fighters coaches are probably the nicest people you meet because of what you've had to go to to to get where you have the sacrifices and stuff there's usually one or two drunk people who kind of think they can fight once they see it like see people on a couple but I'm glad it went well and what's the plan for next year because the rumors of what I've been hearing when I've been doing interviews off the likes of EMT and Jack and stuff is you you're looking at four next year is that a correct number or I think four be a I think we're going we're looking at three and booked two already next one's in the 27th of April so that's in the day I think cage Warriors is the day before so that on the Saturday so that that's a perfect thing for us so um so that's booked and all and and start working already but yeah look the pl do three hopefully next year and Link in with all the rest of the shows to make sure we're not overlapping and we've got a we bit of a group going at the minute with all the the guys that are promoting shows so yeah so hopefully we'll get that going and be able to match in with other shows and not step in each other's TOS you know and help each other out yeah and I really appreciate that because I can't be in two places at once and I find obviously for yourself the workloads and trying to get people matched and then if stuff falls out if they're so close together it's hard to to replace it and yeah I went through the summer I think there was two shows like for like the whole summer I done like two or three weeks of interviews and then all of a sudden and I still have another there Evolution this weekend in tore by yeah okay your then I go to lanzera Friday then I'm gonna have to start your interviews and then I've got a week off and then we've got Elite and it's just it seems just I'm glad that what what brought the group starting like what is it because of how hectic this year was I think that that brought I mean the guys we've all up here definitely we all there all good clubs good guys running these shows and we all sort of work together but want to make it a bit for more formal you know so so opening the group talking to each other and making sure we all know what we're doing when we're doing it you know and also if you're running a club as well like I do and Le Liam Shon does try to match each other on each other's show so we can spread that about a bit which is which is good for everybody you know um of course of myself and and before actually I started this name was the first person I really spoke too because Belfast Central um he's West Belfast I'm North Belfast that probably means nothing don't but people up in Belfast you know but they're two big different areas and you know and the support is amazing I mean like Liam gets amazing support and that was my thing the first show was running I thought will let's be supported I was blown away by support absolutely blown away I mean I've never walked out on the the main C of a show to see the place packed people usually wat or FES and they go for the the drink you know whatever but it was packed to the gills from start to finish which was amazing I can't thank everybody El for that yeah that's what that's what I noticed when I kind of got there and I knew it was coming to Showtime but I looked up and was like there's a lot of people here and and like you said that does happen people come for certain Fighters and at Le and they leave and yeah I think just because of the amount of kind of Fighters you had on the show and obviously Jack and and EMT that's another thing I'm going to come to now in a second a huge support for them and it was just a Feelgood kind of atmosphere and one of the Feelgood things for me was I spoke to both the boys before it it's the first time they fought on a card together yeah so it's a special moment for them but also a special moment for you how how did you feel doing that obviously you had to put the fight in between so you it wasn't back to back but what was that for you well look to be honest with you like all our fighters of our te would try to treat the same and I think I heard EMT saying that one of his one of his interviews but I mean we have Ved so much and best and the coaches in invest so much and all the guys up here and we run a very unique I mean if I told you none of the theaters like pay any money in this gym you know I mean that I think that's quite unique you know because they're all supporting everything we do up here I mean and the gym is fling at the minute because young guys are coming in and seeing these guys and the effort to put in and the the give back they do to the gym is just amazing but so a fa for everyone I get overly emotional with all F you know because you're invested in them I mean if I told you every night the week I'm doing PS with them all and taking classes all so you know everything they're doing multiply that by your Sons fighting it tends to lift it even more you know put the the two sons together on the same show Madness you know but in saying that there's more pressure on them you know there's more pressure on the fighters um after talking with them all you think they're all cool behind the scenes and after every time especially because we were flat the gym was flat and people were winning and you know the last three Kier M K I'm at a KO but time came to Jack I think Jack thought the odds are he's going to get ko' you know so the pressure is in his head he for [ __ ] sake you know at least one of his get beat so I can have a chance to the OD here but yeah so so there's more pressure there but honestly it was a hard and on running the show um all the the adment of that stress was mad it was really mad like but I gotta give a shout out to J J cor who um fought the been here he did all that hard stuff he all the matchmaking and he was brilliant I didn't I didn't know that I away from say that's fantastic and I was in communication with Jared a lot leading up to about I and poten what I could do like I would always like to do more for shows but obviously there's time restraints I've worked personal life and I try to give the same amount and I hope you happy with the coverage and the coverage at the show well I I felt very welcome what you do da you know it's good to see people that are passionate about it and and get involved that way so it's great yeah yeah know and I appreciate like I said you've always been very good to me Jared was any you like anything you want I can get for you and I said look you have enough pressure I can do the stuff myself but the two boys fighting like that Jack said it to me like because he seen like The Knockouts Kieran masi it was fantastic there was a a couple of guys eagor from your gym Edgar Ed Ed edar but he will may be forever known as eor um yeah his performance is Sensational unbelievable yeah yeah he's fantastic you know and he comes from a boxing background but he's now developing some great wrestling great technique Le cage workers because he's again they're here every night of the week what they put themselves through is unbelievable in here so agar's one of them and they all work as a great team you know the big ones sitting here just behind the camera big big AR Stewart as well he fought uh uh CJ was it CJ arong you know unbelievable two big man hitting each other you know and AR hit him more than he hit him so was great you know yeah that that was a good fight well I like there was actually a lot of uh the heavier Lads on it as well and I love heavyweight and it's good that you can see that more coming back in because the minute it's it's kind of you look at between Phantom weight and kind of lightweight yeah it's kind of where there's a lot of fighters in but now you see it kind of exploding onto the scene and we talked about your gy and I don't want to say underrated but I just don't think it gets the recognition enough of the time I think it deserves I've been saying that for a while and I think he can see what the crop of youngsters coming through you can see the tight turning how do you feel about the gym and everything and how it's going yeah no look it's brilliant and we we've been here a long long time we've been on the a long long time and uh it's really funny I don't know it's whether because we just keep our name as a s KJ which is a k that people think we're some kind of k club you know people haven't worked that out yet you know we're very high level wrestling up in this club and and grappling as well so no I love the way our club is developed you know as I say most of the guys here through the start from nothing you know they don't come here with any background it's only recently that we've had a couple of guys couple great guys have come from another gym to start training here you know uh and then they get the feel for what way we are operate and they just fall into this whole this whole system you know we're a very dedicated system of what we do you know so it's and had people about a long time training and a long time coaching so the way developed is fantastic you know and all of a sudden it's just came to this point where we decited they on a show you know and it's it's something I always St away with and it's it's a bit it's a bit weird of me because I've always been helping the shows and trying to get the organizational in for the shows and all the regulations and I always said God I don't think I'd run a show but it just came to the point where we needed to came a we bit like lames gen where we were starting to find it hard hard to get matches for feds you know um but I think I think our names out there and people know who we are definitely you know so uh we don't look for recognation on that we just go out there in fate and enjoy it you know yeah and like that the boys were Sensational Mikey Mikey McCoy I want to give a shout out to as well obviously fight but like that that was that kick that landed but Mike's a good guy he's a good fighter he looked reinvigorated under yeah um and it was just it's it's hard watching people lose because I see people from like a personal relationship with both sides but someone has to lose but it was like that when you have someone like who took it so well and they had a point I don't know where it's the spirit of the way Jack uh holds himself you know when he's he's one of people in the gym Le up too the way he dedicates himself to I mean there's nobody in the gym trains harder than Jack you know he he's ridiculous trainer you know but but the way holds himself the Fate everybody Jacks F fate is lovely they're all lovely people you know and and sometimes Jack Hits that because he wants to dislike the person there's no there's no one na lik to make it you know fantastic guy and it was a bit of a risk taking effect F make because you know he's been out of the scene we way you know he was great we knew he was a great F but he's you you don't know why he's come up a