Scotland’s Damon Donald shows no intention of leaving Darlington without gold this Saturday when he faces off against Tony Dodds at Unity Fighting Championship.
Donald is one of the more experienced amateurs in Scotland, having made his debut in 2016. The Aberdeen based fighter is no stranger to a challenge and is always welcome to take on all-comers.
With a fan-friendly style, Donald is an exciting watch. However, as of late, he has undergone a period of harsh results losing his last three. Still, the Scotsman looks at those outings with a positive mindset and assures us he has taken valuable lessons from them.
We had the pleasure of catching up with Damon Donald before his fight on Saturday night. Read the full interview below.
Interview With Damon Donald
It’s fight week, in what I feel I hear myself constantly saying when it comes to you as of late. How’s the mental space ahead of your title fight this Saturday at Unity FC? How long have you known about the fight and generally had to prepare for it?
Mentally I’m in the best place I can be right now. I only got offered this fight a few weeks ago, but I’m always ready to fight anyone and any time.
With it being a title fight, is training altered in any way? Have any extra measures been taken within camp such as extra sessions? That extra cardio, or has it remained the same as you’d normally prepare for a fight?
Aye, it’s just remained the same. I’d happily fight 5x5s every fight if that was offered.
You’ve fought four times in eight months, really putting yourself out there in the hope of gaining valuable experience. How much do you feel staying active has benefited you, or do you feel it’s had a negative effect due to the recent run of results?
I love staying as active as possible because I love everything about fighting. I feel it has benefitted me a lot as I’ve matured so much in a short amount of time, and I feel like after taking these losses, I’ve found myself again.
On the topic of the results, what do you feel has been going wrong? From your point of view, what do you put it down to, and what do you need to ensure you do to prevent it from happening this Saturday?
I’ve been in my head too much with my past few fights and not doing what I do best, and that’s just fight. Everyone knows grappling isn’t my strong suit, and I’ve been working on it a lot so if the fight goes to the ground, expect to see a completely different side to me.
6-6 an amateur with a ton of valuable cage time stored away. With that being said, do you have one eye on the pro-ranks ahead of your clash on Saturday, or is that not even in your mind right now?
Aye, I’ve got my eye on turning pro, but I’ve enjoyed getting more experience as an amateur and fighting different styles.
On fight night, Tony Dodds (4-1-1) will stand across the cage from you. What were you and your coach’s initial thoughts when offered this matchup, and where do you feel the key to leaving with your hands raised is?
There were no initial thoughts on the fight. Like I say to everyone, I will fight anyone, anytime and at any weight. I believe that I can win this fight anywhere it goes, and I can’t wait to show that.
We touched on the pro-ranks briefly, but with a win on Saturday, what could be next for you? Will you be looking to close out the year fighting regularly as you have been, or would you like a little break?
After Saturday, I will talk to my coaches and see what they think is next for me, but there will be no breaks, and I’ll be staying as active as I can.
Watching tape on Dodds, what do you feel he brings to the table? In which department do you feel you need to be switched on?
He looks like he’s got some flashy kicks, but once he is in there with me and gets hit, he’ll turn into a grappler as they all do.
Lastly, Saturday 14th May. Damon Donald vs. Tony Dodds. Who leaves the with the title, and in what fashion? How does it play out?
There is no chance I’m leaving without that belt. I’d love a first-round finish, but I also love a war, and I hope he is prepared for a war.
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Featured image credits Damon Donald
