As Cage Warriors makes its return to Dublin, one Irish fighter who will be out to prove a point is featherweight Ryan Shelly.
This weekend will see the RDS host the action, with Cage Warriors 161 showing some of the best talent Irish MMA has to offer. Amongst them, is Ryan Shelly, with a 6-1 record, who faces Jordy Bakkes on the main card.
Ahead of his bout, Shelly spoke to Breakingnews.ie, and revealed preparations for this weekend's fight couldn't have gone better, as he looks to put on an impressive performance for the home crowd.
"I found out about the fight in July, and as soon as I heard about the fight being announced, I hit the ball rolling with training straight away. It's one of the few times I have been injury free for a full training camp, so it feels good.
"When I fought back in April in the 3Arena, it was my first time fighting in Dublin in a long time, and it was fantastic having all the Irish people there.
"That support, hearing everyone screaming and shouting, it certainly lifts the mood, but when you get in the cage, part of you needs to leave that at the door.
For the first time in his professional career, Shelly is preparing for a fight after a defeat. His last bout in April saw him lose to Tobias Haila via TKO in round three.
While some fighters would have found it difficult to overcome this setback, Shelly saw this as a moment to improve his skills and improve as a fighter.
I have just been focusing on the holes I had in the last fight. Hopefully, I will close a few of the gaps that I have been showing
"It would have been great to get the win, but I took it as a big lesson. Sure, you learn a lot from the wins, but after coming off that loss, I said let's go back to the drawing board, reassess a few things, change a few things from my training.
"Really in this camp, I have just been focusing on the holes I had in the last fight. Hopefully, I will close a few of the gaps that I have been showing.
In the main event on Saturday, it will be another Irish fighter taking centre stage, as current featherweight champion Paul Hughes moves up to lightweight to face Jan Quaeyhaegens, in what looks to be a number one contender bout.
With so much talent in the featherweight division, and Hughes's next move unclear after Saturday, the division could be looking for a new star. In front of a home crowd, there is no better time for him to step up and make a statement.
"If you look at the Cage Warriors roster, featherweight has to be the most stacked. You have got so many good fighters in it, it always seems there are new prospects coming through.
"A title would be amazing, and to fight for a title one day, but that hasn't entered my mind too much. All I am really focusing on is getting a good win here, and whenever my next fight is, focus on that.
"Provided that I do my job and keep winning, I know the title shot will be there, whether it is some time next year or the year after."
Exciting times
This weekend's event comes at an exciting time for MMA in Ireland. In September, the 3Arena hosted Bellator 299, and is set to host a PFL event in December.
This year has also seen two Irish Cage Warriors champions make the jump to the UFC, with welterweight Rhys McKee and bantamweight Caolan Loughran making their UFC debuts in Paris in September. From Dana White's comments, don't rule out a UFC event in 2024 either.
For Irish fighters like Shelly, they are an example of what is to follow, and he hopes he can inspire the next generation of fighters to succeed in the sport.
"I feel like the Irish MMA scene was on a bit of a low a few years ago, but now in recent years, from the amateurs to the pros, everybody is killing it lately.
"It's great to see everybody from the country is doing so well. It just shows that you don't have to move away or anything like that. You can train in Ireland and be a world-class fighter.
"At the moment, it is us. But you have to think about where the sport is going to be in five or 10 years. Where it's going to be is, the teenagers are going to be watching this, saying 'I want to be at that level, I want to be in the UFC'. "
