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Interview with OMMAC Champion Dave Hill
21 Aug 2010
By Dean Weir.
MMA Hit Pit recently caught up with British Featherweight Dave Hill to speak about his recent victory and his future plans.
Your recent win at OMMAC not only improved your unbeaten record to 9-0-0, but it bagged you the OMMAC Featherweight Title. What does it mean to you be the champion in one of the
UK's premier promotions ??
It feels unbelievable !! I've got a lot of respect for Ash, and am very proud of myself for beating him, never mind how chuffed I am with taking the belt !! MMA means a lot to me, I’m very driven and very focused and it feels amazing for things to be coming together for me and for me to be able to prove myself. I still have a lot of things I want to achieve within the sport, however, winning the OMMAC featherweight title means so much to me, it's just going to drive me to push harder and achieve more as it felt so good to achieve this.
The fight with Ashleigh has received great plaudits as one of the best fights in UK MMA for a long time. Have you watched the fight back yet and what are your thoughts on it ??
Yeah, I’ve watched the fight back a fair few times (probably more than I should admit). I find it a really enjoyable fight to watch and for people to be speaking so positively of it is awesome. Before now everyone’s written off my stand up, but I came off better from most of the exchanges during the fight and I also initiated most of the exchanges, so I hope people can see I have more dimensions that just a grappler. Obviously I hope and intend to make sure my future fights are as well received and get more
recognition.
Do you feel it was as close as is suggested ??
I agree it was a close fight, there’s no doubting that. Ash put up a very tough fight, neither of us beat the other one up, we both came out with a few marks on us, I hit takedowns and he defended some, however, no matter how close it was, I’m confident that the decision was fair. As I have said before, I hope there are no hard feelings as I have a lot of respect for Ash.
Do you feel that there is anything you could have done differently and is there anything you feel you may need to work on for your next match-up ??
Well I try not to dwell on the past, but looking at the fight I wish I'd have gone at Ash a bit more. Although it was often me initiating the exchanges I wish I'd have done so more and really tested his fitness, as of course he was fit, but the training I did for this fight I believe I'd have been able to push the pace more than I did and this could have meant I'd have been able to stop him. However, Ash came prepared and this is only an assumption that I would have been able to out pace him. As regards what I need to work on, there’s always loads I take from fights that I think I have to work on and I am disappointed with. I want to work on every area of my game as I fight tougher and more experienced opponents, my timing in my wrestling, my boxing combinations, my ground and pound, my top game, that’s not to say those areas are weak but there’s always room for improvement! Having so much that I want to work on just makes training more interesting, so it’s a good thing !
You are now training at Marc Goddards Elements gym. How does the combination of Marc and Andy Halder's experience and training methods differ from what you have done before ??
Well it’s a new gym for me, but I've had Marc as a trainer since pretty much the beginning, training with him since August 2006, it's just great to have a permanent home now !! I'm used to Marcs methods and I know he has high expectations of me and will push me hard which is exactly what I need in order to keep improving. I have been training with Andy Halder since around March this year and he's been a tremendous help in improving my ability and confidence in my stand up, he also pushes me hard in sessions making sure he gets the most out of me, very similar to what both Marc and my other trainer Mick Broster do. All in all I'm used to my trainers methods and what they expect from me, however, I'm sure there’s surprises in store for me in the future. As for experience, I couldn’t hope for better guys to train with as I have full confidence in what the say and how they coach me.
Your record shows that you are well versed in the submission side of MMA, how is your stand up game coming along ??
As I say, Andy Halder has been my main stand up coach recently and I feel much improved. I still have areas I want to work on but I’m finally starting to enjoy the stand up game and get to grips with it, so I’m really excited to keep pushing my stand up and see where I can take it, a KO win would be amazing and I don’t think its out of reach.
Tell us a little more about Dave Hill - the man away from the combat arena - what other interests do you have ??
Well I work as a Graphic Designer doing various different types of work there, so design is obviously an interest. But short of that, in no particular order I love food, holidays, traveling, going out with mates, women and general competition, which excluding competition are all the things I have to neglect when I’m training for fights. I’m a very competitive guy and have an addictive personality, in that if something grabs my interest I really get into it and get pretty addicted to it, in particular this applies to MMA, and food, as I'm the greediest person I know !! Fortunately my love for MMA is stronger than my love for food, so there no need to go up a weight category !!
When is your next fight ?
I hope to fight again in 2010, but want to have the correct fight in terms of career progression and it
being financially viable. I know Marc is looking into European opportunities for my next fight and I have full confidence in his decisions for my next fight, so I'll leave most of it down to him !!
Who, or, what was the main influence in you turning to MMA as a career ??
I couldn’t pick any one person really. The person who introduced me to MMA was my friend Aaron Behan and I started training before I followed the sport, or, knew who anyone was. Then from there it was just the enjoyment and excitement of training and competing which has influenced my hope to turn MMA into a full time career !! My trainers and training partners are the guys who make MMA what it is for me, so I guess they are very influential.
There has been a lot of talk on the internet forums regarding a "governing body" being set up for UK MMA. What is your perspective on this ??
I think it would be great. Fighter safety, licensed officials and so on, along with preventing guys jumping into fights before they are ready which I see as a common issue within UK MMA. However, I feel that as far as things have gone up until now without a governing body the UK MMA scene has done pretty well, but of course a governing body would be great.
What does the future hold for Dave Hill and what can we expect from you in the?coming months and also in the long term ??
Constant improvement and evolution as a fighter !! I just intend to keep training, keep working hard and keep on winning, the sky is the limit.
If you had the opportunity to fight ANY opponent, who would you choose ????
I’d like to fight a European opponent, perhaps Alan Omer or Sergio Grecicho. I also know Danny Battens coming back so I'll be keeping an eye on his return !!
Is there anyone that you wish to thank ??
Thanks as always goes to all my coaches and training partners, mainly Marc Goddard, Mick Broster and Andy Halder.
Thank you for your time Dave, it's been a pleasure to talk to you.
Enjoy your well earned break and we all look forward to seeing you defend your belt in the near future.
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