A closer look at Wicklow's Richie Smullen

This article was published by SportsJOE.ie on 22/02/19

From school halls to the 3Arena.

Father of one, Richie Smullen (3-1-1) is living proof that hard work and dedication pays off. The Arklow native is one of many prospects coming out of Straight Blast Gym Ireland. Such was his talent, SBG teammate and former UFC featherweight, Artem Lobov, paid for Smullen to travel to Las Vegas to try out for season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter. Smullen passed the test with flying colours and became the third pick of TUF coach and UFC heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier.

Unfortunately, Smullen was medically ruled out of the competition before he was due to fight. He contracted a rare disease known as rhabdomyolysis, the destruction of striated muscle cells. Smullen's muscles broke down and the creatine kinase protein went into his bloodstream which then travelled to his kidneys. This was devastating for the SBG prospect as many felt it was his time to shine. The UFC noticed this potential and rewarded him with a fight at the season's finale card against fellow contestant Luis Pena in 2018, becoming the first Irish fighter to debut in the promotion since 2016. Going into this contest, Smullen was looking to continue his then-unbeaten professional career but suffered an unfortunate submission loss in round. Perhaps it was just too soon following the illness he suffered but as they say in SBG, you win or learn.

UFC's loss was Bellator's gain as the promotion signed him during the acquisition of 16 Irish fighters during the summer. Smullen is now finally slated to make his Bellator debut at the 3Arena this weekend when he takes on fellow debutant, Adam Gustab (3-3) at 145lbs. Richie is known for his Brazilian Jiu Jistsu skills since his amateur days. Smullen was present at the Bellator Dublin fight week press event and SportsJOE got to have a chat with the featherweight. Speaking on his love of submissions and if fans would see his BJJ skills on display this weekend, Smullen said;

"BJJ was always my thing, I always loved it that was like, that's still my main passion, jiu jitsu but I just love to fight, I love the game, even though I've got a lot of experience this is going to help me at the weekend, from the MMA League to all my amateur fights to my pro fights to all my grappling experience, this guy is in for a rough night. A quick night but a rough night".

To those who aren't familiar with this league, The Amateur Irish Mixed Martial Arts League was established in 2004 by Mark Leonard and used to be the primary platform for Irish fighters who sought experience competing in the sport before making the eventual move to the cage. The league ran for 10 years before being dissolved but its memory will forever be remembered by those who competed and watched the event during that time. Leonard spoke to SportsJOE on how the Irish MMA League came about.

"By 2004 I had fought a few times in MMA and I found that the gulf between the gym and getting into the ring was huge, so I wanted something for others starting out that would help them bridge that gap with the league fighters could pressure test and prepare for a future in the cage or ring, or find out in a safe way that MMA competition wasn't for them."

Leonard continued to say that "a lot of fighters kept coming back to the league and didn't move on as the League itself was a fun event hence the slogan "The Safe, Fun and Easy way to try MMA". Over the course of a year, registered fighters would compete in the MMA League on four occasions in different counties in Ireland. The rules were quite simple one five minute bout, with no head shots and the fight could end by way of submission, knockout or disqualification. If it went the full five minutes, it was deemed a draw. Three points for a win, one for a draw. The final event then ran for as many matches needed to crown a winner.

Smullen was not only a competitor in the MMA League but he was also crowned the 75kg champion back in 2012, submitting each opponent on the way.  Talking to the Wicklow native at the Bellator Dublin press event, Smullen smiled when asked if he thought back then that he would be fighting live on Sky Sports for one of the worlds' largest MMA organisations.

"No, I actually would have never thought that. I was doing it for fun back then, I was still training very hard, as I won as you can tell but yeah, it's a big jump up from no head shots MMA League to be there on the main card for TV for Bellator".

MMA fans are undoubtedly excited that the 27-year-old is getting another chance to show that the hype isn't just that. Highly regarded by the entire roster at SBG, his stablemates have only good things to say about the Arklow man. Speaking to SportsJOE on what Smullen is like as a sparring partner, fellow SBG prospect, Cian Cowley told us that "Richie is one of the toughest rounds in the gym. Relentless pressure and drive."

With regards his Bellator career, Cowley can only see it going one way.

"I really think he can dominate the featherweight division at Bellator. He has a great fighter's mind and a will to learn so with that, the sky is the limit for him!"

