For the Love of MMA

“There wasn’t one fighter that didn’t make me nervous before the event,” says Georges St-Pierre. “Particularly Matt Sera,” he says referring to their 2007 bout in UFC 69, “and I got knocked out! Fear is a good thing. It’s made me better.” 

It’s Saturday, 2nd April 2022 and former welterweight UFC champion St-Pierre is the first speaking guest at For the Love of MMA, a new Mixed Martial Arts convention in Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Trafford Park. The venue has been kitted out with a cinema room with a large, concave LCD screen showing classic UFC fights, a punch machine, a stage, photo areas including an MMA cage, merchandise stalls, UFC guest signing stalls, health food and drink outlets, gaming rooms with fight games loaded into consoles from different eras, and a matted area for MMA seminars. The other half of Bowlers is set aside for a Cage Warriors event taking place later that night, with a cage, lights and plenty of seating. 

 

For a little extra, you can buy training seminars with the fighters, who you can see here drilling padwork and takedown techniques. Spot Brit Lerone Murphy and American veteran Randy Cotoure. 

 

But the main attraction today is the stage, where first to grace it is 4-time, 2-division former champion, Georges St Pierre. A microphone is passed around the audience seats for a Q+A session. 

The first asks about his transition to movies, and his appearance as Georges Batroc in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. GSP tells of having to exaggerate movements for the camera, and dishes behind-the-scenes details. “I’d rather play the villain,” he claims. “It’s more charismatic. I like to be opposite of myself. They want me to be the bad guy!” 

This is probably why, he reveals, he’s coming back to the UK next week to play a hitman in another production. 

Would he fight again? 

“It’s a question of timing. The UFC had other plans.” 

The next question comes from a guy who compliments GSP on his ‘immaculate’ hair (GSP has let it grow out and now sports frosted tips), calls him a ‘legend of the sport’ and asks him about his title loss to Sera. 

“It taught me a valuable lesson. You mustn’t have too much confidence. It’s about who fights best.” 

And so, in his distinctive French-Canadian accent, he reels off other nuggets of fight wisdom in response to audience questions. He believes he would beat (no1 welterweight contender) Colby Covington, and has no doubt Covington would say the say about him. Eventually, GSP says, someone will beat his own record for the most takedowns in UFC history (standing at 90). 

But would he add to his record? What would it take to get him back in the octagon? 

This gets a chuckle from GSP, but he’s too wise to bite. “People stay too long in the sport, and too late. I didn’t want that to happen to me. There’s more opportunity (in other areas). Don’t stay around too long or you’ll pay with your health.” 

How would he beat (now retired undefeated lightweight champ) Khabib Nurmagomedov? 

“Movement, creativity, and not be afraid. But we’ll never find out.” 

If he wasn't fighting, GSP claims he’d be a palaeontologist. “I was 6 years old, out looking for dinosaur fossils.” 

Trash talking is prevalent in the UFC. GSP, however, was always calm. Did anyone make him want to throw something? 

“None. Trash talk doesn’t get to me. It’s just for business.” 

Dominic Cruz was the “perfect nemesis,” GSP claims. Cruz could take his opponent out of the comfort zone. But GSP’s fight with BJ Penn was the fight in which he was most damaged. Carlos Condit (also appearing at the event) was close. “Bisping hurt me. After a big punch I was putting on ‘cruise control.’ BJ was closest.” 

Would he rather fight (welterweight champ) Kamaru Usman or Conor McGregor? 

“I’m not coming back, but I would choose Usman. It’s not about money; more my legacy. I’d rather win for zero dollars than lose for money.” 

What is his mental process for dealing with a loss? 

“When you lose, 2 things happen. It can drag you down, or you can learn. You have to decide why you lost, and it doesn’t have to be true as long as you believe it. This makes you more confident.” 

Next up: a photoshoot with British former middleweight champ, the UK's only champ, and current commentator Michael 'The Count' Bisping.

Soon after this, a change of style as the Canadian star makes way for veteran fighter Mark Coleman, The UFC’s first heavyweight champion. He takes the stage to tell fascinating tales of the early days of MMA.

