Damien Mckenna interview

Summary

Damien McKenna is a professional fighter with a record of 3-0, he makes his cage warriors debut this weekend against Keith Keogh in the RDS Dublin Damien comes to every show with a huge following from home town of Omagh, with this fight he becomes the first fighter from OMMA to…

Transcript (youtube_captions)

Okay, so I'm back. I haven't had this guy on in a long time. I used to have on so much when I started. He's a big He was a big supporter of me as well, so I really appreciate that. So, thank you for that. So, we've got Damian Kenna who's going to be making his cage warriors debut against Kee Ko. So, we've got two Irish going against each other. Um, thank you very much for your time. How are you? And and how is this fight week for you? Like, obviously, you're coming into fight week. How are you feeling? >> Thanks for having me on again, Dave. It's been too long. uh always been a big supporter of me as well. So, always good to get chatting. But now I'm feeling great. Absolutely great. No illness, no injury. That's all you can ask for coming in the fight week. I just feel normal like which is more than you can ask for coming in the fight week. Like so I'm very excited. >> Yeah, cuz usually going in like most fights you go into there's always an eagle. There's always something like and to go in kind of like this against someone cuz for me you and Ke so far this you're the best two people that each other have faced. if you get me. No disrespect to to to who you both have faced in the past, but like this is a huge domestic Irish clash for me. How does it feel to be fighting another Irish man? Uh or for you, is it just another body? Like is it just another person in your way to where you want to be? >> No, it is good. Like it's definitely a lot more attention and means a lot more for both of us, which is great. if we like if I just bought some random guy on the Dublin card from Italy or England or whatever that nobody knows about wouldn't get half the attention wouldn't mean half as much. So definitely the fact it's on the Dublin card I'm very excited about. If me if it was like a London card there would be no point me and him fighting each other but we're going to have the place nearly full I would say in the prelims or whenever we are. So it is great like it's great fighting someone that people know and people know the level of both of us. So, it's just definitely given me that not that I need any more motivation, but a wee bit more fire for sure. It means a lot. >> Yeah. And like that there has been a lot of of talk about this fight because of like I was like if this fight happened a couple years ago at Amateur as well, you'd be like, "What a what a fight." And but it's happening now. You both bring support. I've been to Vera, so I've seen what you bring. I've seen what Keith brings to Dublin as well. I can imagine it's just going to be a mad cauldron with your fans. How does it feel that you do have that support? Because I've seen it firsthand and and it's amazing. >> What does that mean to you as a person to have that support behind you and know they're going to be coming to Dublin with you? >> Yeah, like I knew I was going to get to this level myself skill skill-wise and stuff like fighting at this stage because I know how hard I work. But what actually blows me away is seeing the support that I've built up along the way as well. Like I'm not that's kind of just happened naturally. Um, obviously I have a lot of friends and family in Norma, but a lot of people are now just supporting me cuz they like they love MMA. They love seeing like people I don't know in the first place. Like it's all right selling tickets to your friends and family, but now it's nearly like not fans, but just actual support for MMA, which is great to see. Like I'm bringing nearly 100 people from down to Dublin and case war tickets aren't cheap. Like it is the best show in Europe, but it's not cheap for them to go to. So seeing the sport that I've had has absolutely blown me away to be honest and it's unreal. It's going to be deadly seeing nearly 100 of these jerseys lining out already Arena. >> That's class and like there's something interesting you said there like you don't want to call them fans but essentially they kind of they kind of are when you when these kind of new people came on sport. How does that make you feel as a fighter and as a person that cuz for me MMA is still kind of niche as much as we love it. I think is still a niche sport within within this country and around the world that how does it feel to get people jumping on I don't want to say jumping on a bandwagon but but getting behind you and supporting like as a fighter you kind of like whoa this is >> like you explain it to me. No, as I said like obviously you have your friends and family like they've came with me to the UK to Dublin all to watch fights but now I'm getting I'll be walking down the street and someone's like oh good looking cage wars or I seen that interview I seen