James Slavin interview

Summary

Former Chaos and Cage Conflict champion James Slavin joined me ahead of his featherweight championship bout at Akuma this weekend. We speak about the gap in-between fights and the improvements made since February how but is not looking past his opponent Kevin Kehoe who is an…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

[Music] Okay so we've got Akuma this weekend we have Mr James slavin with us H former cage conflict Champion former chaos champion and he's gonna be fighting this weekend for the kuma fedway Championship how are you how's things and how are you feeling about the fight good man feel great um happy just to be fight week really really happy and a great place just uh loving life loving training um I'm just ready to uh put on a big performance this weekend claim the title and just show everyone what of the work that have been putting in I know youve seen a we glimpse of it uh cage conflict in February um but I'm a completely different fighter from then so it's uh it's really exciting that don't know you know what I'm going to be able to do this weekend so just doing it like just doing it yeah and like I said February that's that's quite a bit away for me there was like a cluster of shows and a massive break and then there's like going to be the shows coming up at the end in that time with just training no kind of shows coming up do you feel you've improved a lot more because you've just been in training and enjoying the training rather being in a training camp well how long goes that now look six months five months that's a long time for me not to be fighting like I want to be fighting every month because it's all I do like I want to fight as much as possible um but I was meant to fight on the last cage conflict against Aid no bo and I obviously the fight fell through uh the week before 10 days out and I think the fight was offered by offered a couple of people and just it didn't come the frish which was frustrating but I was ready to go there and I just got better since then so um I feel like I would have put on a great performance at night as well but I'm even better than I would have been that night now so um I have improved so much like I'm I'm at FAA now like a a year probably about 11 months maybe um every session here I'm just getting better I'm I'm just really improving like massively massively yeah no and I can't to see those improvements because that is a long time to not have a fight and when I can see why you'd be frustrated I want to call you the the day off mat like you've jumped in so many times to day of I'd say you wish there was a lot more people like yourself that would have jumped one time but um like you said going forward we're just going to see what it's like and obviously you've got a very good opponent in front of you he actually fought teing uh yes and he actually he done very very well in that fight uh and I think the last two performances he hasn't looked as as good as he has but like what are you expecting from what are you expecting from because I think he's a very good fighter he hasn't shown what he's really capable of especially in his last fight yes um I'm expecting a as you say a game fighter that's coming off two defeats is it now he's two he's lost two in a row has he so look I know what losing feels like I know what way I would be coming on their fight if I just lost two um so I'm expecting someone that's going to be really game and they give me a good fight but I just feel like I'm going to be better everywhere like I just feel like I'm on a different level no disrespect or anything then but I just feel like I'm he's where he is and I'm where I am which is I feel levels above but I can say it all now like I just had to show on Saturday night but uh going back to you saying about not many people are willing to step up or whatever me and James Hughes were having this conversation last week because his fight has fell through on Akuma and uh we were we were chatting and he's like there's not many people really willing to step up anymore I wish there was more kind of Fighters of you out there that's willing to just step on on short notice and um that's what I was hoping for at the last cage conflict someone willing to step up for me and I was telling myself that all week I've stepped in enough so someone's definitely going to step up for me now but it wasn't a be and um it is what it is it is what it is but um back to your question Kevin I good fighter seems solid everywhere as well to be fair but um I just think I'm a good but better everywhere than and I'm going to show it on Saturday yeah and like you said you you feel like your level is above from the last time we seen you talk to us what train is like at the minute because there's a host of Fighters like just below your weight your weight and above your weight what's like with bodies like that like you've obviously got I don't even want to start nameing them I'm going to miss someone and I'm going to get in trouble yeah no I'll name I'll name them and definitely you're going to miss you're going to miss people because there is that many and that's a that's a [ __ ] great thing to be able to forget is you know so many fighters at my we bantom with bantom fell like like start with light with like Paul Paul Hughes Cory tan um Blain uh molver uh McDonald I so many I can't even see you're put me on the spot now I can't even think of I'm probably forgetting 30 people but the bodies are the bodies are unreal and like how can you not be getting better and improving when you're around all these people all the time that have the same goals and and and same drive as you it's just it's [ __ ] great to be part of I really I love I love going up the training like I be like I stay up sometimes but when I'm driving up from there I'm like I'm bouncing all the house they drive up to B fast no joke and when I first moved I I didn't know if that was going to be the case I maybe thought all the travel and all look at my get to me I I love it really I be [ __ ] bouncing up the road and it's uh the coaching's amazing to look so it's um it's a great place that's all I can say is it's like it's a it's a great place and I really enjoy it it's a it's I feel like it's a great foot for me like Pat and shando are just they're just two good people as well and but they're really really driven and I feel like I'm an all right person and I'm really driven as well so we uh we link well and also uh I work a lot with Adam mcard as well and Aiden Devin them two have been help me out a lot too so um shout out to them too they're kind of on the shadow so we B and