Combat Sports UK have had the honour of having interviews and gathering quotes with some amazing fighters. These fighters have taken time out of their busy schedule to discuss their plans for the future.
Tom Crosby Quit Rugby League to Pursue MMA Dream After Watching Ultimate Fighter Videos
Former UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski had a similar path as Crosby when it came to becoming a UFC Fighter. Just like Crosby Volkanovski was also playing Rugby League before transitioning over to MMA. Crosby opened up about how he started MMA due to looking for another way to boost his fitness levels. This then grew to watching the Ultimate Fighter which will return on June 4th for its 32nd season. Tom Crosby explained;
“I was a semi-pro Rugby League player and I was just looking for extra ways to get fit and I had also just started to watch the Ultimate Fighter at this time.
“At the age of 23, I used to go to HMV when I could afford it, and get the boxsets for the Ultimate Fighter and I remember thinking, ‘these guys are sound and I could see myself having a go at this.’
“From there, I found a gym near me called Caged Steel and I did a bit of training on and off, without ever really fully committing. I went off to Australia for a year to play rugby and didn’t really do much MMA when I was out there, and then when I came back in 2012 I just fully focused on MMA.
“I tried to do a bit of rugby and MMA when I came back to the UK, but I kept getting injured and so I put a full stop to rugby and kickstarted my MMA career at the age of 25.”
Tom Crosby realised if he was going to become successful he had to focus. This meant he was going to have to choose between Rugby or MMA. Instead of playing against Wigan or St Helens. Crosby has instead submitted Changy Khan and Knocked out Jamie Power.
Tom Crosby Weighed 104 kilos When he Started MMA and Fought as a Heavyweight
Tom Crosby then went on to explain his weight-cut journey from when he first started fighting and training in MMA. This is when Crosby mentions how he started fighting as a heavyweight however, is now weighing in as a welterweight. Crosby talks about this when he says;
“I was a prop forward when I played in Rugby League and I made the switch and I was 104 kilos (230lbs) at the time and I was like a ball!
“With the difference in volume of training, the weight just dropped off and I managed to get myself right the way down the weight categories, all the way down to welterweight eventually (77 kilos). My first fight was at heavyweight, but I couldn’t go as low as Volkanovski even though we played in the same position.”
The journey in which Crosby has gone on has been very impressive. Crosby started as a heavyweight going all the way down to welterweight. Crosby stated that most of the weight just dropped off while training. Tom Crosby has finally found a weight which gives him the best performance.
Tom Crosby’s kids are Learning MMA and Dancing – “They Could be Superstars!”
Crosby also opened up about his family life and more specifically how his kids are learning MMA. Not only are they learning MMA following in their father’s footsteps but also learning Dance from their mother. Crosby opens up about how he gets more nervous at his kid’s competitions than he is at his fights. Crosby explains this when he says;
“My wife is a dance teacher, so when they are not training MMA they go and compete with her as well. They do kickboxing and jiu-jitsu with me and they’ve been doing that since three years old and they’ve been doing it ever since.”
“I get a lot more nervous when they compete on the mats than when I get ready for a fight. My second daughter, Autumn, was competing in a really tough competition and my heart rate started to track incredibly high as if I was doing a workout.”
“I was so nervous for her, but she was absolutely amazing and smashed it. Since then, I’ve controlled my nerves, but it is crazy how nervous I get.”
Crosby gets nervous when he fights however, it is nothing like the nerves when he is at his kid’s competitions. Tom Crosby will be there to support his kids and be there for all their events. I also doubt Crosby would have it any other way.”
I Worked as a Steward for Josh Warrington’s World Title Fights in Leeds
Tom Crosby then revealed how he has also taken work in the private security sector. Crosby revealed he has got the SIA badge since he was only 18 years old. Crosby described what he was having to do and also about one of the events he was able to work. This is when he mentions;
“Since I was 18 I’ve had my SIA badge which means I can work in the private security sector and it was always just a way to get some extra pocket money. I just signed up to an agency and theory did the First Direct Arena and one of the nights was a Josh Warrington fight.”
