Observations. Satire. Politics. Interviews.
Interview 4 in my Ordinary people…..Extraordinary lives… series. I would imagine that sports people are finding the embargo on freedom of movement difficult at the moment. People that are used to the routine of regular group training and then weekend performance. Sports is an amateur pursuit for all but the lucky few and last week…
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…
Alexandra Toncheva appeared on my radar about a month ago. I had not heard of her and chances are, you haven’t heard of her either. In May, Toncheva was signed by local, Irish promotion Cage Legacy on a one fight deal to headline their May event in Cork. Cage Legacy 12 Toncheva’s opponent was a…
I seem to spend a good portion of my time asking amateur martial artists to speak about dark, difficult subjects. Often deeply personal issues. It is hard to admit you can’t cope. It is hard to admit you can’t trust your own thoughts. It’s hard for loved one to watch this. It’s probably difficult for…
This has been my second time to interview Bellator featherweight Leah McCourt and the same thought popped into my head at the end of both conversations. ” You need to start getting more out of your life amigo” was the PG version of the ramblings of my mind. Out of all the winners from the…
I do like when I don’t have to come up with a good idea for an article. Much better to find someone elses and steal it. A few weeks ago I happened upon a facebook thread where a group of female martial arts enthusiasts discussed the anxiety they felt the first time they walked into…
I have been meaning to chat with Paul Cowzer about Rush Fight Academy for quite a while. Anyone that follows the former IMMAA chairman on Facebook will know that he is quite outspoken in his views about the state of Irish MMA. His club is one of 15 or 16 Irish MMA clubs involved with…
The Battle of the Boyne is still an emotive historical talking point on this island, nearly 320 years after it’s original enactment, when the forces of Prince William of Orange defeated the forces of King James II in 1690. I suppose if I had enough coffee coursing through my veins I could draw up a…
As the early part of this week unfolded, my social media timelines were still basking in the afterglow of the successful Bellator 217 card in Dublin. Many of the winners had some iconic imagery to take with them on their journeys forward. The losers, as is often the case in MMA, took their losses on…
In July 2016 Leah McCourt became the World IMMAF Featherweight champion. It marked the pinnacle of a hugely successful amateur career that saw her previously crowned as a European champion. As I was doing some research for the finished article ( yes I occasionally stir myself) I stumbled upon something that may be something and…
The third and final, of the talented teenagers in this series of interviews is Sineadh Ni Nuallain. Apologies in advance for my continued inability to figure out how the fada works on a keyboard Sineadh. Sineadh is 17 and is training and fighting out of SBG Ballina in Co.Mayo. Sineadh started on her path to…
When Indra Davis mentioned that one of the girls she had interviewed for this series of interviews was Lola Safronova, it was a name I had heard before. At various points over the last year I often ask Facebook friends for interview recommendations and the Dundalk contingent on social media are always raving about her….
I am probably the only person in County Galway that is thankful Indra Davis has an ACL injury at the moment. One of the side benefits of her injury (for me!) is that she kindly took the time out of her already busy professional and family life to Interview three young women for Combat Arena….