BBC Interviewer Jamal Niaz (BBC Sport, Seconds Out) next welcomes Michael Bisping to the stage. “It’s great to have you here,” he begins. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Bisping interrupts. He’s joking, of course, playing the big mouth, the clown. But to contradict that, he reminds us if it wasn’t for the fans he wouldn’t be there. He insists we go straight into audience questions. 

A very enthusiastic young lad takes the roaming mic first. “You choked Luke Rockhold and won,” he says, referring to Bisping’s title win at UFC199 in 2016. “How did you feel?” Then, yelling, “HOW DID YOU FEEL?!” 

“It felt very good, thank you,” states a composed Bisping. He jests, “Someone take the mic off him!” 

It goes to another bloke who Bisping recognises from the photoshoot earlier in the day. “The way you were looking at me this morning,” Bisping says, “I thought you were gonna give me a kiss!” His win over Rockhold he reveals as his favourite fight. “I knocked him out,” he says, “jumped onto the cage, and said, ‘fuck you!’ Everyone thought (that in the fight) I was gonna get swamped.” 

He reveals Jake Paul, the YouTuber who transitioned into boxing, had offered him an undisclosed sum to fight him, “but I’m retired.” 

But what about his son, Callum, currently doing well in wrestling? Would he transition to MMA? 

“He’s a good kid. I’m not sure he’s got the nastiness. (In MMA) you’ve got to fucking knee a guy in the face. I’m a wanker, he’s a nice guy.” 

Will he smash Dylan ‘Dyldo’ Danis? (Bellator’s Danis and Bisping had a bit of verbal back-and-forth at UFC 268 last November.) 

“He’s a wanker!”

Leon Edwards, Bisping claims, will probably be the next British champ, but Kamaru Usman, current welterweight champ and pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, is a problem in that regard. The UK’s Arnold Allen, he says, has potential. Darren Till, 28, will soon be champ. 

What was his best non-professional fight? 

“I don’t really wanna talk about it,” Bisping says… But tells of being 18 and dealing with some guys bullying people. The upshot was, someone called Bisping out, he went to see one of the group, and ended up knocking the guy out. “But I don’t wanna glamourise it,” he stresses. 

Which felt better, losing his virginity or knocking out Rockhold? 

“I didn’t actually lose it, so let’s go with Rockhold.” 

What was the funniest thing that happened at a fight? 

"When I fought GSP I ripped all the cartilage in my ribs. The doctor said to inject Lidocaine (a local anaesthetic). ‘But be careful,’ he said: ‘if you do it wrong, you’ll puncture your lung and die.’ The Las Vegas Commission guy (overseeing the legality of the fight) watched me everywhere. I was going to do it in the toilet, whilst Facetiming my doctor. I thought, what am I doing? And I backed out.” 

He ends answering a question about his wife, Rebecca. “Without her, I wouldn’t have achieved. I’d be out getting into fights.” 

Before leaving the stage, Bisping poses for a selfie with the crowd. 

Last to take the stage is British heavyweight and current 6th ranked heavyweight fighter, Tom Aspinall. Mr Niaz asks about his career aspirations.

 

A packed day and a real treat for Mixed Martial Arts fans. You can only be in one place at one time, so a lot of fighters I didn’t get much more of than a sighting. Next year’s event is already in the pipeline. See Monopoly Events for more.

GSP photoshoot

 

Lerone Murphy

Gaming area

Dan 'The Beast' Severn, UFC's first heavyweight champ

Randy Cotoure

Randy Cotoure seminar

Tito Ortiz

Arnold Allen

GSP

This week I went to the cinema for the first time in yonks.

 

 

Morbius was partly filmed in Manchester in 2019. At the time, I swung by to see it happen. This week I also managed to acquire some largely Manchester-based beermats. 

 

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Renegade Psych Patient Update

A month ago I decided to go renegade on my meds. 

I was tired of the weight gain, and the hunger, and constantly fighting my body. Any improvements to mood I may have made after 4 years of being on them, I think I can more likely attribute to therapy and group sessions, rather than the meds themselves, so I decided that, as lockdown is over, it was time to come off. 