When SportsJOE asked Richie how he thought the fight would go on Saturday. He replied quite confidently, again smiling, "Destruction, round one".

Undoubtedly a fight to look forward to, as well as an MMA career to watch out for.

The biggest all-Irish MMA fight of all time takes place on Saturday night

This article was published by SportsJOE.ie on 21/02/19

John Kavanagh has dubbed it "the biggest fight in Irish MMA history".

Two fighters from two of the biggest gyms in Irish MMA collide in the co-main event of this weekend's Bellator 217 at the 3Arena. Straight Blast Gym Ireland's Peter Queally will take on Team Ryano's Myles Price in a 155lbs bout which has bad blood written all over it.

There are a few firsts here. Both fighters will be making their Bellator debuts as they were signed during the influx of 16 Irish fighters brought into the worlds second largest MMA promotion in the summer. It will also be the first time that two Irish mixed martial artists will go head-to-head in the co-main on a global level of the sport, making it a domestic fight for the ages. SBG vs. Team Ryano on the international stage - a dream come true for Irish combat sports fans.

If you have been living under a rock and are oblivious to the mise en scène of this feud, it goes all the way back to September 2018 prior to UFC 229 when Conor McGregor was due to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov. Price, formerly of SBG and then-regular sparring partner of 'The Notorious', travelled over to San Jose, California to train with the American Kickboxing Academy (Nurmagomedov's gym) at what some might describe as a curious time.

It was his appearance on the Eurobash podcast with Peter Carroll that gave prominence to this, giving detail to many unanswered questions such as why Price left SBG to join Team Ryano, his thoughts on McGregor and how he believed the fight would go. The Kilkenny native even went as far as to brand the Dubliner 'narcissistic', which didn't sit well with the entire SBG roster, along with a portion of Irish MMA fans, who credit McGregor with putting the country on the MMA map. Some believe that without the Crumlin man, there wouldn't be the platform there is today giving other Irish fighters the opportunity to progress with a career in the sport.

If that wasn't enough to build a wedge between himself and the entire SBG gym, 'Splinter' proceeded to call out McGregor's long-time training partner Peter Queally, believing that it would be a match-up that would make a lot of sense since both men had been signed by Bellator. His wishes were granted when the promotion announced they were coming back to Dublin for the third time. Once officially announced, Queally didn't hold back with the trash talking.

Born and bred in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Queally (11-4-1) turned professional back in 2012 has since become one of Ireland's best travelled martial artists, having fought in many countries across the globe such as Italy, Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan and even South Africa.

The grappling expert is coming off the back of his first KO victory of his career and will be hoping to keep that momentum going in the co-main event of Bellator Dublin. Having gone over four hours without ever being finished in a mixed martial arts contest, 'The Showstopper' has only ever tasted defeat by way of decision, having never been knocked out or submitted in his professional career thus far. Maintaining this record will be the perfect belated birthday present for Queally, who had the unfortunate timing of having his birthday on Tuesday of fight week. SportsJOE had the opportunity to ask Queally about the fued, asking the Dungarvan native if the animosity was real and if Saturday night put an end to the bad blood. "Yeah, there is, he's done what he's done, there is hard feelings. You can't change that, I don't know what's going to happen".

"I, of course, respect that he's getting in to fight me, he's backing up what he said he was going to do, I can't hate him for that, so there is a certain respect there but what will happen afterwards, I can't tell you, you know, there's a lot of animosity there,it's a personal thing he's done and we will see what happens."

On how he saw the fight going, Queally told SportsJOE, "I think it's going to be a scrap that I'm going to get the better of the exchanges in and he's going to come out a hurt man after it but I think it will be a good fight. A very good fight".

Myles Price (10-7), on the other hand, will be entering the Bellator cage this weekend off the back of a unanimous decision loss to UFC veteran, Norman Parke, under the Brave CF promotion. Since the whole AKA debacle took place, 'Splinter' has seemed to have attempted to row back on his apparent animosity towards his former gym. His sole purpose for training at the San Jose gym was, apparently, all about improving his wrestling/grappling skills and not to help out Team Khabib, he told KO! in an interview at the beginning of the year. Talking to SportsJOE, 'Splinter' talked about the benefits of improving his wrestling skills at AKA but refuses to get carried away just yet. 