the coaching kind of Pat Shand are the two main coaches obviously but them two put on a lot of work too with us so it's great yeah know there is Top Class coaching and what I noce about uh shandel Patt and the rest of the coaches well like I said you do even forget how many coaches they have there because it's just just a host but like they seem to just like if their Fighters are fighting obviously if they're away with Paul or whatever they'll be doing that but like if their Fighters are fighting novice Fighters like they will show up to those shows they were at fit to fight they're there on a Sunday evening they families and and they seem to to put 100% in and I I assume that's what they expect back if you don't if they don't get that back like they're not going not that they but like that's what they expect because that's what they put in what's it like to have someone that will put that much effort into you oh it's great it's great like P sh [ __ ] from the h like they're not going to sugarcoat anything like when I first moved up it was a case of we'll put as much effort on the US you put on the training and I put a lot of effort on the training and a lot of effort on the traveling up and they put a lot of effort on the me in return so it's I it's some you don't go always kind of I don't always think about it but now that you're asking me I'm like [ __ ] I do put a lot of work on me too I know it's great it's really it's really good I'm uh I'm grateful to be around just such I driving driven people that are on the same path and want the same same things that I want and they want the same goals that I want for myself they want me to you know push on and work towards them too so it's a i I know it's great to be great to be part and have them type of people that are pushing you on because it's nice having the drive yourself which I do have but then when you have two people like Pat and shandle pushing you on as well it can only it can only push you the to the top look so that's where I feel like I'm going yeah and obviously you're going to be a to Showcase your improvements since February this weekend you're going to be fighting obviously on Akuma which is a fantastic show I was at the last one had been away for a while we got like the the Damen McAn spinning heel kick which was fantastic the whole show was was fantastic and I really like the setup with step and I think he's a he's fantastic but when you were figh obviously there's a couple of fighters from your gym on it what's the buzz like in the gym when it's like fight week so everyone's like you all pushing each other and obviously even there's gonna be Fighters that aren't competing but they still put their shifts in with you because they know when it comes to their turn to fight you'll do the same what's the buzz like at the minute yeah no it's great it's great um we actually were du to have maybe like six or seven people on the show and just i f fights fall through like don't they so um no the buildups been great we've had probably probably had about seven eight hard weeks at it now and we had a group of like every Wednesday we would go up to this hill in Belfast it's called St Mary's hill we do like a session with Adam on a Wednesday then there was about 10 of us up on this hill the worst Hill you've ever seen in your whole life it's absolute death terrible but once you know you can do eight nine 10 sets of that together and everyone's pushing each other like get you ready for the fight so the buzz was great and um loads of good rounds and also te and Locker he's fighting the same week this this weekend to Sunday so he's been we've been working a load together and stuff too so um it's been great really good Buzz there's always a good buzz in the gym though you know what I mean because someone always has a big fight coming up and I was putting my my dues on you know when I didn't have a fight because I would expect people to do that for me also whenever I have a big fight coming up like they be there and put the work on alongside me to help it's just you have to be selfless too because people are willing to put their bodies on the line for you and training so I'm definitely willing to do do that also for people like anybody I would do it for anybody in in the gym like but you know and and you mentioned like Satan there you've got Paul Hughes you've got ree in the UFC what's it like oban's just starting his kind of pro career but he's signed to 11 which is I think is a really good starting place for a pro fighter because when you go around the regional scene and this is no disrespect but he's got the contract for I think it's three fights or maybe five fights but it's really like that you said fights fall out quite a bit but when you're on the something like levels you're nearly guaranteed to be getting your fights when you see him going to Promotions like that Paul obviously making his decision P pfl you've got Rees in UFC what's it like looking at those Lads and seeing that these things are achievable if you put the working ah it's good like you're you're just rubbing shoulders with people where you want to go to you know what I mean and boys that are showing you like I'm sharing the mats with these boys and we're putting good rounds and good work on the together so there's no reason where I there's no reason why I can't be where these Lads are do you know what do you know what I'm saying uh no it's great it's great and Paul going the pfl it just opens our eyes they like different avenues that you can pick in the sport as well like I want to be one of the best fighters in the world no doubt but also I want to like set up a life for my my family and set up a life for myself as well like I'm not I I'm I'm grateful to be around these people and them and show me different paths as well that like it was always just all the UFC the UFC or whatever which here I would absolutely love to get the UFC but it's not the be all and end all of the sport do you know what I mean it's um there there's there's there's other options that you can go down and and you said levels and brave cage Wars all these kind of starting Pro ranks kind of star Level Pro ranks are good and it's good they have options isn't it like so yeah it's better to be uh looking at them than looking for them do you know that sort of a way and whereas it used to be Warriors UFC whereas now like I said there's levels pfl H Bellator obviously they've merged you've got octagon that's come on the scene as well and a lot of the the European promotions are on Fight Pass now as well so you've got FCC which is in the UK which is on Fight Pass there's many more