I’ve spent the last month taking 15mg of Mirtazapine once every 2 nights, instead of nightly. The first few nights were a strain. The first night of no meds I didn’t sleep a wink. After that, I started to settle into a routine. 

My body weight looked like it was dropping at first, but it’s pretty much stayed the same. I was at 83kg at the start of this project. I’m around 85kg. I went down to 81 at one point. I have, however, put 2 more onto my underhand chin-up record. (Now 14.) I’ve matched my overhand record. Through all this, I’ve avoided junk food, I’ve followed some recipes, I’ve eaten plenty of disgusting vegetable smoothies… Yet I’m still a fat bastard. 

The issue here, it seems, is not just what I’ve been eating. Someone called Muel Mith – I really should have asked who she was before sharing her comments, but hey, I’m not a journalist- explained: ‘Eating clean would have been good, but ultimately- any sedating drug slows down metabolism- and mirtazapine in particular effects the insulin and glucose in your blood, it will store more fat regardless of diet or restricted intake of calories.’ Hence the dip in weight. 

It’s early days. My plan is to stay on half dose for a few more weeks, until I’ve used my current prescription, at least. I’ll continue clean eating (next week I have a recipe post to go up) and see if I can get some significant improvement to body weight.

The Gladiator Mindset

Back in November, Olympic swimming champ Adam Peaty OBE had a book tour for his part-autobiography, part-self-help book, The Gladiator Mindset. In it, the Commonwealth, Olympic, European and World champion regales on his upbringing and his swimming successes, and breaks down how he achieved his 14 world records and his numerous awards, including 2 Olympic golds. 

Olympic champions are a different breed. Their whole lives and attitudes are on a different plane to regular people like us. The 4am starts, the strict diet and massive consumption, the hours in the facilities (in Peaty’s case, the pool) and the gym, the tailoring of their lives to produce the best possible result… few could go through that pressure. I couldn’t. 

But in The Gladiator Mindset, Peaty fuses his life story with the lessons he’s learned along the way- how to focus, controlling intrusive thoughts, dealing with steadily increasing stress, etc. Secrets passed down to him through his coaches are fused with his other great passion: Ancient Greece and Rome. 

He’s studied this around his training, and the teachings of the warriors and political leaders that lived in that era permeate the book’s advice too. (They permeate his skin as well, as you can see from his sleeve tattoos.) 

The 10 steps are listed out in the book but not together- you come across them as you read through the 13 chapters.  

1) Imagine you are the hero in your own movie 

2) Answer 4 questions to find our life goal- what is you passion? What are you good at? What does the world need from you? What can you get paid for? 

3) Banish negativity 

4) Cold shower every morning 

5) Choose the pack you run with very carefully 

6) Summon your inner rage 

7) Finesse your process to reach your goal 

8) Face your fears 

9) Start a gratitude and self-observation diary 

10) Meditation keeps you in the present 

No Olympian is going to be the next Don DeLillo or George Orwell. If an editor wants to make a book with an athlete, they’re going to have to coax out the details and tailor the book, research the details and put it all together in an appropriate order, whilst keeping keeping the subject’s individual voice. 

Richard Waters harnesses Peaty’s ideas well, and presents them in a very readable and charismatic fashion. That said, there’s neither an index nor glossary, so when writing a review like this it’s hard to find the exact sections that I recall reading. 

But there’s a good wad of advice in here that would be great for schoolkids, the people who will be the next Olympians, as well as anyone else.

Disney+ Show Culprits Filming in Manchester

This week Manchester’s Northern Quarter is once again the location of choice for the movie industry. This time Disney+ are filming Culprits, a new crime caper with Quantum of Solace Bond Girl Gemma Arteton. Details on the M.E.N. Today I dropped in to see what it looks like.

Machine gun fire in Manchester's Northern Quarter today. Don't panic- Disney+ are filming a crime thriller called Culprits pic.twitter.com/OPgFKCBbK6

— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matthewtuckey) March 24, 2022

More Culprits filming in Manchester pic.twitter.com/A9HFei9A9M

— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matthewtuckey) March 24, 2022

More Culprits filming in Manchester pic.twitter.com/pbKo2Y2Lgh

— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matthewtuckey) March 24, 2022

A Guide to Common Reef Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean

Well, I’m testing negative again, so back to work I go tomorrow. Thanks to being vaccinated, my symptoms were mild, meaning I failed this COVID test a few days ago... 

