Gemma Auld is all set to kickstart her journey in mixed martial arts and feels she’s “physically and mentally” ready for the moment.
The Alloa Town Hall will host an entire day’s worth of combat sports action to cater for everyone’s taste. Promoter’s Steven Harris and Chris Duncan have put together a grappling show in the afternoon, which will be followed up by the notable ‘Goliath Fight Series‘ at night.
We had the pleasure of catching up with Gemma Auld ahead of her big day to get her thoughts and feelings prior to making the walk. Hear what she had to say below.
Interview With Gemma Auld
Gemma, your days out from competing inside the cage for the first time as an amateur MMA fighter. How do we feel as we close in on fight night? Are you going through a large mix of emotions?
I’m feeling good! It’s something I’ve been on and off about for a while, whether I wanted to fight or not, so I waited until I was sure I was ready for it mentally and now I just can’t wait to get in the cage.
For the readers who may not be aware of you just yet, can you give us a brief background on yourself, your journey into martial arts, and why it was a path you decided to pursue?
I started striking in 2019 and then joined Ayrshire Hit Squad in 2020, just striking at first! The team convinced me to start BJJ at the end of lockdown, and I fell in love with it immediately, and that’s when I started training MMA!
Gemma Auld Talks Women’s MMA
Women’s mixed martial arts are striving at the moment, with more women having the confidence to walk through the doors of a gym all over the country and get training. For someone that’s trained and competed in grappling, what would you have to say to the girls you want to give it a shot but are apprehensive about doing so?
I think because I was already part of a really supportive team, it made it easier for me to start grappling and get involved in the comps etc. It would be amazing to see the categories at the grappling competitions for women starting to fill up.
Although you’ve not fought in the cage just yet, what are some of the biggest lessons and best parts you’ve had training and preparing for a fight thus far?
In the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to help a lot of brilliant fighters with rounds for their fight camps from Ayrshire Hit Squad, Scottish Hit Squad and TFT. That experience has definitely helped build my confidence in the cage and get me ready to fight, as well as all of the tough rounds I get from everyone in the gym. I feel really lucky to have so much knowledge and skill around me in our gym and all of the other gyms we train with.
Grappling
As of late, you’ve been picking up some medals in the grappling scene. How much confidence does that give you, and how rewarding is it to see your growth and development in martial arts rewarded?
For me, the grappling competitions have helped me to build up the confidence to step in the cage and get used to people-watching. I train with lots of high-level grapplers at hit squad and also Lycans/MNBJJ, which has helped me prepare, and I’ve been lucky enough, with the help and support of my coach and training partners, to do well in competition and it’s an amazing feeling to see my hard work paying off.
Debuts can be a daunting thing, especially in the lead-up with your mind in overdrive. That said, what expectations have you set forward for yourself? Is it win at all costs, or is it just enjoy yourself and the process and what will be will be?
I train really hard in and out of camp and always focus on seeing myself improving in the gym regardless of whether I have comps or fights booked. I have been working on putting everything together for the past few months, and I want to go in and show myself that I can put it all into practice under pressure. My main focus when stepping into the cage is making the team proud. Ayrshire Hit Squad is an amazing gym, and the effort our coach Neil Laird puts in deserves recognition. Last Goliath, our guys put on brilliant performances that showcased the high level of training and coaching that comes out of the hit squad, and I plan on doing the same.
Opposition
Ellan Egan is the woman you’ll face this Saturday on Goliath. With her making her debut, I’m assuming you know nothing about her, and it’s just a case of focussing on what you can do on the night as opposed to guessing what problems she’ll present you with.
I don’t know anything about my opponent, really, or her training due to it also being her debut, but my focus the whole camp has been on me, improving my all-around MMA game and making sure I go into the cage feeling physically and mentally ready.
Finally, what would it mean to you to get that first win under your belt on Saturday night, and will there be any celebrations in order post-fight?
My plan for the whole camp has been to go in and show myself that I have the confidence and skill to step into the cage, and obviously, taking the win for the team is the goal. I’ve got a submission grappling match booked in a couple of weeks and hoping to fight again in a few months, so it’ll be straight back to training for me next week.
Featured image credits to Moses MMA Photography