lot or why he stay the same turned out he has come up a lot cuz he knew what he was at and he was there the techniques we do they're just pure trained into their brains uh you know on that kick if you listen it we sh instead of me shouting instead of shouting head kick you know we show we codes out you know and yeah the Cod that I showed out was just drilled into Jack's head and he just done it straight away you know when it it connected and it's a powerful it's a powerful kick he took you know yeah it was and he even slipped in the process which made it he meant to do that you know yeah it was a fantastic night I can't wait to see more of them next year congratulations on that as well but also there's another thing that's kind of started up yourself Li Shannon and a couple of other people have we were supposed to speak about this a long time ago but a lot of things ironed out and it's kind of it's gone forward a bit further so do you want to talk to the people I don't know that much about if you talk to people about what's happening up there why it was created and what's uh what direction is going in and how F MMA well you know sort of to start with you know obviously I'm part of Amma you know I'm on the the board of am and do a lot of work for for MMA Association there so with with the rest of the lads and ladies but um it's just up here I mean alar MMA was always was always there to start and you know was pushing forward and there was some resistance to that at the time but it just seemed right that we started something to try regit you know try regit with referees and try and get more referees and more judges involved um trying to get helping coaches because there's a lot of clubs popping up you know and they're all popping up with the right intention and great intentions but you have to be you have to do things right you know because God forbid something happens something goes wrong and the letter of law can be brought down in your head really really quickly you know so everybody's doing things with good intentions but when need to have things done right especially with this recognition process so the recogn the recognition processes there so it's um MMA as a sport as a body as a sport is is recognized through UK Regional bodies there's just one more bit of the process to go which is like a formal process um but have to have everything in place to make sure we're showing them we're doing everything right you know instead of just people operating in their own silos and doing their own thing you know and some people resist that you can understand don't want to be involved in things like that but at the end of the day that's the way all sports are running have to do that you know so so Liam Liam was probably one of the first ones don't want to get to get it organized and pulled together andless the Big Arm Wallace and we had a few Zoom meetings a loot of people attend that and and hopefully we'll move it forward bring everybody on board and I mean I think first priority was to get the the referee and sorted you know it's not good enough that you have one or two referees and maybe three or four judges you know you have a big pool of those people coming from all different clubs so there's no then there's no no then you know there a couple failers all his b to him or that that type of thing if you have a big pool of Judges big pool of referees you just pick and choose you know so I think that that's what arm is taking forward which is which is great yeah it's good and like that uh like I said people are always going to resist MMA and because it's such a young sport as well and yeah that's why I kind of do these infu to talk to the fighters to to get people to see what's behind these Fighters Behind these people and and the work that's involved like you said I've talked to you many times about what you do Pete like to try to get recognized it's not easy so oh it's been it's been like eight years more but probably about 10 years work um but that's that's a standard process and it's actually quicker than other ones like click boxing has been taken 20 30 years do recognize you know we're we're but we should have been closer but I was I personally stopped a bit of it because there was a big issue with imaf the world the world body and Safeguard and child protection which was which was to me is one of the most important things and there was massive issues there so I put a bit of a hold on it because I wasn't happy with things on there um I went to to help I'm off I went on on a safeguarding commission with him and done a lot of work to try and bring it up the standard unfortunately it wasn't up to my standard so I resigned there recently but uh that's another story but over here in in this country in Ireland that has hold the standards are fantastic you know we want to just keep that going and try and get the the government to recognize that we're doing everything perfectly yeah you you're doing kind of what you should plus more it's like you're not just meeting the bare minum criteria it goes that extra step because you have to show them you have to yeah if if you just go bare minimum something happens you're knocked back down whereas if you go a couple of sets before something happens you're still in a good area that was one of the reasons to have the show in in gwood a government or Council run organization to show that we can do we can do it properly in a in a in a venue like that which is run by the