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The sign of restrictions lifting beckons the return of a Cage Warrior, with Stevie McIntosh

With the world seemingly going back to normal and restrictions being lifted. Sporting events going ahead as planned, athlete’s across all organisations of the sporting world will be exploding back into action. None will be more hungry than the mixed martial artist. 

The mixed martial arts world more than most has been hit hard by the current worldwide outbreak. Fighters unable to travel, flights being cancelled due to athlete’s local governing bodies setting out no flights laws due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We had the opportunity to speak to cage warriors Stevie McIntosh. The lightweight stand out hasn’t had a competitive bout within his organisation for nearly half a year. To gain insight into what impact this has had and looking forward.

 

I’d like to start this off by thanking you for taking the time to speak to us in this troubled time. Hope you’re keeping safe. How was training?

 

“no problem mate. Yeah, all’s going well, I’ve been training hard. Done this camp over 12 weeks so just past the halfway mark now.”

 

In regards to training, with such a vast gap between bouts, does this make training more intense, to push yourself further to keep yourself at 100 percent?

 

“I think in a sport like MMA where you put your body under so much stress it’s important to have a little time off in-between fights to heal up. I never took much damage in my last fight so I was able to train again pretty soon after the fight. I’m one of those guys who can’t sit still”.

 

It seems the current events haven’t really affected Stevie in his approach to his fight dates. Us fight fans are always in complete awe of the stamina shown by fighters. All the intense training is like second nature to them. A 24-week fight camp to us would seem impossible. To the warriors that enter the cage, it’s just a brisk walk in the park. 

 

It’s been 6 months since your bout back in December 2020 with Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar 5/0/1 at Cage Warriors 117. With the amount of time that has passed, I’m sure you’ve watched that fight back religiously since. What was the biggest lesson learned from that war?

 

“It was a tough one to take as I was very confident going in but I’m not naive in this game and know that one shot can change everything. I feel I let my opponent pressure me too much and let him take control of the fight, that’s something I’ve worked on hard so it doesn’t happen again.”

 

At this level, being gracious in defeat is something to be admired. When you look at all that goes into the fight beforehand, all that effort to be poured into 3 rounds. But Stevie shows what it takes to be a warrior after his loss to Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar back in December at Cagewarriors 117 and to keep going in an organisation that is just bursting with talent.

 

You have been matched with Declan McAleenan 3/2/1 on 26th June at CW 125, both of you seem very evenly matched going into the cage. Both of you will have a point to prove in there no doubt. what are your opinions on Declan? Have you watched many of his fights?

“It’s a very good match up stylistically for the fans with us both predominately preferring to strike. He’s a tough opponent has been in there with some good guys, he’s actually previously fought one of my teammates who I cornered so I’ve seen a few of his fights. I don’t like to concentrate too much on what my opponents will do and concentrate on myself more. It’ll be a good fight for sure”.

 

No doubt, it’s always been one of my top promotions. When you look at the amazing talent that has been moulded there. Conner McGregor, Paddy Pimblett, Micheal Bisping. Just a few names out of the very big hat there but just those alone speak volumes for the organisation. 

 

Many in the industry of late have changed weight class of late. Is this something at the moment or in the future of your career?

 

“I considered making featherweight at one stage but I feel it would be pretty tough. It’s all good and well making the weight it’s performing the next day. My brother used to do it when he competed in MMA and we’re pretty similar sizes, seeing what he had to go through to make it kinda puts me off it (laughs). Plus I already cut down from like 180lbs to make 155lbs so an extra 10lbs may not be the smartest idea”.

 

(Laughs) The weight cuts for me look the most gruelling part of the sport in general. You guys really are superhuman. 

 

We look forward to your next war within the cage. Anything you’d like to say to the fans?

 

“Massive thanks to everyone who has continuously supported me over the years. I will leave it all in there, as I do every time and will do everything I can to get my hands raised”.

 

The pandemic has been hard on us all, but keeping mental strength, perseverance and a pure passion for what you do. These are all key ingredients to keep your head above the hypothetical water which is the state of the MMA world as we know it.

 

None show this more than Stevie. All we can hope is that things continue to die down and we can get back to some sort of normality. Because I for one have missed my fix of certain mixed martial artists spanning over many organisations. 

  • Name: Stevie McIntosh
  • Pro MMA Record: 6-2-0, 1 NC (Win-Loss-Draw)
  • Nickname: Mop
  • Current Streak: 1 Loss
  • Age & Date of Birth: N/A
  • Last Fight: December 10, 2020, in CWFC
  • Weight Class: Lightweight | Last Weigh-In: 154.8 lbs
  • Affiliation: Higher Level Martial Arts
  • Born: Alloa, Scotland
  • Fighting out of: Alloa, Scotland

 

 

 

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