Craig McIntosh returns to action this weekend at Bellator 291 after almost a year out. The Scot faces rising prospect Kenny Mokhonoana in Dublin, Ireland.
The 35-year-old realises a life-long dream of fighting in a big promotion when he makes his Bellator debut this weekend. He revealed all in a recent interview with Combat Sports UK.
Craig McIntosh on Fighting for Bellator
“[I’m] Just excited now. I’m at the point where I’ve been training for ages and now I can’t wait to fight. The last few weeks are always the hard part, bringing the weight down. I just wanna fight. It’s gonna be the biggest crowd I’ve fought in front of and the biggest promotion I’ve fought under so I’m really looking forward to it.”
This is set to be his first fight under a big promotion, and with a 4-3 record it seemed unsure whether he would ever get this kind of opportunity at a promotion like Bellator, Craig said:
“No, but actually I did kinda have the thought in my head and it ended up happening. With the particular management that I signed to I did think it could happen. I thought maybe they would look at my record and think this guy’s bang average. But, I’m looking forward to proving them wrong, thinking that it’s a good fight for Kenny [Mokhonoana]. So, I’m looking forward to that.
“It’s always one way with these big promotions, they reached out to my management and were looking for a fighter for Kenny [Mokhonoana], they said they had me available and were happy for the fight. So, I was like ‘great, jackpot for me!’.
“I got the phone call and I was like sh*t, I didn’t even look at the guy – I was 100% in. It’s a great opportunity. It’s the only thing I’ve really missed, I’ve been doing this sport for a long time now, been at it for 14 years. I’ve never been out the gym, I’ve been at it consistently for those 14 years, always learning, always trying to get better. It does get a bit hard to get motivated for the same old challenges, I prefer a big challenge like being the underdog and this is perfect, so I’m looking at this as an opportunity to go out there and show my skills.”
Craig’s Thoughts on His Opponent
“He’s pretty well-rounded, he’s got four pretty fast submission victories, it makes for an interesting fight I think. He looks strong, athletic, he’s a good fighter but everyone is gonna be good at this level. I don’t think fighting always comes down to that though [skill], on the day it can come down to tactics, fighting spirit, a number of things. It’s a fight at the end of the day so I’m looking forward to getting in a fight and seeing what he’s made of.
“I think he’s quite a fast starter and so am I, so I can see a finish [happening] and that’s what I’m aiming for. I’m always aiming for the finish, when I go out to fight I’m always looking to put somebody away whether it’s a knockout or submission. In fact all of my wins are finishes – I think it’s 14 overall and in jiu-jitsu I think it’s 40, maybe more so I’m looking forward to going out and trying to get the finish.
“I 100% believe I can submit anybody in the world, I know that for a fact so I’m looking forward to the challenge of that. But, also, I’m looking forward to getting in a fight with him as well. People pay a lot of money to watch it so yeah I’m looking forward to getting in a fight with him.”
His opponent, Kenny Mokhonoana, is an undefeated fighter at 4-0 fighting out of SBG Ireland – gym of Conor McGregor. McIntosh was spoke about stealing the hype of an undefeated prospect at Bellator 291:
“Nah, I’m not looking to steal any hype, I just wanna go out and show what I can do. He’s on his journey and I’m on my journey, I’m just gonna try to pick up the victory but it’s a great place to do it. I’m going to be trying to spoil the party on the night, he’s gonna be a fan favourite for sure but I’m gonna get the finish and spoil the party.”
Craig McIntosh on Fighting at Bellator in Dublin and Representing Scotland
McIntosh is set to be closing out the Bellator prelims, most would be nervous in this sort of spotlight. Here’s what he said about the occasion:
“I don’t actually know. I’ve literally been in a training bubble all day and night, it’s the first time I’ve ever trained full-time for a fight, trying to do the right things for recovery. But, it’s mega cool, I love Dublin as a place so I’m looking forward to the atmosphere in the crowd.
“I think there’s always nerves fighting. I’ve never really suffered too badly from being nervous, but you care. I saw something the other day, you wanna win – you’re not nervous about the fight, I’ve been in many fights [but] it’s more a case of performing, you wanna go out and perform your best.”
On fighting in Dublin, Craig said:
“I cornered him [best friend] against another SBG dude and he took away a first-round submission and that was pretty cool. I’ll be doing it myself this time and it’ll be fun. He’ll be in my corner so hopefully the roles are reversed.
“I’ve never been booed much, that would be funny. I’ve got a lot of my good mates coming over so you’ll definitely hear the Scots for sure. One thing about us is that we’re always loud, so we’ll be there and we’ll have a presence but hopefully, I can win the crowd over as well ‘cause I’m going out there to show who I am.
“It’s only really starting hitting me in recent years, whether it’s jiu-jitsu or MMA, it started really hitting that you’re representing Scotland when you compete. There is only a handful of people that are doing it at a professional level so it’s brilliant, it means a lot to me to be going out and doing that. Even just showing a way for the younger guys, I’m absolutely buzzing and it’s a huge honour to fight for the promotion.”
Craig on Balancing Running a Gym, Coaching Students, and Training For a Fight
“It’s definitely tough, that’s why I’ve not been so active in recent year. I spent all my time coaching, trying to pass it on to the younger generation. My business partner, Gary Priestley, he’s been amazing with helping out with the gym. So, he’s taken on quite a lot of responsibility for it in the run up to this. I’ve pretty much had no obligations for the last few months, just been focusing on training. But, I didn’t open a gym and become a coach to not give to my students. So, once the fight’s over I can get back to coaching the younger generation.”
On whether he finds it rewarding teaching his students, Craig said:
“Aye, absolutely, it helps for learning as well. You teach what you did well but you also teach what you didn’t do so well. You’re students learn off of what you did well but also what you didn’t do well in your career. Our students are doing amazing. They have a really high win rate, fighting good guys as well which is half the battle. I’m looking forward to seeing even more prospects at the gym.”
Craig on What the Fans Can Expect on Saturday Night
“Expect excitement. Expect me to try and take this guy out by any means necessary whether it’s a knockout, body shot, submission. It could be arms, legs, or neck I’m coming for it.”
Watch the Full Craig McIntosh Interview
Does Craig McIntosh get the job done Saturday in Dublin?