"Yeah, yeah, the wrestling has come on a lot now,I have to say. I feel,like,in my previous interviews as well that I've mentioned this, that I'm not going to become a NCAA wrestler within three months but I'm certainly going to add wrestling that compliments to my game a lot more and I'm a lot more better at dealing with high level wrestlers, so, you know, that comes with the territory with going over to such a high level camp over in AKA, so it was great."

Although he is very confident about his chances of winning at Bellator Dublin, he seems to have zero interest in becoming involved in the social media war-of-words his opponent has been trying to engage in. The stigma surrounding the fight hasn't effected his preparation for this all-Irish clash, he claims.

 "None whatsoever because at the end of the day it's a job I've to do in the cage for three fives and, like, I just gave my honest opinion, like, about the situation and of course the media is going to twist it here and there as to what it actually was. But the pure interview, it was honest."

Price isn't delusional, in the sense that some people were offended by the, now-infamous, interview.

"Some people are going to find that they were going to get upset it by it which is expected as well, you know, and it's only added to the fight but the way I see it is, that I don't take anything personally, if I give my honest opinion and like, that's just the way it is. If you do then that's not my problem." 

Those familiar with the domestic scene will remember Price from his early days on the regional circuit and will perhaps best remember his rear naked choke victory over SBG's Kieran Davern back in 2013 on a Battlezone FC card. There wasn't as much hostility as there is now between the Kilkenny man and SBG Ireland and he was actually pretty respectful back then whenever asked about his switch to Team Ryano.

Speaking with SportsJOE earlier this week, SBG Ireland's head coach John Kavanagh remained diplomatic on the subject of Price, simply saying: "He did train here for awhile and I found him OK. He actually lived with me for awhile!" before switching the conversation to his current charge, Queally.

Kavanagh continued: "What I'm most excited about is that Peter Queally, who has kind of travelled to all these parts of Russia, taking on these incredibly tough fights, to now have the chance to do this back in Dublin. He's got a huge following, especially in Waterford, where he's from.

"He's a great athlete, a great fighter and for him to get the chance to fight in what I think is the biggest Irish MMA fight in history, between two Irish guys that are at a really high level at an almost sold-out arena on Sky Sports. It doesn't get better than that."

James Gallagher, who is set to headline Bellator Dublin against Steven Graham and was also present for the interview, wasn't as delicate with his take on Price, labelling his former gym-mate an "absolute twat."

'The Strabanimal' went on to say: "Whatever he did was all good but he just should have did what he did and kept his mouth shut."

How will Price react to standing opposite his former coach and stablemates? Will he succumb to the pressure and the stigma surrounding his Bellator debut? Will Queally's rage derail his game plan or will he stay cool, calm and collected as he did against his most recent opponent, who had the advantage of fighting on home soil? Which Irish club will prevail?

One thing is for sure that a lot of questions will be answered this Saturday. But the real question is, will it put an end to this Irish civil war, or will it just be the beginning? 

Leah McCourt - MMA fighter, mother and role model

This article was published by SportsJOE.ie 21/02/19

And seemingly destined for greatness.

Winning is second nature to Leah McCourt, with success seemingly following her wherever she goes. She won gold at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation European Open Championships in 2015 and she followed that up with winning another gold medal at the IMMAF World Championships in 2016. If you thought that it couldn't get any better for the County Down lady, she also is a World and European International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation champion at purple belt.

Oh yeah, she is also a black belt in judo. It's kind of obvious where this is going.

Unfortunately though, McCourt lost in her professional debut at Cage Warriors 85 and it was then when the Smithfield native decided to change things up and made the move to Straight Blast Gym Charlestown to train with renowned coach, Owen Roddy. A year later she recorded her first professional victory with a split decision win at Cage Warriors 94 in May of last year. A win is a win, no matter how it's earned and the subsequent move to train in Dublin seemed to have paid off. Speaking to SportsJOE, Roddy only had good things to say about McCourt.

"Leah is a true professional. Hardworking, skillful, focused and determined, with these qualities she can make it to the top of the game."

Leah McCourt (1-1) is getting ready to make her Bellator debut at the 3Arena this weekend, only eight months since her last fight. The 26 year old will take on Hatice Ozyurt (2-6) in a 145lbs contest and although on paper her opponent might not seem much of a threat to the Northern Ireland native, McCourt isn't writing her off and has done her research on the Dutchwoman. Speaking to SportsJOE at the Bellator Dublin press event, the amicable McCourt said:

" I know my opponent is a dangerous striker, people have said about her record but her record doesn't reflect her experience. She has 100 K1 and Muay Thai fights, she's 71-13, she's a serious threat and that's what me and Owen are looking at..."

