Issue 129

June 2015

The Irish welterweight TUF alumnus on how he plans to ‘punish’ UFC champion Robbie Lawler and shake up the division

Your next opponent is due to be Augusto Montano at UFC 188 in Mexico. If successful who would you like to fight next?

“I really don’t like to think beyond my next bout, but if I had my pick of the top 10 I’d love to fight Robbie Lawler; he’s a great fighter and one I’ve admired for a long time. Obviously he’s also the champ so that speaks volumes in itself, but he’s the one I would pick out. There are only two guys in the top 10 under 30, so I believe it needs a bit of a shake-up; and, at 27, and having come through the ranks, I believe I’m the man to do it.”

You made your UFC debut at middleweight against Mike King, so why have you dropped back down to welterweight?

“I was always planning on moving back down to welterweight, and I’d been told on numerous occasions I was going to get signed by the UFC, but it just didn’t happen for a while. So when The Ultimate Fighter came around at middleweight, I just jumped in for that. But I was always going to move back down after the show.”

How did you feel about King failing a drugs test following that fight?

“I don’t like to see anybody in the UFC, or any sport, for that matter, getting done for cheating, taking stuff they’re not supposed to; so yeah, I was shocked because we were friends and I found it difficult to comprehend why he’d do that. Taking PEDs in MMA is not like taking them in sprinting. As a sprinter it doesn’t directly affect your competitors, but in MMA you’re threatening the safety of your opponent if you’re on PEDs; so in that sense I was very shocked. But he’s learnt his lesson and was punished, and I certainly don’t hold any grudge now.”

You’re now 3-0 in the Octagon, but what goals have you set for the future?

“In the next 12 months I want to get into the top 10 of the welterweight division, and from there I want to make a run for the title. I’m in this game to become the UFC champion and that’s the goal I’ve set for myself. And I don’t ever set goals I don’t achieve, so don’t doubt me.”

You and SBG Ireland teammate Conor McGregor have come a long way in the last two years. How does that feel?

“Just recently me and Conor were training at the gym and talking about the exact same thing. Two years ago we were both broke and had only dreams. Not many people believed we could do it; only us. But we kept going and training hard and look where we are now. And it’s through nothing but hard work and determination. Our personalities allowed us to stay focused and to remain single-minded; you have to be single-minded to make a success of anything in life. 

“I actually have a degree in science but I was living off nothing; I could barely afford to pay for fuel to get to the gym; barely afford to feed myself. People were saying, ‘Use your degree and get a job.’ But that really was never an option for me. I just knew MMA would eventually pay off, and it has.”