I’ll be honest…i was pretty nervous about this fight for a number of reasons.

1.its a fight….you’re supposed to be nervous

2.its a fight i’ve wanted for ages and i was determined to win…made a pact with myself that morning that i would,for example,let my arm break in an armbar and fight one with one arm if need be. got to thank a Dan Hardy interview for that one

3.he’s a local fighter from a rival gym so there’s always pride at stake.so i felt i was carrying the hopes of the gym on me.plus i get the feeling they’re not fond of me or my team..or maybe i’m just paranoid

4.A lot of people…..and i mean a lot…..text/spoke/pm’d me and asked me to please knock him out(my mum included,and she never says anything like that !!). even people i don’t know very well were asking me to ko him. for some reason……he doesnt seem the most popular fellow

5.there had been a lot of internet hype and banter about me fighting Doni….therefore i didn't want to look a twat and get beat

6.it had been my most professional fight camp yet,everything went well and i even got my first pro sponsor….the lovely chaps on www.mmahitpit.com .more on that later

All in all it added up to a lot of pressure.

The day started with a long lie in…8am….thats late for me….some porridge and my usual scan through the internet.

Decided i was going to make myself an awesome playlist that gets me hyped up-mama’s goin knock you out,fedor entrance music,boom,bit of michael jackson,can’t be touched etc Anyway…as i plugged the trusty ipod in,itunes offered me a software update for much cheapness. As Quadzilla has been slagging me off for ages for not doing this i decided now was the time to update…a few clicks and approx 5mins later i had a fully updated ipod…that had also been emptyed of 14gb of music and video. COCK. FUCK.YOU.ITUNES.

So headed off to the gym without my inspirational tunes with an impending feeling of doom…..yes….i CAN be a bit melodramatic

Checked my weight to find i was back up to 70kg…not bad but not the 71-72kg i had been hoping for.There was still time however.

Got to the venue,had a bounce around the ring,chatted to folk,basically anything to chill and take my mind off the fight. On fight day i dont like to get to into things until it gets nearer the time that i’m on.I kinda like to zone out and relax,chat about normal shit and have a bit of a laugh in an effort to save my mental and physical energy for the fight.

Usual fight day stuff like medical,from the ever lovely Dr Rodgers, rules meeting plus chatting away with some of the other fighters and friends then trying to locate Frankie to give her her ticket killed the majority of the downtime before the show started.

Stayed in the dressing room for the first couple of fights but went out to watch Hissy left hook and showboat his way to a decision victory…..the wee man was awesome…even dancing in the corner during the second and third rounds.If you didnt know him you’d have thought it was arrogant but i think he was just enjoying himself….soon as the final bell rang he stopped the act and shook the hand of his opponent. Great start for the team.

After that i started to get my fight head on but i was still super nervous……major props to James Doolan for staying with me..giving me lots of mental notes and keeping me chilled…..he always seems chilled and it has a good calming effect,plus i really respect his opinion as he doesnt bullshit you.

Paul on the other hand has a different approach which i enjoy and need just as much. As James was wrapping my hands i think Paul felt i was taking it all a bit seriously so he proceeded to give me a brilliant pep talk loosly based around ‘Mein Kampf’….yes thats right…the book kind of by Hitler…yes THAT Hitler. I can’t remember much of what was said but the word ‘Untermenschen’ was used on numerous occasions. It served to lighten the mood in a way only Paul can

*disclaimer* In no way is Paul McVeigh a racist.

Hands wrapped and as more and more of our guys came back with good results i got changed in my trusty Triumph United shorts and griphouse top…both now proudly boasting mmahitpit.com and started to work my way through my mobility exercises. For this fight i was wary of starting slow,something i feel i’ve had trouble with in previous fights…especially the last one as i was taken down pretty sharpish. By contrast Doni always comes flying out the blocks so i wanted to be able to at least hang with it til the pace settled.

With mobility exercises done i went into the corridor and started working my way through a small set of plyos….bounding,single leg hops,short sprints,pogo jumps and footwork drills…..over the next couple of months i’m going to try and work a specific routine to do before sparring that i can easily transfer into fight day so i’m good to go.

Worked though pad rounds,pummeling,shadow boxing and some very light sparring then it was time.

I’m not one for elaborate entrances,i just single-mindedly walk to the ring,maybe high five i friend or in this case i waved a ’shaka’ at Del from MMA Hit Pit.

As i got into the ring i heard Paul say something about…”let him stare,you’ve got this” and “get in there,slap yourself about a bit and you know you’re good to go”

I’m getting quite ritualistic….i have a list of thing i like to do before the fight,they include slap myself about a bit,3 tuck jumps and last 2 fights i’ve developed a new one…..i look at the ceiling with my arms outstretched and take really deep breaths….i have no idea why i started this or why i do it but i hope i dont develop anymore as i’ll never have time to do them all! This new one kinda feels like i’m trying to absorb all the energy in the room…i dunno…getting weird(er) in my old age….turning into diego sanchez or something.

Fight starts and as predicted…Doni comes out quite fast.landing some nice leg kicks. This was my first time fighting a southpaw and i was finding the timing and distance awkward at first….i usually counter very well off outside low kicks but the way he was stepping and throwing them made it harder to time.

During the fight it felt like he was really far away for me to hit while at the same time being really close that i had to stay tight. We had a brief flurry after i came forward with a straight right but neither of us really landed anything of note.

Again we flurried on the ropes,with in my mind,me doing an awesome Wanderlei impression….we both landed a couple of shots with his leaving a small graze and some swelling under my left eye.i bruise like a fecking peach man!!Again he persisted with the leg kicks so i felt i should land my own just to give him something to think about as well.

PART 2