MAI: You just defended your 10th Legion Title again. You are a veteran of 10th Legion shows. What was it like fighting on the first 10th Legion London show?

Peter: It’s good to fight on your doorstep, cut weight in my own gym, sleep in my own bed, not having to source appropriate foods in foreign shops. That’s all useful. Also, with Jess to prepare with, and Fahdi from NWA making his pro debut, so Nick was training aswell all the way up to it, there was a good spirit from everybody preparing together. Every fight brings with it a different set of pressures though. This was the first time I’d fought in front of a new home crowd. The 10th Legion show was right next door to Urban Kings gym, my new home, and many of my students there had never seen me fight before. Truthfully, I was a little conscious that a poor showing would reflect badly on the gym. Fortunately it worked out well.

MAI: What was your training like for that fight?

Peter We’ve been getting good squad of experienced pro’s together at Urban Kings. I’ll take the liberty of name dropping- Jess liaudin, Jason Young, Nick Oscipczak, Wendle Lewis, Mikey Pastou, Bola, Ash Grimshaw, Scott Jansen, the list goes on with up and comers and excellent guest fighters dropping by. So the MMA sparring has been quality. Brad Pickett has been coming down since getting back to the U.K. and shared some of the knowledge he’s picked up from ATT. The Urban Kings coaches are very strong, and I’ve worked with Kru Mariusz, Jon Durrant and Martin Holgate every week in preparation. Plus Leo Negao is based here – for my money you can’t find better BJJ for MMA anywhere in the world. Every week I train with Alan Orr, who’s my teacher, main sparring partner, strategist and life coach/marriage counsellor/psychiatrist. That’s where I get a lot of my best, most productive and enjoyable training done, working on specifics, getting into strategy, the deeper stuff. It’s good to be freed from being the teacher, and just be a student again, especially when preparing to fight. Because Morten’s background was in Thai/Kickboxing, I got my old teammate Craig Jose, the WMC MAD World Muay Thai champion to come down and give me a little coaching and sparring. He brought over Tim Thomas to Urban Kings, for a sparring day. Later Jason brought Keiran Keddle down too, and my friend and teammate Peter Tiarks came down for some sparring too, so I got to put in some rounds of straight Muay Thai sparring with some of the very best in The U.K. in the run up. I met coach Sonny Dholokia when Paul Daley came by one day, and all the guys down here were talking about Sonny’s fitness tests. Fortunately I was able to recruit his help getting in shape for the bout, and even though I had some problems with a flu a couple weeks before, I managed to peak at the right time. The day of the fitness tests were more nervous than the day of the fight, they’re that sickening, which doubled up as good mental prep. I can’t pour enough praise on Sonny’s motivational methods and workout protocols, but you just have to experience it for yourself

MAI: What you been doing since you moved to London?

Peter: I’ve just been trying to enjoy life in a new place, with fewer pressures on me. London’s a great city, with masses to explore. I’m mixing with good people, people with positive attitudes. Negativity is infectious, so it’s really important, for anybody, but athletes in particular, to surround yourself with people who have the right outlook. I’ve been fortunate that the people from back home have maintained their friendships with me, and I’ve had loads of visitors for training, supporting me when I fight, and fighting on our shows here. Plus I get back up and visit my family and take seminars back home. It’s important to me not to lose touch.

MAI: You have been fighting on 10th Legion events for the last few years. What is it you like about 10th Legion?

Peter:I just like the style of 10th Legion, it’s about the sport, honourable contest, not the “Cagefighter” bullshit that some shows promote. I don’t want to be associated with that “lowest common denominator” stuff. It’s good to fight on a show that’s run by a martial artist, someone who’s invested in MMA, not just leeched from it. 10th Legion have been loyal to me and helped me out, so I feel loyal back. It’s good to know you’re not just a commodity to be used up. A cruel truth, but it’s what fighters are most of the time.

MAI: 10th Legion has teamed up with top Photographer Jonnie Malachi - What was it like having such professional pictures before and after the event?

