Observations. Satire. Politics. Interviews.
In the aftermath of her flyweight bout in Bellator 223, I caught up with Bryony Tyrell (4-4-1.) The fight in front of her home crowd in London’s Wembley arena, saw her come face to face with Denise Kielholtz (3-2) The fight ultimately didn’t go Tyrell’s way. Despite much back and forth in the opening rounds,…
Less than four weeks out from his Brave 24 clash with Amir “The Prince” Albazi, I caught up with Flyweight Blaine O’Driscoll. Fighting out of SBG, Blaine has had a prolific career (7-2) which belies his rather unorthodox introduction to the sport. Unlike many of his peers, the Dublin native, had no prior experience with…
Barely 48 hours after her dominant flyweight victory in Bellator 223, I caught up with England’s Kate Jackson. Kate’s opponent Lena Ovchynnikova was subjected to a brutal ground assault, which ultimately ended in a first round TKO. This was just the most recent chapter in Kate’s very successful career. She holds an impressive professional record…
Hatice “The Turkish Delight” Ozyurt, was born in the Netherlands, to Turkish parents. They were very traditional and devout people. Theirs had been an arranged marriage, when they were in their late teens. Turkish tradition dictated that Hatice should herself be married at age 18, but her mother Fatma wanted a different life for her…
Richie Smullen is approaching Bellator 217 “100% fit” and at the “lightest weight,” he has been in his career to date. So, it is no surprise that when I spoke to him he sounded relaxed and composed. The SBG athlete holds a professional record of 5-1-1. He is on a four-fight contract with Bellator and…
Love him or loath him, the influence Conor McGregor has had on the Irish MMA scene is irrefutable. Most young fighters will admit that McGregor’s success and notoriety has been a source of motivation in their own careers. Conor had a direct impact on one such fighter, Dylan Logan, and arguably compelled him to eventually…
With all the hype that surrounded Cris Cyborg versus Amanda Nunes in UFC 232, you would’ve been forgiven for thinking that it was the main event. The fight between these two seasoned veterans captured the imagination of a worldwide audience. The excitement of the build-up left me in no doubt that there is a huge…
Dec Larkin is a seasoned veteran of Mixed Martial Arts. He boasts nearly a decade of refereeing experience. Before donning his black gloves, Dec already had a background in MMA, having competed in the sport for 18 years. During that time, he amassed 30 plus MMA fights. Definitely a man who knows the Cage from…
If I had to describe Derry’s Catherine McFadden in a word, it would be trailblazer. She was not only the first female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt in the county, but she also fought in Derry’s first female MMA fight. Throughout my conversation with this lively and vivacious woman, it was obvious it is important…