"She's going to come out striking and she's going to be dangerous so I'm going to look to implement my game plan."

Fight week can be extremely tough for a fighter, having to face endless media events while cutting weight and trying to focus at the task ahead. McCourt, however, didn't seem bothered and appeared excited and happy to be at the Bellator media day. She said she was, "feeling good, nice and relaxed, in Dublin so don't have to travel anywhere, so its a wee-bit calmer than normal".

Even though McCourt has moved her training camp from Belfast down to Roddy's SBG in Dublin, she hasn't moved houses. Amazingly, Leah makes a four hour car journey everyday to the Big Smoke which just shows her sheer drive and determination to succeed and get the best training available to her. She trains twice a day working in many forms of martial arts such as boxing, muay thai, bjj and wrestling constantly adding techniques to her arsenal and still finds the time to incorporate cardio and strength training in between.

In addition to all of this, McCourt is a proud mother to daughter, Isabella, giving her all the attributes needed to be a role model for all mothers and women out there. Speaking on what life is like being a professional fighter as well as a mother and if she found it tough going at times, McCourt didn't feel it was any different to working your normal, everyday job.

"Well, I just feel like it's any other job, like, because, you know, I hate when professional athletes look down at normal people who work 9 to 5 jobs, I admire them and I respect them. I feel lucky that I'm known to being a fighter. I probably spend more time with Isabella than I do with anybody else, so, it's just my job, you get used to it."

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday night, the female featherweight doesn't plan on sitting back and taking a rest. "I'm going to be doing the ADCC trials. The European trials are in April with the aim of that taking me towards the ADCC Worlds and then obviously, I'll hopefully fight again in May, if I can, I know Bellator have a couple of cards on but I just want to keep really active, fighting and competing."

With the crowd, hype and oddsmakers right behind Leah McCourt this weekend, there is only one outcome expected on Saturday night. Win, lose or draw it won't be the last we see of her.

Five Bellator Dublin prelim fights to get excited about

This article was published by SportsJOE.ie 19/02/2019.

It’s fight week baby!

We are only days away from the Irish annexation of Bellator. The second coming of Irish MMA.

On Saturday February 23, Bellator returns to the 3Arena for the third time in as many years for Bellator 217 - Gallagher vs. Graham. Compared to previous visits, Irish fighters completely dominate the fight card having 15 out of 32 fighters, an incredible 46.87 per cent! This would be 18 but due to injuries, SBG's Sinead Kavanagh, John Redmond and Karl Moore unfortunately won't be taking part.

We can already here the crowd singing “You’ll never beat the Irish”.

Mixed martial arts was first brought to prominence in Ireland back in 2014 when the UFC arrived for its second time on the Emerald Isle to host UFC Fight Night 46: McGregor vs. Brandao. Before this, speaking of MMA would generally lead to the question - "What is MMA?"

It was on that night at the 3Arena that Conor McGregor ushered the now well-known quote, "When one of us goes to war, we all go to war".

The sport has since exploded onto the scene and although Irish participation in the UFC has seen a decline in recent years, fighters have been making quite the name for themselves across other organisations, giving true meaning to the turn of phrase - the fighting Irish. Bellator were quick to notice the potential superstars coming through the Irish ranks last year, when they signed a staggering 16 Irish fighters to their roster.

SBG Ireland (between SBG Concorde and SBG Charlestown) hold an impressive collection of 12 fighters competing this weekend while local rivals, Team Ryano, have three fighters scheduled on the card. There are some very intriguing bouts to look forward to, including two fights pitting the two Dublin-based gyms against one another.

Never has there been such a strong Irish presence on a global MMA event and with the recent news that Sky Sports obtained the broadcasting rights to Bellator events for the coming year, fighters have now been awarded a prime opportunity to showcase their talents to a wider audience and thus, cultivate greater profiles for themselves.

Here are five preliminary fights with homegrown fighters to get excited about this coming weekend:

Sam Slater (2-0) vs. Chris Duncan (3-0) - lightweight

SBG’s Sam Slater makes his Bellator bow this weekend and looks to extend his perfect professional record when he takes on unbeaten Scotsman, Chris Duncan. Slater is no stranger to the big stage having previously represented Ireland on two occasions at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation World Championships in 2015 and 2016. Duncan will be no easy task for the Tuamgraney native, however, as he is also looking to keep his clean sweep of professional wins also and is currently on a 10-fight win streak when you take amateur fights into account.