that video of you training there all you fighting cage wars like it's just different people now so it's moving on to that next stage which is definitely very cool for me to see it's just kind of as you said moving on to that next stage of my career it's moving on from just local fighter to I'm now fighting on an international on stage. Um, but yeah, it is definitely a niche sport, especially like in Dublin. It might be a niche sport in Ma. It is very niche. Like Elma, you either play, you play Gaelic or you play whatever, soccer maybe. Uh, we're the only MMA gym in we only started in 2019 our gym. So like we are really leading the way myself and Jerry and everyone I know in well may trying to like whatever it is in Dublin it's years ahead still at the moment because still very very raw like I'm the first person for a moment to fight cage warriors fight professionally um so yeah it's just kind of leading the way it's a big boxing turn as well I suppose but try and still get the odd person like do you do the UFC so it's cool it's cool it's cool to get ahead of it. >> I love when people say that you do UFC as opposed to to mixed martial arts and you brought up a lot of people call >> um you're the first person from your gym to fight on cage war. So that's kind of a record in itself. How how does that feel and how did it feel to get the call for Cage Warriors? >> Felt great. It wasn't like one one specific call like kind of went on for a while. So obviously been thinking about it for a while. It's weird like I've been talking for the last year and a half or more. Even before I turned pro, like after how my amateur career ended, I spoke all of us into existence. Like I lost my last two amateur fights and I said, "Right, I'm going to turn pro. I'm going to get to 3 and 0, get some pro experience in because I actually got offered Cage Warriors for my pro debut, but I said, "No, I want to just take my toe in first and get used to the different rule sets." I said this from like the start of last year when I and I just said it. It wasn't like a dream. I just said this is what's going to happen and now I'm 3 and 0 and I'm now fighting in cage wars. Like I just said that I was going to do it and I'm doing it. But yeah, it's great. Can't even remember what the question was. >> It was it was it was obviously how it feels and the call. >> Yeah. I so as said I said I was going to do it and I have done it and basically we were in talks within for a while basically said here I'd like to would like to have dement on but because there's so many Irish now it's going to be an Irish versus Irish which is great for me as well obviously again you're not really expecting this you don't see it too often Irish people fighting Irish people and then the name I came up was Keef I kind of think they weren't sure if I was going to take it or not me and Jerry just looked at each other and said here this is again putting me two or three fights ahead cuz Ke has a lot of hype, a lot of attention on him this fight now. So went from me fighting nobody to two great two highle Irish fighters. So it's done a lot for me for sure. It's saved me time as well. Saved me an extra fight or two for sure. >> Yeah. Know like I said there's a lot of buzz around it. I think the other there's another fight on the card Jamie Abbott and Matthew Fre rematch as well which is that's that's a cracker of a fight and it's good to see this and and me and you were talking off camera. I think I don't know what other people's opinion is. There's so much talent in Ireland now to get maximum uh kind of chances for the Irish fighters. I think we have to start fighting each other because there is that talent. What's your what's your thoughts on the Irish fighting Irish yourself? Like for me, I think it has to happen to to become the cream of the crop in Ireland. >> Yeah, me and Jerry say the same. It's kind of coming into another golden era of Irish MMA. I don't know how many Irish Irish battleweights have turned pro in this last year or so. There's been a lot. Um, so yeah, here there's no point Irish fighting Irish on like a London card or a Rome card, but when it comes to Dublin, we all want to fight on it. We all want or even if it was in Belfast, like we all want to fight and there's not unlimited spots. So, if I fought some random guy no one's ever heard of and I won, yeah, that's all good. But if we can and Keith beat someone else that no one's ever heard of, yeah, that's all good. But when the both of us are fighting like that creates so much buzz and you're nearly you're doubling the amount of Irish people on the card as well. So it's just going to have to happen and it's definitely I think it's a good thing like we're coming into a great era for Irish MMA in professional for sure cuz the amateur scene's been on fair for sure the last few years and now the pro scene I think is like the next couple years going crazy to be honest I think and fighting each other is going to show who's at the top. >> Yeah. No, cuz like that I've