Cole Matthew-Brian is coming to entertain this Saturday at Rise and Conquer 13 when he makes the walk to the cage for the third time as an amateur.
Earlier this year, Matthew-Brian found himself in the win column with a statement win over Ryan Bean at Fight Fest Championship 18. The Rainton Arena will play host to an action-packed night of fights.
We caught up with Cole Matthew-Brain before the anticipated event in Houghton le Springs. Hear his full thoughts.
Interview With Cole Matthew-Brian
Cole, you return to the cage for your third competitive MMA match this Saturday. I believe this one came around slightly last minute. How ready are you, and most importantly, how excited are you to get back out there and showcase your improvements?
This fight came around fairly last minute, I agree, but three weeks’ notice is still plenty of time to prepare. At amateur, you’ve got to always be ready. It’s been a while since my last one, and I’ve moved teams since, so even with the notice, I’m beyond excited to get out there and represent my team on a big stage. They’ve all helped a lot with my development as a fighter, and I do believe the improvements will show.
2021, a while ago now, you made your amateur debut, and it didn’t unfold as you’d hoped. You took a break, and then this year, you dusted off the cobwebs and attended your first win and stoppage. Talk to me about all that.
My first fight didn’t unfold the way I thought it would, getting finished quite early on. I could put this down to nerves or whatever else, but the simple fact of it was I wasn’t at a good enough standard to compete. This was a big reason for the gap, as I had a lot to grow from, both in maturity and skill. When my coaches at the time felt like I had grown to that standard, that was when I was put forward. To get the stoppage was great, but I’d have liked to show more.
Cole Matthew-Brian Talks Maturity
What was the reasoning for the break-in between fights, and in your fight this year, did you feel the difference in maturity, growth, and overall confidence?
As mentioned earlier, the gap between fights was simply to grow in all areas of the game. You’re only as good as your last performance, and I wanted to be able to show a visible gap in level between fights, which I believe I did. Without the time off to develop, I wouldn’t have had as much time to work on the little things just as much as the big ones. When I stepped back in, I definitely felt the improvements. I was calm, composed, and knew what to expect.
To close on your last outing, how hard was it to overcome that mental battle, if any? Given how your debut panned out?
The doubt was definitely in my mind after losing my debut so soundly, but that was dispelled by the knowledge I had left no stone unturned. I did everything I could in the gym to prepare, and the rest of it planned out exactly how it was meant to be. There was no doubt in my preparation, so that took all doubt away from the performance.
Fight With Adrion Lekven
Saturday night, you meet Adrion Lekven, who made his debut earlier in the year and fell short. Give me your thoughts about this match-up.
I’ve seen Adrion’s last fight, and I’m happy to be fighting a solid international opponent. He has a good team around him and will no doubt be training hard. I’m excited.
He was submitted relatively quickly in his debut. What can you take from that, if anything?
He was submitted relatively quickly in his debut, but I try not to take too much from that. If anything, I feel like this will have motivated him to train harder and work on any holes in his game.
Finally, how does Cole Matthew-Brain move to 2-1 this weekend at Rise and Conquer? What can we anticipate from you?
Regardless of whether I have won or lost in the past, I have always entertained. You can expect more of that from me when I come in on Saturday with nothing but victory on my mind.