government and mahad Aon and and the commission and the referees and judges all there and do the job perfectly so that was the big reason I done I could have took the easy run and went went and B up hotel for a quarter of the price you know so but but didn't put put ourselves Under Pressure doing that but that's worked out well and that's another step forward you know yeah because it's all these little things like you said doing it there opening it up getting these people to see what exactly doing they've probably met a lot of them on the day and seeing how humble and nice they are and they actually they couldn't believe it DA they come back on the Monday straight away I seen an email from them I thought thought [ __ ] me what did something go wrong you know complete opposite H they were saying it was one of the best run of an of seen they actually said people cleaned up after them people lifted stuff it was all our boys lifted everything and cleaned up after them and he and he rubby SL but know you know so simple things like that so they have a great few of MMA in their heads so the next person coming along after me can walk in and have a template there you know yeah and like that like congratulations on the work and thank you for the work you do for MMA cuz a lot of it is behind the scenes is same with like marene down in Cork and she do so much work and I've spoke to her before and it doesn't get seen because it's behind the scenes like said there's politics issues uh admin stuff but yeah what was the when you started this with Le and Aaron what was the kind of feedback like from clubs um we had a good feedback there was a a lot of clubs came on board and went to the meetings and and stuff you know course some people don't like it but you're never going to keep everybody happy you know but all you can do is try and try and convince people you're doing it for the right and doing it for the good of the sport you know and and the good of sports is good for everybody you know youve can't say like I always bring it back that i' I've sons in this this game I want it to be perfect I want it to be safe I want it to be run properly and I want them to have a pathway through that they can enjoy the sport they don't have to go professional in fact the whole goal of being an AM sport is to keep people amate and have you know people want can have like like they doing boxing people have 200 Fates in boxing they never go professional you know we should be looking at the same sort of model here you know yes man because that's what I was watching I think it was Gary Cy who who fought that recently and he was like say 300 am fights I like mental but yeah obviously that's been around for years and they've got all this in place and yeah with boxing there still is issues there's always going to be issues in everything but like you have the best interest at heart going forward and I know you personally we've talked a lot and I know you've not both the best intentions not just for your sons but for the the country and and everyone as a whole and going forward I hope success cuz I know you you had that Zoom me in open I think I was away that day yeah with my nephew but I think Amy Kelly who does media as well said she was able to log on ask questions so you're PR open and transparent about everything yeah yeah yeah 100% that's it you have to be there's no hidden agenda you know there's no I mean there's more effort than organizing this and not doing it you know you know I could go and just run the club and put everything in this and it'll be easier to do but it's not going to move us sport on any fur because I think we need to move that bit further it's it's but like that it's still a young sport there still is a lot of things and hope it will finally get recognized but look it was a fantastic show you had like I said I really enjoyed it I can't wait to see more I'm really interesting what you're doing with yourself Li and Aon and maybe the reever will Broach that on on a different day maybe do some and we can get everyone's perspective of it and I can get put questions out to people that might want to ask it and we can answer them there but but I'm going to let you go is there anything you want to say before you go thank you so much for your time I really appreciate it and is there anything you want to say before you go I just listen to thank everybody that supported the show I mean all the different clubs that came um I hope they all enjoyed it the feedback I got was they all did um all the failers of course that's that's a priority they were they were absolutely brilliant on the day um and also the the people behind the scenes there there was a thousand people in this gym that were doing everything from lifting the cages and transporting and getting it fixed up and setting it up you know uh and particularly Jared we've done all the matchmaking that wouldn't have been the show without Jared you know so so yeah fantastic and and thanks to likes you Dave and all other Med people who came to really the photographs and all the media came out it was fantastic so appreciate it thank you no it was my pleasure like I said I always go to shows wherever I can and it's possible and and like I said I was always going to make it to this first show because you've always been so and honest and open and then just talking about certain things so I GNA let you go thank you so much and enjoy your night thank you buddy thank you you good and