“It wasn’t so much security, it was more like stewarding and just making sure people were in the right seat! Nothing really kicked off apart from when you try and get everyone out at the end of the night and that’s when you get a bit of an attitude.
“I’ve still got my badge now as a back-up because you never know what could happen in the future, but fortunately I’ve not had to do any security work for a few years now.”
Tom Crosby reveals how he was doing it for a bit of extra money. While this may be true it must have been a great experience being at the Josh Warrington fight. Being able to experience nights like those must have been a great moment. Even though this was for extra cash it is a good backup plan in case injuries keep him out for a bit. Even though Crosby is making a living fighting it is always better to have a backup plan just in case.
My Happy Place is in my Caravan Watching Leeds Rhinos with a Pan of Bacon Cooking
Even though Crosby left rugby behind to follow a career path in MMA he still has a great relationship with the sport. He still tries to go to as many games as he can, however, mentions he does love weekend getaways at his caravan.
“I still love my Rugby League and I follow Leeds Rhinos and I go to their games as often as I can which can be quite infrequent because of fighting, but I still love it. Beyond that, it is basically just family life and my home away from home is a caravan that I have in York. Ten months out of the year, most weekends I will be there and my awning is my happy place!
“I get in my awning, with a plate of bacon cooking and I put the telly on and that for me is great. That’s my downtime and my happy place.”
Crosby still shows love to his Leeds Rhinos even though he ended up leaving them for MMA. This is due to him always trying to get down to watch them play. While this brings a smile to his face Crosby spends many weekends with his family at the caravan.
Tom Crosby Career in MMA so far
Tom Crosby was able to start off his career in the right way by defeating his first 4 Opponents. Crosby started his professional career off with a 9-5 amateur record. Tom Crosby started his pro career being able to knockout Will Cairns in the first round following it up with a submission of Paul Bodner. Wins over Jack Rolinski and Steve Webster allowed Crosby to be able to fight for the Cage Steel Welterweight Title. Sadly, Crosby was not able to achieve the title losing to Madars Flemminas in the 2nd round. Tom Crosby then bounced back from defeat submitting Ashley Gibson and knocked out Jamie Power in the first round.
Crosby then took a majority draw against Shaun Lomas however, Crosby feels he should have got his hand raised that night.
Tom Crosby then fought Håkon Foss for the Superior Challenge Welterweight Title. Crosby however, fell short once again due to being knocked out in the first round due to a head kick. Tom Crosby got revenge for the draw by getting the decision victory against Shaun Lomas before submitting Changy Khan in Round 1. Crosby then got himself a title fight against Dez Parker for the Full Contact Contender Welterweight Title. Tom Crosby sadly fell short once again when he was submitted in the 2nd round by Armbar. This set up a fight in OKTAGON against Miroslav Brož.
I thought I beat Mirozlav Broz in Oberhausen – “Everyone Expected me to Lose”
If you have heard the saying before don’t leave it to the judges and once again that saying was true. This is because of Crosby’s last fight. Crosby thought he had done enough to be able to get his hand raised. However, he would come to find this was not the case. Crosby ended up on the losing side of a split decision defeat. Crosby explained how he thought the fight went by saying;
“I’ve been in that sort of situation before and I got a draw against Shaun Lomas at Caged Steel and I know I won that fight. At that stage in my career, I really let it get to me, but I am not letting this one get to me.
“I could quite easily rage about it for weeks, but I have just got to let it go. I still personally think that, after watching it back, I did win. At the time when I was in there, I knew it was close.
Reflecting on the Fight
“When I got home I watched it back and I am still convinced round three was mine. It was evens on the feet, I had the top position with the takedown and the control and the last minute was just an all-out war. But I definitely did enough to win that round and the second round was definitely mine as well, with the first round being really close as well.
