A week today I’ll fight Joey Van Wanrooij from Mike’s Gym in Holland on Paul Daley’s new promotion – Ultimate Gladiators at the Britannia hotel, Nottingham (see links below for tickets). It’ll be a new
experience for me as it’ll be my first fight in a ring. I’m really excited about it and am far more ‘up for it’ than for my last fight a few weeks back. Matt has questioned the good sense in taking a fight on short notice once again and in some ways I’d agree with him. I’ve never exercised much sense when considering the best thing for me so why change now? I am of course being fascesious here and would not take the fight if I thought it was a bad move. But what’s to lose? Joey is more experienced than me and will almost certainly be heavier, so I’m in a win – win situation. If I beat him I’ve beaten a quality, experienced fighter who has stepped in the ring with Paul Daley himself, Jason Tan and various other quality fighters. If I lose (which I have no intention of happening) then things have gone the way you’d expect them to ‘on paper’. But fighting is never on paper and that’s what makes MMA great... anything can happen in the next 15 minutes!
I had some reservations about fighting initially as I have been ill, but the enforced rest seems to have helped and despite a little muscle soreness this week my fitness is there or thereabouts. I set very high standards for myself in terms of fitness so even at 75% I’d be fitter than most. I have felt sharp in training and my jiu jitsu is ‘flowing’, my stand up feels crisp and my wrestling even better... that sounds like a quote from every single fighter interviewed pre-fight, ever. It’s also not 100% true. Every fighter sees gaps and errors in their game and these gaps leading up to a fight can be perceived more like chasms... there is a fear that exposing these gaps or fears to anyone would weaken the fighter’s constitution or give the opponent inside knowledge and an advantage. I’m not convinced this is true. Joey will be able to see my fights online and I’ve watched some of his. We’ll have found out a little about each other and basing a loose gameplan on the other’s perceived strengths and weaknesses. To make that public knowledge however, would give the opponent an advantage. I will let you in on a secret though. My gameplan will involve the following
1. Punching, kicking, elbowing and kneeing Joey as fast and as hard as I can.
2. Doing number 1 stood up and on the ground.
3. Throwing Joey bodily to the floor using wrestling techniques.
4. Doing numbers 1 and 2 until the referee stops the fight or Joey is KO’d
5. Should the opportunity arise to submit Joey I will take it.
6. Avoiding Joey’s attempts to do the same to me.
7. Keeping the order I do these things a closely guarded secret.
How anyone’s gameplan can differ too greatly from numbers 1 to 7 I’m not sure. But there you go, at the end of the day it’s a relatively simple formula.
I’ll keep you updated through the week on my thoughts and feelings, though I can’t see them changing much – I want to smash him now and I’ll want to smash him a week today. I suspect he feels much the same. Roll on Sunday night!!!
Check out Paul’s website for fightcard details and ticket information. If you get tickets reference my blog please.
http://www.ultimate-gladiators.com/
http://www.semtex.tv/