Josh Dean is looking to build on his first amateur victory he attained at Full Contact Contender 31 over Zack Sari this weekend.
Dean meets the debuting Mason Yarrow this Saturday at Almighty Fighting Championship 29 in an amateur lightweight contest at the Barnsley Metrodome.
Prior to fight night, we spoke with Josh Dean to see where he was mentally before battle. Read the full exclusive interview below.
Interview With Josh Dean
Saturday night at Almighty FC 29, you make the walk for the first time in 2023. What is the mindset now leading into fight night, especially after picking up your first win as an amateur?
My mindset is the same as it’s always been, improve and evolve. Don’t take me too seriously. Turn up every day. I can’t get ahead of myself. Never too high, never too low. Trust the process.
Touching on your first victory at FCC 31, you put in the work and continued pushing on after falling short repeatedly. Describe what that feeling was like to get your hand raised and what it meant to you.
It was a strange one. I knew I was good enough to put it together and get myself a win, but I also appreciated the fact it was my first win, so jumping around and screaming would have made me look silly. I was just full of gratitude for the chance to compete and for the hard work paying off in a small moment.
Many people would quit on themselves after four back-to-back losses and think it’s not happening for them. However, you’ve really showcased an inspiring and unbelievable mentality. What motivated you to keep pushing forward when things got tough?
A fight, at amateur, is 9 minutes of your life. You might lose, so what? Worse things have happened to me than losing a fight. As I said, after the FCC fight, too, even getting to a point where I can fight at this level is an achievement in this short time. When you have long-term goals and love for something, quitting isn’t an option at all. What would I do without this sport?
Josh Dean Talks First MMA Victory
Closing in on the victory over Zack Sari, what were you most pleased with in your overall performance? What do you feel you did well that perhaps you didn’t get in your previous bouts?
The thing that I enjoyed most about that performance was how calm I was throughout. My work was clean and efficient. I think I showed a good level of cage control and patience for someone who was 0-4 at the time. I didn’t rush anything, not even the finish. I’m happy I took no damage as well. I don’t wanna get into wars unless necessary. I don’t think it’s a case of what I’ve done wrong previously because some of the performances have been good. It’s just a case of it all finally coming together.
Mason Yarrow is the man who will stand across from you at the Metrodome in Barnsley. Yarrow will be making his debut. Fighting a debutant, is it just a case of focusing on your own skill set instead of your opponents?
I’d say he’s the one with the experience here. Junior Olympian, that’s a high level for combat sport. If anything, I see myself as the underdog again here. They must think that too if they’re taking it as a debut against a 5-fighter, which I think is mad to say in this sport that five fights are the middle of the road for what you want for the amateur experience. I’m under no illusions that he’s going to be high-level in all areas, and I’m ready for the test. I just need to focus on my own performance, negate what I can intelligently and impose myself intelligently. May the best man win.
What to Expect
What can those attending Almighty FC 29 expect to see from Josh Dean on fight night?
I always deliver exciting fights. You can expect to be entertained regardless. And as always, the improvement and levelling up I’ve shown in all my fights will be on display.
Finally, leave us with your official prediction ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Mason Yarrow.
I get my hand raised via a finish and move onto the next challenge with more experience.
Featured image credits to Full Contact Contender
