Phuket Prospect: Max Lally on SBG Ireland, vital amateur career & witnessing Conor McGregor's rise

Summary

Maximus Lally is a 20-year-old mixed martial artist hailing out of Ireland.

Transcript (youtube_captions)

download the allstar app make your picks for UFC fights challenge your friends level up and win prizes Link in description get it now what's up guys uh Max L here h on an Irish MMA fighter from ashborne m in Ireland and I am currently wining out as a professional MMA fighter my route would be H in Jiu-Jitsu I started Jiu-Jitsu as a young kid I was 9 years of age I got in into it through my uh father and his friend um and have continued it ever since and have recently over the past four years transitioned into MMA it was I think it was in God's faith if that makes sense uh during the lockdown I was looking for Jiu-Jitsu training I had been over in h hzo graci's in New York City training with all of the danard Dead Squad and stuff like that so I was looking to be busy and compete in Jiu-Jitsu I wasn't able to find any Jiu-Jitsu going on in the country during Co and I found a bit of MMA training start doing the MMA training uh got smashed and uh here we are now still still doing it till this day I love it cuz I I don't I don't think there's any other feeling in the world that makes you feel more human and makes you feel more down to earth if that makes sense um on once you're humbled I find you don't really have too much to lose when you're in inside of the cage you know so this is why I back home and all over the world I always look to get humbled by as many fighters as possible looking to go into the cage then with absolutely no fear whatsoever now and that I've been put in these hard positions before and uh can can fight through them you know I have a few a few different Gams um my head MMA coach is on Ry and he's out of SBG Charlestown my wrestling coach Sergey is is out of SBG nice um my striking coach kly m is out of Dublin combat Academy in Dublin and then my strength conditioning coach at Irish strength Institute on the malid road John Connor those four guys are H fin telling me to become an animal um I and I've always been a huge believer in this that you H you have to train each discipline with the best go you can and and and around the country those those are the best guys in in my opinion my far coach they're the best at they're the best at what they do so um it was almost a no-brainer for me from me first amateur fight I was with them guys you know what I mean I've been with them guys from me first am fight to me first pro fight and hopefully me last Pro fight you know um them guys are the only reason I am where I am right now and I've as I said before I've nothing nothing but thanks for them you know I just think it's important for the fighter not to get too comfortable in their in their little Pond you know there's a sea out there full of bigger fish and you need to go find them and test ourselves as much as you can you know um my first amateur MMA fight was was was a good experience I had um Sergey on and col Al there H in the corner for for me um first fight and it was H it was a first round submission really quickly I uh I remember in that fight you know um I had previously won the uh IMF under 18 Cadet World Championships at uh 170 at welterweight so I had H cut a bit away got down to uh 155 and fought a he had 12 amateur fights all together I had none I wanted to go in there early and uh test myself against them uh experienced guys who have H been around the block you know and I was able to dismantle them with me grappling fairly quick you know H Serge and col they all knew the game plan before I went in there you know so H it was it was great you know to get the ball rolling with that a force win you know I I I think it's it's it's extremely valuable because um I and I I I really do believe some of the amateurs that I fought who are still fighting amateur are going to be better than some of the prows I figh my first two or three fights you know it's so important to get tested on that higher end of amateur because it's it's somewhere you you've been before You' felt it and you felt it in almost I want to say in a cuz at amateur your record doesn't matter I can win nine fights in I can lose H nine fights in a row and I can get a bundle exper ER from that in comparison to if I go pro straight away and I start learning my lessons in Pro that's going to that's going to affect my record and also my future you know so that's why I decided to I took many amateur fights uh including my kind of pre adulthood I I probably had in the ballpark 16 17 amateur fights you know so I do have a weth of experience behind me and that experience carries over into the pro cage now for myself you know so I just think it's it's super valuable you know fight as much times as you can amate because this this is this is a sport only 20 years 20 years of age and I know I have I have time you know and I have to use this time wisely now you know to really adapt and get get used to get time in that Pro cage as well you know I knew it was kind of time to go pro cuz what was happening to me at amateur was I had gotten my record up to 9 and0 and I I fought some of the best guys all over the country in Ireland you know and it just got to a state where I was having to wait too long to get amateur fights and what would happen was if someone would pull out on 3 weeks or two weeks notice it would be very rarely that I would get a replacement in time or stuff like that I was it would have been August of last year I was I was looking for fights all over H Europe all over Amsterdam Poland look looking for different opponents potential opponents for myself to give me that like final test before I kind of made my PR debut but I uh fight for whatever fight happened and and I I couldn't get one so I decided to make my Pro debut in September and um that that was the whole reasoning behind it I I I'm a fighter that likes to stay active you know and if I'm not able to stay active I will go elsewhere to look my fights you know I have to say out of all of my training camps that I've ever had I think my Pro debut was probably one of the most perfect H camps I've ever had you know usually I'm used to going in with a few niggles a few kind of issues or whatever like that but I think that was the first time I went into the cage at at least 80 90% uh you know um 80 90% prepared you know I never I never I never say 100% prepared because no one's ever 100% prepared for the fight you know um but due to me I had two scheduled damager fights before