Issue 018
October 2006
Paul E. Marchant is a coach based in East London. Working with professional MMA fighters from the club London Shootfighters, he is also one of the head coaches of London Thai fighters, and can often be found working his athletes in the famed Peacock gym. Paul is also the designated cutman for Cage Rage, and is responsible for patching up fighters between rounds.
What’s your background in martial arts?
Nine years old, I boxed as a boy. I’m 42 now so that’s a long time ago! I done some boxing… had four fights, won all four fights, then I had a bit of an accident, that I won’t go into, that stopped my boxing career. Muay Thai, then to pro boxing for three and a half years with the Fight Factory, learnt the game there from the pro boxing and come back to Muay Thai. I’ve fought out of about seven different gyms, then me and Errol Tapper decided to do our own thing. It was just me and him – and you can see yourself in two years it’s kind of grown!
What kind of students do you like to work with?
I only teach fighters. If you come here to keep fit, there are plenty of coaches who will keep you fit.
Who are you working with at the moment?
London Shoot… And we’ve got guys coming down. We had Dave O’Donnell’s boys in here last Thursday, even though we [Dorian O’Malley] are fighting Atilla [Kubilay], we have them here. I get on well with all the fighters, from any gym. It’s a sport (laughs). You never lose. You either win or you’ve come second, you never lose in this gym!
What satisfaction do you get out of being a trainer?
Hard one. Good question. I don’t know, I’ll let you know… I haven’t found the answer yet, I’m still seeking it!
When did you decide that you wanted to work as a cutman?
Another good question. I suppose it’s one of those things I’ve drifted into, did a couple of people and now I do, mainly… everyone.
Do you get a lot of invites to come to different shows?
Yeah, I’m doing the big Muay Thai Legends show, there are three London clubs in it, and I’m actually doing the Birmingham club, K-Star.
Does any specific cut job you have done really stick out in your mind?
I’m proud of all of them. When Lee Johnstone’s fighter fought Paulo, our guy. We cut his guy, literally, within ten seconds of the first round. They couldn’t stop it, so I went into his corner to stop his cut. Then he cut Paulo’s nose, and I stopped that cut; then he went and broke his nose – I ended up doing four cuts between the two of them… and it ended up a draw!
Alex Reid’s cut was a bad one, horrendous cut in that fight – that’s on my website that one. He was cut before he even got in there.
Now working for Cage Rage, have you noticed any difference between the damage caused by MMA gloves, as opposed to Boxing gloves?
There’s not that much difference. People think it’s more barbaric, but to be honest with you, there’s more damage done in boxing and Thai boxing. In Thai boxing, it’s five rounds, or boxing, it’s 12 rounds, and the elbows in Thai – you get some horrendous cuts with the elbows.
Is it true that in Thai boxing, elbows and knees score highly?
Yeah, elbows and knees; but it’s changing now though. It’s a hard technique to develop, an elbow.
Have you got any tips on how to throw a good elbow?
Relax, keep your hands open, not in a fist, and use speed, not power, when delivering the technique.
You mentioned on the phone about getting a licence so you can use adrenaline.
Adrenaline is a prescription drug, I think you’ll find. It effectively stops the flow of blood. You’ve got to know exactly what you’re doing with it. There’s lots of people who use adrenaline out there who are not licensed and if anything goes wrong… You don’t know what they’re using or how long it’s been there. My stuff is all fresh.
Is there a special way of preparing it?
It’s all mixed for you. You buy it 1 part to 1000.
One thing that they always say at the weigh-ins at Cage Rage is that you should never put water on a cut. Why is that?
It makes it twice as hard [to stop]. Instead of the blood congealing, it makes it fluid, runs down your face, makes it harder for everyone.
Do you help to inform cut stoppages, or is it always done by the doctor?
Good question. Normally, yeah, I do. Depends what show it is. If there are only first-aiders on the show; I do. I normally say it to the ref as well.
Boxing commentators always seem to mention that working on cuts is a dying art. Do you think that’s true?
Once you’ve shown someone how to do them, they don’t need you. That’s what I was told. No-one likes showing you how to do them. Everyone has a go at doing them though.
