James Wamsley (3-0) is entering his Golden Ticket Fight Promotions 18 contest full of confidence ahead of Saturday, rightly so after accumulating three back-to-back victories, including two first-round stoppages.
Wamsley will kick-start his 2022 campaign with an amateur middleweight title fight with fellow undefeated fighter Bertie Oakes.
KK’s Steel Mill will host the action-packed night of fights. Fans in attendance and those tuning in on PPV will have the pleasure of diving headfirst into professional and amateur action from the regional scene’s finest talent.
The card will be headlined by Thomas Paull and Perry Goodwin, who will lock horns and meet in the middle for the opportunity of becoming the GTFP lightweight champion. A fight worth the ticket money alone!
I had the opportunity to speak with James Wamsley, to get his thoughts on his title fight this Saturday.
Interview With James Wamsley
As fight night fastly approaches. Talk me through your camp and preparations ahead of GTFP 18 and your upcoming title fight on the card? With your fight with Bertie Oakes being for the middleweight title. Has there been any extra measure you’ve taken in camp ahead of this one?
For this fight, we’ve prepared pretty similarly as always. Staying fit and ready all year round is very important to us at the club to always be ready to fight. As this fight has approached, we’ve just been sharpening and refining little details and have been continuing to make everything more and more like second nature so when in the cage, we can get that autopilot mode switched on!
In September of last year, you made your amateur debut, earning your first victory to kick-start your career. That followed with two more consecutive first-round finishes. How would you sum up your first year of competition? Any life changes, benefits, or lessons learned?
This first year has left me craving more and wanting to keep proving myself. Being able to compete in MMA has been a wild experience. Getting to go to these awesome venues and put on a show is so sick to me.
I haven’t spoken with fighters previously. I like to ask them about their story about the sport. Why was MMA something you decided to take up and want to pursue?
I have always loved competing and being an athlete, so I wanted to find something that would give me the chance to do that l, and I couldn’t think of any better sport than this one. Plus, my girlfriend’s brothers all did it, so it became necessary if I was going to survive around that family.
James Wamsley Talks Key Principles
I know you’ve only had three fights. However, what has this sport taught you in such a short space of time? Are there any key principles that come to mind?
So far, the biggest learning experience for me has just been seeing how shows are run and getting used to the flow of the day. I’ve realised how important it is not to get carried away with the energy of the day, especially when I’m not going to be fighting until much later in the evening. Keeping calm and collected is a surprise compared to how I thought I would have to be on the day of a fight.
Looking back at your social media accounts and seeing you used to swim. Tell me about that, was that competitive? Do you feel you’ve been able to transfer any skills from swimming to MMA, even though they are two completely different sports?
Yeah, I used to swim to quite a high standard and had some of the fastest times in the UK for my age when I did do it! Having been a swimmer before, I’ve found that the discipline it has given me and the ability to deal with pressure is the perfect tools for performing when I need to. As you said, even though they’re two very different sports, the carryover from swimming has been massive for me.
James Wamsley Opens up on His Opponent
You will meet another undefeated amateur in Bertie Oakes on March 5th. What are your thoughts on this matchup overall and Oakes as an opponent? Have you had the time to look at Oakes’s previous two bouts?
I’m super excited about this fight. It’ll be my best challenge yet. I haven’t seen any of his previous stuff, but I know he means business, and I’m happy to bring my best to him and put on a killer performance for everyone who’s going to be watching.
This will be your first time competing under the Golden Ticket Fight Promotions banner. Do you like travelling, gaining experience and competing on these different shows? It’s a show with many eyes on it within the UK MMA scene. Are you looking at it as an opportunity to show off what you can do?
I’m super hyped to fight on Golden Ticket. They put on such quality shows, and them giving me the chance to travel up and take care of the team whilst we’re there is awesome of them. It feels like I’m back in secondary school travelling all over for swimming galas again, and I love it. With the crowd that’s going to be watching, I intend to give everyone a fight that gets them cheering and a performance the team and I can be proud of.
What Goals Does Wamsley Have?
In terms of MMA competition, have you set any small term or long terms goals for 2022?
In terms of goals for the year, I just want to keep competing as frequently as I can, keep getting better, and have fun. I’ve only been doing this for over a year and a half now. I am excited to keep developing.
Lastly, can we get an official fight prediction from you? How does James Wamsley get it done on March 5th at Golden Ticket Fight Promotions 18?
Honestly, I don’t want to sound arrogant or disrespectful towards my opponent. But, I’ve got a very good feeling this fight will be a finish, either sub or stoppage. No matter what, though, it’s going to be a banger of a fight.
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Featured image credits to James Wamsley