options than there was years ago but I think that's obviously with the explosion of kind of MMA at the minute and am MMA at the minute what's your thoughts on I just think the scene right now is buzzing I just think it's just it's it's un like I think some of our amateurs the likes yourself and and I can't even think off top my head like you've got Damien MCG and the Shay Cleveland too I think are two of the best flyweights around like the fights that they've had like are better than some the the early level Pros in other countries like what you make it a scene right now I think the Irish amateur Irish MMA sc's probably one of the best in the world has to be look at the many fighters and the many fights that are on every weekend and the the level of the fighting like I don't really I watch I've seen obviously Scottish and English amateur MMA Welsh as well but like in terms of like France Spain America and all like what what's our amateur MMA like is there even you don't hear anything about it like like and that's just maybe just because I'm on the bubble of you know all them countries but you don't hear anything about it I think Ireland probably has the best amateur MMA sc one of the best anyway in the world if not the best in the world um so it's it's mad exciting like they even think of it that way because I when when Conor and all was coming up in the UFC it I'm not too sure if it was that way but like in the last four or five years it seems like it has been you know top of the crap so it's it's so exciting to be part of like I'm I'm buzzing to be part of it and I'm I want to be pushing pushing towards going pro and going into all these massive organizations and seeing what all these people from all these other countries are really like and I think we'll we'll we'll be uh we'll be showing the world what the Irish are all about in the next five or six years you'll see that just that level of top amateurs that are around now at the minut pushing on the like top organizations in the next four five six years and uh we'll not just be getting there like we'll be we'll be wning fights and taking over them taking over them organizations I think like yeah and I agree with you as well like I just think that the scene right now is buzzing and like you look at you see I want to say we five I might be wrong and that you've got like shaa kin uh reys uh Connor and I know I'm forgetting someone kefir so we've got five in the UFC right now um we obviously had Parry Paddy which was on the the contender Series yeah and omran who's from Team KF like that's like when you think of of the size of our country like compared to America and all these other places to have these people breaking through is just it's good and then like I said there's Paul bfl uh will Flur on octagon I just think the scene is going to exp I don't know what it is I think what we're seeing now is Connor's rise we're seeing the kind of fruits of of the the tail end of that is what I think and it's only going to get better because the level at the minute is is unbelievable but your fight this weekend obviously you're looking to get the win obviously um and become get another belt is there any more shows before the end of the year you'd like to get or is this going to be it for the year or you just going to kind of focus on this fight and see what's next um I am just going to focus on this fight you know what I'm not even going to talk about anything else da no uh not being disrespectful but I'm I'm putting my full focus on the Kev this weekend uh I my full focus is on this weekend just getting the job done and then after that we'll um maybe we can talk again about what might happen after that but uh for this for for for this fight and put my full focus on that um the world doesn't exist after Saturday for me at the minute like so um just fully fully focused on on putting the putting the performance on on Saturday night and then whatever comes after comes after but um I'm not I'm not looking not looking there at the minute it's it's all about Saturday for me you know and and I like the atttitude as well did you always have that attitude or did you before like kind of look ahead at what's next was it always just what's in front you that's the most dangerous point you have and then after that it's after that no I've made I've made these mistakes that's why I feel this way now like um couple of I'm not going to go on the specifics on it but like a couple of couple of fights ago I was thinking about two three fights down the line and and you get a rad Awakening because you haven't been fully focused on a fight um so I've made I've made these mistakes and learned from them and that's why I have full focus on this weekend um I basically so I I have made these mistakes before and I'm not going to do it ever again so uh fully focused on this weekend yeah and I like that obviously you said you've improved in skill sets and obviously your fight like your mentality and stuff has improved too with that because I think there's a lot of uh mental that goes into fighting that people don't understand I think it's I know obviously it's very physical but I think there's a huge mental aspect of it that a lot of people kind of Overlook sometimes um so like that little things of of thinking too far ahead stuff like that but it's gonna be fantastic so actually because Damian and are you were you co Main Event you now Main Event no I'm Co I'm Co main I don't know who um some other two Fells are main event but you know you know the the people's Main Event uh I can't wait to see you compete this weekend it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out um I actually want to give a big thanks to just all my sponsors um my coaches I just have a great a great circle around me at the minut Dave I really do my my family my friends um everyone are just everyone is just buying Under the the the cause at the minute and it's it's it's great it's a great feeling whenever everyone's starting to see your dreams and your goals and helping pushing you towards it like so everyone that I have in my life at the minut is just push me towards where I'm telling them I want to get this so um everyone knows who they are like that's that's playing these big roles in my life my coaches my friends my training Partners my sponsors my my close family too so um they know who they are and it's a it's a great feeling they have all these people around me that um are just helping me which is um I'm super super grateful for it yeah no and I can't wait to see you this week weekend it's been a pleasure once again and best of SK nice one Dave cheers perfect thank you