Luke Richardson is confident in returning to the win column at Unity Fighting Championship which will go down at the Dolphin Centre in Darlington.
The amateur lightweight enters the fight with a (4-2) record. Although Richardson has fallen short in his last two-outings, his skill-set and potential is not to be diminished. On August 5, he will face off against Scotland’s Blair Ford in a bout that provide entertainment for those attending.
Ahead of battle, we caught up with CSUK regular Luke Richardson to get his thoughts on his last fight, upcoming fight and more. Read the full exclusive below.
Interview With Luke Richardson
Luke, August, you are out again, getting a relatively quick turnaround. How does it feel getting that activity and having fights booked again, undergoing a bit of a lay-off prior?
Feels good to be just getting back straight to it again. I’mI’m going to try and be like this throughout the year. I want as many as I can get.
Last month you returned to the cage breaking a year of inactivity. Having now fought, did anything surprise you in there, and did you feel the effect of a year out?
No, not really. If anything, I felt more confident and calmer than I ever had before. I felt nice and relaxed despite not getting the win. I was in a good mindset and felt focused.
On the fight itself, you dropped a close decision to Jamal Raja. In your honest assessment, what do you feel went wrong in order for you to not get your hand raised and give me your biggest takeaways from the fight.
In my opinion, I was winning on the feet. I had him in the first round, the second round, I’d say I was winning on the feet again, but he got the takedown in the last 30 seconds or so, even though he was not doing much with it. I think the judges gave him that round just for the takedown, and for the third, he won that one with ease getting the takedown early and keeping me on my back. I still need to improve in all areas, but I think mainly my wrestling. It was a good fight. At the end of the day, it’s it’s all a good experience.
Luke Richardson Talks Last Outing
Looking at your post regarding the fight, you seem to be in a good headspace and taking the right approach. The amateur circuit is for learning and gaining as much experience as you possibly can, good and bad. You did mention you took some positives away from your performance. What were those positives?
Mainly on how I felt and my mental state leading up to the fight and in the fight. I mean, you are always going to have them little nerves, but I feel with each fight now they’re not as much, and just being able to watch it back and see what I need to improve on and things I could’ve done or should have done. Losing is bound to happen in this game. It’s just how it’s dealt with. Obviously, at first, I was devastated because I thought I had just edged it two rounds to 1. Still, a few days after the fight, I was just eager to better myself and wanted to put more into it. That’sthat’s what losses are good for at amateur because you’re still learning your strengths and weaknesses and can improve on them for the future going pro.
Your entire amateur career has been spent competing under Almighty, but on Aug. 5, you’ll compete in Unity Fighting Championship. Are you looking forward to competing on a new show, or is that something that doesn’t really matter to you?
Doesn’t really bother me, to be fair, yeah it’ll be a different scene and show, but at the end of the day, the same things are going to happen, we’re getting locked in a cage to have a fight, so as long as I’m ready for that, that’s all that matters. But what I do like about this show is that all amateur weigh-ins are same day except title fights, so I’ll be looking forward to not having to do a cut for this one.
On Blair Ford
Your opponent, Blair Ford, fighting out of FuDog MMA, also recently made a return after three years out. Firstly, how did the fight come about, and how do you view the fight itself as you try to get back into the win column?
I think I followed the page on Instagram already and saw there was a local show coming up, so I sent it to my coaches, and they were happy for me to be matched on it, and I’m looking forward to it as always!
Blair’s return fight on Unity was pretty much over before it started. Did you get the chance to watch the fight, and can you take much away from it in terms of game planning?
Yeah, I’ve watched it. I’ve watched a few of his fights I don’t feel much of a threat from him, to be honest. Yeah, we have similar records but look at the difference in the fighters we’ve fought.
Finally, you did stress how losses are a part of what helps you improve and progress in your career. But what can the fans in Darlington come out to expect to see from a Luke Richardson hungry for a victory?
The fans can look forward to seeing me put on a show in 7 weeks’ time!
Featured image credits to DN4 Photography