Slater is cool, calm and collected in both nature and style, so this won’t phase him whatsoever. Duncan has never gone the distance which could be the difference between the two fighters. As the clock ticks on, Duncan may panic and try to scramble to finish, leaving him open to Slater’s slick strikes or even his accustomed rear naked choke. Somebody’s O has got to go on Saturday but one thing is certain, Slater will have the entire 3Arena and The Banner County roaring him on to what he will hope to be a third successive victory in the pro ranks.

Will Fleury (4-1) vs. Shaun Taylor (8-1) - middleweight

Tipperary native, Will ‘F*ckin’ Fleury, will be looking to redeem that shock KO defeat he suffered at Bellator 203 when he takes on Scotsman, Shaun ‘The Disgrace’ Taylor. A fight of obscenities of some sort as both fighter’s nicknames go, this should be an incredibly exciting contest. The Stone Thrower will be looking for redemption following the first loss in his entire career and there’s a feeling in the air that the opponent doesn't matter to Fleury, who appears to be a man on a mission.

A cult hero of Irish MMA since his amateur days, Fleury has that winning mindset engrained in his game and with the added gratuity of fighting in front of an exuberant Irish crowd and now, Sky Sports cameras, we will undoubtedly see the best he has to offer. Expect to see a strong performance from the SBG prospect this weekend as speaking on his last outing, Fleury stated - "Mark my fucking words, I will be back from this and better next time."

Paul Redmond (14-7) vs. Charlie Leary (15-9-1) - lightweight

Much to the surprise of most Irish MMA fans and Paul Redmond himself, Team Ryano’s, ‘Redser’ appears on the prelims of Bellator 217 taking on England’s Charlie Leary. Professionally competing since 2011, Redmond has fought at all levels beating Artem Lobov as an amateur under the Battlezone FC banner to the pinnacle of MMA, fighting in the UFC on two occasions. This will be Redser’s second fight with Bellator, having beaten Sergio de Jesus Santos by way of unanimous decision back in 2017. One thing's for sure, Redmond will be eager to add another win to his record.

Don’t be surprised to see the Dub unleash some of his sleek ground game in a bid to show his employers why he should have been on the 217 main card. What more motivation does fan favourite Redser need, especially against an English counterpart on home soil?

Leah McCourt (1-1) vs. Hatize Ozyurt (2-6) - featherweight

Hailing from Smithfield, Co. Down, Leah McCourt is no stranger to the big stage. In 2015 and  2016, McCourt won gold at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation World Championships. At the latter tournament she finished each of the opponents placed in front of her. The mother of one, having only competed eight months prior to this event is looking for quick recognition in the women’s featherweight division as she has her eyes set on gold, gold and more gold to wrap around her waist. McCourt has a wealth of experience in her corner this coming weekend as she has been training with Owen Roddy’s at SBG Charlestown.

With the unfortunate withdrawal of fellow featherweight and SBG compatriot, Sinead Kavanagh, McCourt will be flying the flag for women’s MMA in this country when she faces Dutchwoman, Ozyurt. With Ozyurt having been previously knocked out in 17 seconds, McCourt will be very confident in her chances of getting her hand raised in her Bellator debut. With the crowd behind McCourt, as well as plenty of hype, oddsmakers will understandably expect only one outcome this weekend.

Charlie Ward (5-3) vs Jamie Stephenson (4-2) - middleweight

Having failed to make an impression on two occasions of asking in the UFC, SBG’s Charlie Ward is currently riding a two-fight win streak under the Bellator banner. ‘Relentless’ Ward will look to add to that when he fights Brit, Jamie Stephenson.  The Mountmeelick man is an uproarious character behind the scenes, having called out rapper, 50 Cent, after his last bout for running his mouth about stablemate and close buddy, Conor McGregor.

Ward is the fighter whose KO victory of John Redmond back at Bellator 187 sparked the unseemly scenes of McGregor jumping into the cage to confront the referee and Irish MMA fans will be curious if 'The Notorious' will be in attendance on Saturday night. We will have our eyes peeled on this one for sure.