Peter: Jonnie has a very cool style, not the typical look you expect from fashion photography. The stuff he produced really captured the atmosphere of the event and the character of the individuals he photographed. Although at the time it doesn’t seem so important, it’s nice to have a record for posterity afterwards. In some respects it’s way better than the videos, just capturing in real detail that one specific moment.

MAI: What is your view on fighters records. In terms of the trend of fighters either fighting the best guys, then ending up with mixed records (as high level fights can go either way each time) or fighters looking to take lower level fights to get a 10-0 record. Which some seem to feel it the best way into the UFC.

Peter: As I understand it, based on what I’ve heard guys tell me who’ve been to the Ultimate Fighter trials, that’s explicitly the way to get to fight in the UFC. It seems curious that the UFC matchmakers don’t look deeper than one level on people’s records, but that’s how it is. It seems obvious to me that you don’t know anything about a fighter until he’s been tested. If a guy has never been into the third round, never had to make a comeback, deal with a cut, any of these things, it’s hard to say what he’s really made of. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going into UFC level competition with those questions unanswered about myself. On the other hand, there have been a few notable guys, now doing very well indeed, who had a clean slate of 10 or 11 fights against no-marks with few fights and losing records. The problem is going to be, as in boxing, on the domestic stage the fights people want to see won’t get made and everybody will be looking for easy fights to build their guys up. I know a few talented young guys, that sound just like me a few years ago, and they’re turning down the easy fights they get offered because they feel embarrassed about fighting a guy they know isn’t their level. More and more I find myself urging them to play the game and just pad their records, and take the tests when the money is worth fighting a hard fight for. Truthfully though, the fight game just isn’t as straightforward as winning and losing. Challenges have to be real to be worthy, and in my book a good showing against good opposition that ends in a loss is worth more than any number of wins over bums. That was the attitude I learned from my teacher Crezio, and what I always felt in my heart. I’d rather be Renzo than Rickson. Whilst the UFC have done incredible things, taking a marginal sport and making it part of the popular consciousness in a short space of time, the nature of a monopoly simply means that those excluded just can’t make a decent living. That’s one of the main things I hear people citing amongst the things they miss about Pride- the fighters who gave valiant performances were as valued as those who gave victorious ones. With so many self interested promotions, all struggling for survival, there just isn’t a clear structure for progression in place, so it’s inevitably a free for all, with who you know becoming more important than whom you’ve beaten. I would have to say that though, because my record is all patchy, hehe!

MAI: What is next for Peter Irving?

Peter: I’m going to go back to doing some Muay Thai and K1 rules fights again, possibly boxing too. I’m going to fight in Thailand this year, tick an ambition off my list. People ask me all the time about rematching Jess, but it’s never going to happen now. Jess has put himself out to help me train for about a year now, been honest and open, taught me alot about his game. You can’t fight someone again after that. You’d have to be a son of a bitch. I’m still desperate to go back to Brazil, and I’m just trying to figure out how to make it work. I’m wearing the gi again, studying under Leo Negao. Being worthy of wearing a Black belt is something I need to achieve. Leo has the style I strive to emulate, he’s absolutely my role model for Jiu-Jitsu. The blend of subtlety and power, that’s where I want to be in a few years time. When a fight comes up that I’m excited about, I’ll fight MMA again, and keep myself in shape fighting Muay Thai and studying Jiu-Jitsu until that happens.

www.10thlegion.tv

Alan Orr is a disciple of Robert Chu Sifu and the European representative of the Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun system.

Teacher of Tui Na Chinese Massage Therapy

He is also the European representative for Guro Mark Wiley in the Filipino martial arts and Sensei Eddy Millis of Shark Tank in NHB/Grappling. MMA Fight Coaching.

www.alanorr.com
www.thechinesemedicineacademy.co.uk
www.warriorfunctionaltraining.com

For further information Tel: 07958 908 196 or email: info@alanorr.co.uk

 

MAI talks to 10th Legion Champion: Pete Irving
- by Alan Orr