that I had said to my coaches I like I want to make make my Pro debut in September at the start of the year and and that's it it was put down and we were like okay we'll see how many amage of fights we get before that I had a very tough fight in h April up in Belfast against against a good kid out of H fight Academy Oreland all them guys up there they're really good fighter as you know so I had a really good test against him but after that fight I was I was struggling to get fights and so I decided that I would forget about amateur and have a nice long Camp a nice I think it would have been in the ballp pack about 12 to 14 weeks leading up to this fight of of good consistent trainer and uh I was able to get my French opponent out in 90 seconds I TKO out them you know so that the hard work definitely um paid off I'm not a a fighter that goes from Camp to Camp I'm always in the gym so I'm always ready you know I'm always ready to take them short fights I'm always ready to go so it's just more out of a time and a place and let's let's do it you know well it it obviously it's it's a compliment but but at the same time um I am here in this sport to be myself and to create my own part in in a way you know I uh I respectfully I want to do my own thing you know what I mean I want to do what Max Max is going to what Max L wants to do and um that's that's that's what I'm planning on doing make making my own path towards the UFC and making my own path towards the belt at some stage you know um I I'm nothing without the people that I have behind me my family my supporters my coaches my training Partners I'm nothing without all these people you know I'm the only reason the only reason I'm here is because of because of all those guys you know and I'm happy to be able to represent my family my hometown and all my coaches and training partners and supporters in in that way you know that's that's what's H special to me um of course it's a compliment being called a a huge Prospect and and and stuff like that but I I I like to I like to do it because I feel like I'm representing myself myself but rep representing a whole different group of people also you know and those people just give me energy and motivation to get in the gym and and and train and work hard every day you know Conor kind of had his run at the UFC I would have been in and around the gym so I kind of got to witness that firstand and as as as a young as a young kid you know seeing the amount of training that them Elite Fighters are doing it's it's a bundle of knowledge and and money money can't believe that you know what I mean and even looking at at at James in the gym when when he was coming up Conor all the guys you know it was like a world of experience for me as a teenager to be able to you know see that and to be like this is what these guys are doing and these guys are are are top these guys are Elite you know what I mean so it was almost like a a copy and paste thing when I was younger and I would try I'd see all these guys on the map and I would try to do twice as much as them you know just from me own sight just from my own head to be like you're going to be as good as these guys one day and and now I'm I'm here like you know as as a young adult um being a professional MMA fighter not even being a champion but being a professional MMA fighter was a child who dreaming with and now now and now I'm here you know so I feel like that's a an accomplishment in itself but I am far from satisfied I'm far from satisfied from where I am and I'm I'm really hungry to get many fights behind my name and start climbing towards where I want to go to you know I'm very fortunate for being around all these guys for for so many years to give me a taste of what it's like but now I want to experience it for myself you know I want to get there myself and experience what it's like to be in that Spotlight myself so I'm really looking forward to that I I find when I am over here I am I am uh more focused on the task at hand if that makes sense I find the live style outside of the gym suits me a lot better to get to the gym than than back home you know the weather over here is great you know I have a nice um selection of different training Partners so it is almost like a uh a a free competition you know I'm getting to train I'm getting to spar all these different Fighters with different looks different different ways of how they how they approach fighting and it's so I get to gauge myself off all these different looks so I'm very I'm very fortunate for that you have um Alex Woody George Frank H Peter all the all the toy coaches you know um anire as well it's a give a good group of guys here as well that just create such a good environment to training so it's it's not even a session it's not even a case of me being too tired to come to the gym I still want to go to the gym and see all these guys and and talk with them you know and and and that's what I think is is so great about over here it's just such a such a great environment to be in and it makes training camp 110% easier you know so in the next 2 years 3 years I will be looking to have at least 10 to 12 H Pro MMA fights on What stages I am not too sure I know my first three to four fights will all be on the regional team to get that valuable cage point for myself each opponent that I fight will be a step up if that makes sense you know um but that that's what I'm looking for in terms of of long-term goals I'm I'm more of a take it one day at a time we all have that ultimate goal but I feel like I'm only 20 years of age I have a nice three four years here now to to improve for skill acquisition to obtain new skills and almost try to perfect them and and add them to me own game so in a way on in no rush but then at the same time I'm a fighter so I want to fight you know so I'd like I'd like for this year anyway what I have planned there's three Pro fights and i' would love to be four out before the end of the year that's my plan for this year you know so I'll stay true to that and uh train till the cows come home until that happens you know Mom Dad and Christian and h l and H Dexter my my two dogs I I love you all all my supporters that are coming out to uh watch me fight on cage leg y March 24th the pillow Hotel my hometown I'm the main event we appreciate you all for getting tickets I love you all to bits all my coaches and my training Partners back home I am where I am because of you I really appreciate you and I'm looking forward to seeing you when I get home and showing you some new skills H thanks guys really appreciate it he