been around the Amster scene, I've been around with you and and it's mad. It's like the likes of you kind of when I kind of came in with your amateur career, he also join Brad, all these kind of people. And now Solomon Simon and now seeing like where everyone is. It's just it's just amazing like to to see how they've done. I think Solomon Simon someone who's done fantastic in there. There's there's so much there there's so much potential with Cage Warriors as well. So obviously you've got Keat though this week. when when you're looking at Keith, obviously you're going to have a lot of footage. You're going to know him well. >> I'm not asking to divulge your game plan, but obviously you're going to have a game plan coming up for Keith. Would you do that or would Jerry do that more so or is it bit of both? >> Bit of both. Yeah, definitely as a pro now I've got more involved in the game plan and stuff like throughout cuz there's not too much footage on a lot of amateurs like where now me and Ke have obviously had so many fights amateur on pro that I can game plan a little more. That's one of the things as I've turned over to pro more involved in the game planning and the technical side rather than just busting myself with the physical side. But yeah, um as I say me and Jerry somebody I've seen a lot done on my way up and keep sure seen a lot of me as well. But it's fight me and Jerry wanted for a few years now. Like if it was amateur it would have been a great fight as well. It could easily have happened a few different times. Amateur just never ended up happening. But yeah, stylistically it's something that Jerry even more so than me like he's wanted it for a long time and I think the styles will match up well. Keeps very very very good fighter but again it's pro now it's completely different to do with amateur and I know my style I know it's going to match up very well against him. >> Yeah know it's an exciting fight. It's one of the fights I'm looking forward to the most. Like I think someone put it up the other day, the people's main event and and for me it is with the buzz and the hype going around it. But obviously this I'm saying I would zoom presume you're not looking past Keith. Obviously this will probably be your last fight of the year. How active are you looking to stay next year or are you just solar focused on on what's what's ahead of you? >> It is more than likely my last fight of the year but like you know I would love to get out there again by the end of the year but probably just not going to happen now. um uh won this fight probably hopefully get out sort of next year again. I usually end up fighting in March. If we can fight in February or something that would be good as well. What I just don't want is being shelf and just fighting on cage wars, you know, twice a year when they come to Dublin. I want to be the one that's fighting over and I want to fight in all these iconic venues like the the O2. I would love to fight in the or call um like you've seen some big nights there. Paul Hugh is fighting for the title and stuff. I don't know if I go back there anymore, but I want to be fighting all around. I don't want to just fight in Dublin once or twice a year, you know what I mean? I want to be active. I've I've been active average five fights a year as an amateur and I would like to keep at least three for sure. That's when I performing my best. >> Yeah. Yeah, cuz cuz like that the big spells of activity is like I from what I've heard for fighters when you don't have a fight kind of ahead. It's not that it's demotivating, but it's just when you you it's better to have that uh target in the future or person in the future that you know you're working towards and I've seen how active you have been and hopefully it stays the same going forward. But it's going to be a fantastic show. It's going to be a fantastic night. I'm going to let you go, but I'm going to wish you the best of luck. Is there anything you want to say before you go or anyone you want to shout out? Thank you so much for your time, especially so close to the fight. >> No man, no problem. Thank you for always supporting Irish MMA. Thanks to my gym. This has been the best camp I've had yet. MMA, Ken Bradley, Zion, everyone supporting me. Team Rhino. Uh if you haven't got your ticket yet, buckle up and get your ticket. Uh if not, watch it live on UFC Fight Pass. Saturday, 27th September. See you then. >> Exactly. UFC Fight Pass is only like 10 to 12. you get to watch the fight night and then for the rest of the month you can get rid of it at the end but you can watch UFC, you can watch Cage Warriors. So, um yeah, I can't wait to see the fight. It is probably one of the fights that I'm more excited about because it's it's two Irish people and uh like I said, I'm going to support you. The same with Ke whatever happens, you know, I still both have the utmost respect for what you do and yeah, I can't wait to see it. Thank you very much and have a good evening. >> Cheers, brother. Thank you.