Combat Sports, Interviews and Opinion
I have written on a number of occasions as to why the UFC should move into the domain of boxing. Thankfully it seems my wish is soon to be realised. In the aftermath of UFC 236 Dana White was almost bursting at the seams to talk about what the UFC has planned for the future….
Many coaches I’ve interviewed refer to a Golden Age of Irish MMA. This Golden Age is always referred to in the past tense. It seems to have been a period roughly between 5 and 10 years ago. Now funnily enough I happen to think that this present period might actually be the Golden Age of…
I do like when I don’t have to come up with a good idea for an article. Much better to find someone elses and steal it. A few weeks ago I happened upon a facebook thread where a group of female martial arts enthusiasts discussed the anxiety they felt the first time they walked into…
The UFC had their seasonal press conference in Atlanta on Friday April 12th, as the UFC showcased some of it’s biggest stars ahead of a busy summer schedule. It was the first opportunity to see Dana White answer questions since TJ Dillashaw was busted for an EPO violation and subsequently banned for two years. Shockingly…
I have been meaning to chat with Paul Cowzer about Rush Fight Academy for quite a while. Anyone that follows the former IMMAA chairman on Facebook will know that he is quite outspoken in his views about the state of Irish MMA. His club is one of 15 or 16 Irish MMA clubs involved with…
On Saturday night Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway face off again. This time for the UFC interim – lightweight title. It is over 7 years since their previous meeting and I am not sure that Dustin Poirier’s win on that occasion via submission (triangle arm-bar) is particular relevant or instructive today. They’re both completely different…
It’s at times like this that I wonder, what exactly Conor McGregor pays Autie Attar to do. Can you think of any other major sports personality that announces their retirement with an incoherent tweet. No Press release. No line up of networks and associated press to mark the occasion. No highlight reel of his achievements….
The vast majority of people couldn’t fathom the idea of stepping onto a mat to compete at a jiu-jitsu tournament. To the uninitiated, it’s the same as stepping into a cage to fight Brock Lesnar, at UFC 200, or into the ring to fight Anthony Joshua in front of 90,000 drunk arseholes at Wembley Stadium….
Cage Legacy 11 takes place this coming Saturday in Finnstown Castle and a fighter making her MMA debut on the card is Dolores Gallagher. Dolores was kind enough to have a quick chat with Combat Arena and talk to us about the two and half years she has spent in combat sports getting ready for…
I’ve been sitting on this Interview for about a week. I have no good reason for this as the interview in question was a very enlightening 90 minutes in the company of Ben Davis, head coach of Shaolin MMA in Galway. Corrective action required on my part. About 18 months ago Tuam received the gift…
The Battle of the Boyne is still an emotive historical talking point on this island, nearly 320 years after it’s original enactment, when the forces of Prince William of Orange defeated the forces of King James II in 1690. I suppose if I had enough coffee coursing through my veins I could draw up a…
As the early part of this week unfolded, my social media timelines were still basking in the afterglow of the successful Bellator 217 card in Dublin. Many of the winners had some iconic imagery to take with them on their journeys forward. The losers, as is often the case in MMA, took their losses on…