Blog 3 24 Jan 2010 10:50PM Its now 10 weeks till Bushido Challenge when i fight. It really cant come in quick enough. I started fighting/competing as a kid because i grew up terrified of it. Now i'm comfortable with it, actually i really enjoy it which is a bit worrying. People who have never been in a cage or ring will understand that.
 
Just now i'm holding myself back as i'm dying to start fight training, our gyms really busy with a bunch of fighters in action in the next few weeks and i'm super jealous. However if i start now il be wrecked by the time the fight comes. I've over trained before and it sucks, performance was shit, i was super flat. Now i've got my routine down so i peak on the night of the fight.
 
So just now i'm still working away with my focus on getting stronger physically and developing my grappling with extra jiu-jitsu and wrestling sessions. I'm really starting to notice a big difference in certain positions wrestling which is mainly due to the increases in strength from the programme i just completed. I'm looking forward to seeing if it changes anything up when i fight next. Plan is just now for another 2 weeks of strength training being priority before i start looking at 2 weeks of general conditioning before i go into my 6 week fight prep.
 
I've attended a few seminars with some top fighters/coaches from individual martial arts and MMA over the years. One of the best coaches i've had the privilege of picking stuff up from is SBG Ireland's John Kavanagh. Something JK said during a seminar about 5 years ago has kind of moulded my outlook to MMA, he said ''you split MMA up into 4 ranges to train it, stand up, clinch/wrestling, ground and conditioning''. As a fighter and coach i make sure each area is covered. It makes sense. Its easy to spot guys who are only good in one area, even two areas, most of these guys win one fight then lose one fight, who wants that, its no coincidence that the guys on top of there game in the big show and even down to just british level are well rounded, well conditioned athletes. That's what i'm aiming for, for myself and for my fighters.
 
This week we had two pro mma fighters from Northern Irelands Chum Sut gym over training with us, Peter Duncan and Ali Mclean, Peter is fighting on the BAMMA show in a few weeks against Alexandre Izidro. Peters one of the hardest working fighters in the sport, fit and tough with a great engine it was cool having him and Ali over. They even stuck around for team sparring on saturday before a marathon drive and ferry back to belfast. You definately find some of the coolest people in MMA.
 
Off to watch best of ufc 2009.