Issue 048
April 2009
Cage Warriors featherweight champion Paul ‘Metabolic’ McVeigh is a talented maverick and one of the most fascinating characters on the UK scene.
True to form, his training gear comprises an eclectic mixture of high-quality Japanese imports and some fit-for-purpose homemade devices, held together by reams of duct tape.
Kitbag
Between coaching and training, the Irishman hardly ever leaves the gym, and the contents of his kitbag can usually be found strewn around the mat, alongside the resident drum kit and guitar. He still has one of the flashiest kitbags that money can buy though. “It’s actually kinda cool, a Reversal bag I picked up in Japan. It’s made out of gi material and it’s got a massive zip on it.” Did it cost the earth? “Yeah, we were in Japan and I had no idea what the exchange rate was, I was like ‘I’m having that!’” he said, without a hint of regret.
Shorts
McVeigh usually wears his sponsor’s shorts, but he will break out a pair of Affliction board shorts on special occasions. “I’m actually wearing them now; they’ve got a naked lady on them with a dragon tattoo - they are pretty cool. They used to have a big metal skull on them that I had to remove because people kept smashing their faces into it when they were double legging me. I don’t notice a huge difference between shorts these days, I prefer if they have a big split up the side, so it looks a bit fruity, but other than that, they are all pretty similar, it’s just a matter of personal preference.”
Rashguard
Not a fan of punching in a rashguard, ‘Metabolic’ usually wears T-shirts for training. “I’ve got a pretty big neck, so they feel weird on my shoulders sometimes, but I do have a bright pink Reversal rashguard, which is pretty cool. One of my mates got it for me out in Japan, it’s kind of like the one Megumi Fuji [top Japanese female fighter] wears, which is just totally hetero,” he joked.
Mouthguards
A previous user of the Shock Doctor boil-and-bite variety, which “aren’t bad”, McVeigh has now moved on to the real deal. “I got the dentist to make me one because I’ve got a messed up grill. I noticed that I was getting wee chips taken out of them every three or four months, so I decided to get a proper one made. It’s cool, because you don’t actually notice that it’s in.”
Gloves
“I’ve broken my hands a couple of times, mainly on people’s heads,” McVeigh laughed. “For MMA sparring I’ve got the Throwdown ones, they are real good. I haven’t seen all the gloves, but they are the best I’ve seen so far. Some of the others feel like you’ve got four inches of extra padding on the front of your fist. It feels funny and you can roll your wrist.”
Ear protectors
Like many seasoned grapplers, McVeigh is all too aware of the need to take care of his ears. “I’ve got cauliflower ears on my cauliflower ears, which is kind of annoying! I’ve got some old-school Drexel University ear protectors - they are awesome. The new ones have got foam or something in them, which can be compressed, but these ones are like a big whack of metal - they’re all duct taped back together; they’re pretty cool.”
Post-training
Having suffered from back and shoulder problems, McVeigh stumbled across a simple solution in the form of a homemade thoracic mobilisation device. “I’ve got two tennis balls duct taped together; it’s for improving your spinal posture. It allows you to roll the muscles along your spine without actually being on the spine. It’s slightly uncomfortable but it has cured it quite well.”
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