Cage Warrior’s Welterweight prospect, Craig “The Thundercat” White made quick work of Hakan Foss at Cage Warriors 84 earlier this month. I managed to catch up with “The Thundercat” to talk about what’s next for the young and promising fighter, who his favourite fighter is and where his unusual nickname came from?
Q. After an impressive and dominant performance against Hakan Foss at CW84 who would you like to face next and when?
A. I’m open to fight anyone Cage Warriors want to put in front of me. They have a solid and deep welterweight division which is full of talent from Europe so there’s a few different options I’m sure. I’m wanting to get on either the Newport or Liverpool card in October so will have to wait and see where I’m wanted and who I’ll be facing in due course. This is assuming Cage Warriors are happy to have me on either of those shows of course.
Q. Your nickname is “The Thundercat” and your twitter handle is actually @theTHNDRcat. Could you explain where you got this nickname from and/or who gave it to you?
A. I had a tribal lion head tattoo (now covered up) on my right shoulder when I was 18 and the day I got it done I went training after and my coach Dave Matthews joked saying it looked like the Thundercats logo. A year or so later the MC for Strength & Honour asked if me and Ben Crook, another fighter from LD Fighters, had nicknames yet. Ben thought he would be funny and stitch me up saying mine was The Thundercat and it’s stuck since then.
Q. You look like a rather large Welterweight (77.1kg). Is that a difficult cut to get down to and what is your walking around weight?
A. I’ve always managed to make weight and in most cases be under, regardless of the notice I have for the fight whether it’s nine days or six weeks. So on that side it isn’t a difficult cut but it doesn’t take away how challenging and mentally demanding it can be. My body is used to the cut I do as I’ve got a good routine of cutting and replen going on that works for me. Obviously losing the amount of weight we do as fighters is never easy but when you know how to work to your body it makes things a lot easier. I usually walk around anywhere between 94kg and 96kg. I love my food.
Q. Out of your 11 professional MMA wins, seven have come by way of submission. Do you hold a belt in BJJ? If so, how long have you trained in jiu-jitsu and what gym do you train out of?
A. My record is actually 12-7 and I’m just stuck in a very pointless battle with Sherdog where they won’t update it unless it’s posted on a website despite giving them video evidence. That extra win is another guillotine win as well. I don’t hold any belt in BJJ and have never specifically trained just jits. I’ve been at LD Fighters for 10 years now and my grappling ability is a product from what I’ve picked up over the years from very knowledgeable fighters and coaches; Dave Matthews, Kev Donnelly, Mark Wilson and YouTube.
Q. Do you have a favourite fighter of all time (doesn’t have to be MMA specific) and what is the best fight you have been in and/or seen?
A. I think my favourite fighter has to be Robbie Lawler. His rise to the UFC title and the five round defendes he had were amazing to watch and were great examples of MMA. I couldn’t put any one of those to my favourites, they’re all up there.
You can follow Craig White on Twitter @theTHNDRcat.
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