 

When I was about 10-12 I was wildlife-nuts. I’d have tons of books about the animal kingdom, and would dip in and out of them whenever I had a spare moment, poring over parrot plumages and engrossed in lions’ hunting habits. I foresaw (inaccurately) a career in zoology. 

But there was something I was struggling to get my hands on. A book about tropical fish, in the wild. My mum told me no such book existed, so she got me a book about keeping tropicals as pets- a good book that I still have. 

Months after this, we were on holiday in possibly the Yorkshire Dales – somewhere as un-tropical as you can get within the UK- and I stumbled upon a little second-hand bookshop. That’s where I found A Guide to Common Reef Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean by K. Bock. I bought it, and there was the inevitable i-told-you-so moment, and I dipped into it on holiday here and there. 

Jump forward to 2022, the world emerging bleary-eyed from a 2-year pandemic, and I’m looking through my shelves for books I still need to read. I dig out this beauty. 

A solidly knowledgable book, Reef Fishes offers concise info on where the tropics are, how the different tidal currents operate and what fish you can expect to see if diving around the reef. It’s hindered by a lack of colour in illustrations, which are important for identification reasons, and a lack of English names for species next to the Latin, but these days these can be Googled. The section on photography and equipment has long since been made redundant after first being published in 1978, and even the reprint in ‘85 is outdated. 

That said, measurements are gratefully metric. There’s good detail on markings on the fish, behaviour, and what kind of habitat you’d more likely find them in.

A Good GP is an Essential Soldier in the Fight for Good Mental Health

Mental health issues affect 1 in 4 people at some point in their lives.  Many people sweep these problems under the carpet, which of course only leads to these problems getting bigger. But ask any knowledgeable person what your first step should be, and if they’re anything like well-informed, they’ll tell you your GP is your first port of call.

When I first tried to address these issues – 2013 if I recall – I anonymously asked someone- some American Mental Health expert, although I can’t remember the details- over Twitter. They suggested I see my GP. I booked an appointment with him – we’ll call him Dr W1 – who told me there weren’t really any services that dealt with depression.

Obviously, this was bullshit.

I then strayed into The Samaritans office on Oxford Rd. They suggested the GP. I told them I’d tried, and recounted the above. They suggested I ask for a different GP. They should be forwarding me to someone.

I asked the GP receptionist if I could get a second opinion. They offered a slot with Dr W2, who I think I’d had some appointments with before.

I met with Dr W2. His response was a little different. ‘There are services available in Mental Health,’ he explained. ‘Mental Health covers things like depression. Being under this field doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dangerous, or anything like that. It’s an umbrella term for a lot of issues. Now, there is a wait list, and you’ll be waiting around 7 months, but we should be able to put you with someone eventually.’

I figured, 7 months is better than never, like Dr W1 had suggested. And, as promised, 7 months down the line I was meeting with a woman in some obscure office in the backstreets of Oldham, addressing my problems.

I’d spent years trying to get through to Dr W1, with no success. I didn’t know the term ‘gaslighting’ at the time, but in retrospect, that’s what he was doing – downplaying my problems and almost treating me like I shouldn’t have been taking up his time.

I’ve had many meetings with Dr W2, getting good, solid advice on things like mental health medication, assistance with issues like ATOS, HMRC and suchlike, and finding specialists to help. It's a shame that you can go to 2 people, who do the exact same job, and 1 will help you and the other won't. But this is the NHS. 

I’m now at a point where I’m reaching the end of that journey, and am ready to come off medication. 

Coincidentally another strand in my mental health story is ending. This week, I got a text from the surgery. Dr W2 is retiring next month. It’ll be a shame to see him go. Dr W1 hasn’t worked there for a long time, it seems, and I don’t recognise any of the other doctors’ names. I guess I’ll take my chances next time I meet with any of them.