Derry man set for Cage Warriors debut in Manchester

A Derry man is set to make his Cage Warriors debut this weekend in Manchester. 

Matthew Friel will square off against Jordan Molinari in the octagon, looking to make an impression in his third professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight on September 21. 

He said: “Everyone wants to be the best; everyone wants to compete in the best competition.

“It is a huge step up in competition, as Cage Warriors would be the biggest in the UK and Ireland.

“It is the first big step of my pro career besides the initial step of turning pro.”

The quadruple amateur Irish MMA champion cannot wait for the fight on Saturday.

Friel is looking at the bout as the start of a long and successful career in the sport, looking to reach the top. 

He said: “Cage Warriors is the start; hopefully I rack up a few wins in Cage Warriors, and then we hopefully get an opportunity to get further fights and then maybe even the title, and from this the path is there for the UFC.

“It is the most defined path to the UFC for Irish and British fighters. 

“Conor McGregor has gone down this path; Caolan Loughran from Tyrone has done it; Rhys McKee too. The path has been paved, and you look at Paddy Pimblett too.

“I understand there are other competitors now, but in my eyes, the UFC is still the best and the OG’s of MMA.”

The 25-year-old has been competing in combat sports for eight years, a year after being introduced to MMA by his father as he watched McGregor compete in Scandinavia in the UFC.

Yet, it was not until a period of struggle in his life that he took up the sport.

Friel said: “I had started my A-Levels. I was incredibly stressed during this period. I had signed up for a double-award level in science, having come from a single-award level before that.

“My physics teacher said to me at the time, ‘You are never going to pass this’. I remember that it stuck with me; it ate away at me. I was getting homework that was too difficult for me, and I couldn’t keep up.

“Then I got into kombat sports, starting with kickboxing; I did that for six months, and my stress levels reduced every time I went to training. It just changed everything. I was finishing my homework on time and doing better in class, and then six months later I was training in Kombat BJJ and competing three months later. It didn’t start off well, I will be honest, but I had the bug.

“Going back to the school side, my stress had been subsequently reduced to allow me to finish top of my class.”

Friel made it clear that taking up the sport helped him massively in a number of ways and would encourage any young people going through a stressful time to pick up a new hobby to help relieve stress. 

In Friels case, his decision to get into combat sports has given him a second home, particularly in Kombat BJJ.

He said: “Everyone in this gym is here to make each other better, and that is the way I look at it too; I’m here to make them better.

“Every day we want to improve at least one percent. If we can do that, we will be flying.

“Ciaran (McFadden), my coach here, is like one of my best mates. It is really important to have someone who is pushing you every day.

“He is always giving me tactical advice to help me.”

Friel has a strong team in his corner when he is preparing for a bout. 

But there is one individual’s support that means more to him than anybody else. 

He said: “It is great having Chloe (Crozier) in my corner. 

“She pushes me every day. We get up at 5am every day to do a training session, making sure I’m eating right. We are pushing each other, as we both want to reach the top in the sport.”

Friel is confident ahead of the fight against Molinari but said his opponent is strong with a lot of interest around him and his potential to fight at the top. 

His ambition brings pressure to succeed in this fight, but the 25-year-old is happy for this to be the case. 

He said: “You don’t need to panic; panicking is just a waste of energy. It is like learning to swim; the first thing they tell you is don’t panic. 

“If you overthink it, you will tire yourself out; you need to stay relaxed and fall back on the techniques that you know.

“I love pressure; you have to test yourself in life, and there is no better test than throwing yourself in the deep end against the very best. Cage Warriors is the very best at the level I am at now, and I can’t wait to show what I am made of.”

The flyweight bout will be one of the first fights of the night, which features the headline of Luke Riley against Alexandre Junior.