“I am annoyed but I’m not going to let it get to me. The only really annoying thing is that I didn’t get the win bonus, and they had his next opponent already lined up. It’s like I’ve gone there to lose and they’ve not expected me to do as well as I did.”
Tom Crosby revealed how he thought he did enough to get the victory in his last fight. However, he feels no one expected him to win. This is due to Christian Eckerlin being there to announce his fight with Miroslav Brož. Miroslav got the victory and set up this fight. Crosby feels like no one expected him to get the victory so his fight was there to promote this fight.
Winning Over the Fans in Germany was Unreal – “I thought I was Hearing Things”
Crosby remembers how he may not have got the decision he wanted in the last fight but the fans were amazing. Remembering the occasion Crosby could not believe he was able to win over the side of the fans. Crosby said that occasion was special for him. He talks about this when he mentions;
“I was backstage getting a medical after the fight and I thought I was hearing things! It was such a surreal moment and I couldn’t believe it, to have gained fans and won some people over on the back of that performance. It was absolutely unreal.”
Tom Crosby Wants to Make his Comeback From Injury on the OKTAGON card in Prague
Tom Crosby then discussed his plans for the future and when he expects to enter the octagon once again. Crosby discussed how the doctors were discussing he would be ruled out for 12 weeks. He is expecting they are just saying that as a precaution. With this in mind, he is hoping to be back much sooner than when they are expecting.
“In surgery, they said I wouldn’t be able to punch at all for 12 weeks but I am guessing that is the worst case scenario and I am hoping it will be much sooner than that.
“I’ve got my eye on that Prague card at the moment, but I just can’t commit until the pin comes out of my thumb and the splint comes off, so I just have to be patient with it.”
The card in Prague will be on the 8th of August 2024 which is the date he is targeting. This is the date he is hoping to come back on. The only question that needs to be answered is who is going to be the opponent.
Three Names on my Hit-list for Prague in June -Including the Fighter Nicknamed AK-47
Prague card on 8th August is the date which is being targeted. The only question is who is he going to be fighting against when he steps into the cage. Tom Crosby discusses his potential opponents when he says;
“I’m going to be keeping my eye on the Jungwirth and Pukac fight at OKTAGON 55, because they have both had wars with Broz , and I could definitely have the winner of that.”
“Before I signed for OKTAGON, I had a back-and-forth banter with Andrej Kalasnik, the AK-47. But I am up for anything and for fighting anyone; I don’t pick and choose fights, I want to fight everyone and anyone because I’m not bothered. The fact his nickname is AK-47 does not concern me at all. Like I said, I’ll have the winner, or the loser, of the Jungwirth vs Pukac fight because it makes sense for another war and I think the fans will like to see that one.”
Pukac v Jungwirth will be fighting against each other on the 23rd of March 2024. Crosby will be hoping to fight the winner. If either of those fighters are not able to fight then a match-up against Andrej “AK-47” Kalašnik. Andrej however, will have to be able to fight on August 8th after fighting on the 20th of April. This will be the only thing which might make this a bit more difficult to make. Quite a few different opponents are being discussed. Each opponent will bring out a great fight.
Signing for OKTAGON Happened at the ‘Perfect Time’ for me
Thinking back to all Crosby has put him through and all the time and dedication into MMA. He talked about how with all the injuries he has had signing for OKATGON is a nice bit of recognition. Speaking about this Crosby mentions;
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the years, I’ve suffered a lot of injuries and it is nice to get a bit of recognition and a bit of a reward after all I have been through. Good things come to good people, and this has come at a great time for me. I’m 36 now and I always wanted to fight until I was 40, I think I still have years in me.”
Crosby believes this has come at a good time for his career. Especially with him targeting a return for the Prague card. Whoever, it will be against we will have to wait and see but it will be a tough battle. Will this fight give him his first win in OKTAGON and be the start of a championship run? We will have to wait and see.
If used all quotes should be credited to combat sports UK
Featured image credits to OKTAGON MMA
