Graham Boylan Talks Contracts,CageWarriors and Winding Up Haters.
We at AddictedMMA feel that is an incredible offer just to put out there like that so we felt it was time to not only explore the offer, but to get to know Graham Boylan a little better. Blunt, amusing and more than happy to talk MMA Graham has not let us down. So let's cut to the chase and delve into the mind of the CageWarriors maestro.
Addicted: This is quite an offer you have put out there Graham. Five contracts to fight for CageWarriors with world wide exposure. What sort of criteria are you looking for in the applicants?
Boylan: What I'm looking for are guys who obviously have good records, but most importantly they need to have a good attitude, be committed to the sport and not just in it to fight cans and pad their records. I'm only interested in guys who want to test themselves, guys who want to go as far as they possibly can in this sport.
Addicted: Of course Cage Warriors always matches very tough fights, so how many fights will the new fighters be contracted to?
Boylan: The initial contract will be for five fights over a period of 18 months.
Addicted: Nice! So this is also a great opportunity for the chosen fighters to improve their sponsorships, do you have many rules in place for fighters sponsorships?
Boylan: As long as it doesn't interfere with the promotion's existing sponsorship deals and there is no other conflict of interests, there won't really be any restrictions. We always encourage fighters to court their own sponsorship deals. Fighters work extremely hard to make a living for themselves from MMA and they deserve all the financial recognition they can get.
Addicted: For sure, CageWarriors has been exceptionally active in 2012, does the work load ever get overwhelming or does it suit you being so busy?
Boylan: I'm fortunate to have a very strong team behind me and there are no weak links in the chain. Everyone does their job to the highest of standards. If they don't, they'll be shown the door. Cage Warriors has continued to raise the bar for itself and all the staff are passionate about making sure they all work in tandem to make the promotion as good as it can possibly be. That's something we've been achieving. So, to answer your question: no, I don't feel overwhelmed because it's a team-game, my team is outstanding and I like being kept busy anyway .
Addicted: Cage Warriors is also famed for its smooth running production, does it really run as smoothly out back as it seems to for the TV and internet audience? Surely sometimes things must be going wrong?
Boylan: Things go wrong all the time, of course. As much as you'd like it to, nothing ever works out perfectly, no matter what business you're in. A massive amount of organisation goes into each show and we always run into obstacles along the way. Because we travel to different countries around the world, language barriers can often be an issue. In terms of our technical requirements, there can often be a big gulf between what we ask for and what we actually get. The reason things seem to run so smoothly from the audience's point of view is that my team is hand-picked to resolve any problems as and when we encounter them.
Addicted: You have taken the promotion to some very interesting places so far this year, do you have any other far off places planned that you are able to share with the Addicts?
Boylan: Yes. We're already planning to head to South Africa and Australia. I've also begun talks about a potential show in Korea.
Addicted: So how do I sign up for one of these contracts? Just kidding!! CageWarriors is now regarded as an international show rather than a domestic show by the fans, is this how you envisaged the way things would go?
Boylan: Absolutely. I never wanted Cage Warriors to be merely a domestic show. The sport is being brought down by the amount of politics in UK MMA. The best way to avoid that is by taking the show elsewhere.
Addicted: Are there any other shows you particularly enjoy watching outside of Cage Warriors?
Boylan: I really like watching fights from Clan Wars and Battlezone, what they are both doing for Irish MMA is remarkable.I think MMA in Ireland has come a long way and these are the two big shows people should be looking to fight on. They are well run and the fighters get paid with cash, not food vouchers. And here in the UK I enjoy Shock N Awe, as Brian Adams has done a great of job building up-and-coming fighters. He puts the fighters first.
Addicted: We have made it pretty clear on AddictedMMA that we are big fans of Ian Dean's match making, but if you had no budget concerns and no contractual constraints what would be your dream headline fight on a Cage Warriors show?
Boylan: Ian Dean v Anderson Silva.
Addicted: I dont see The Spider getting out of the first round in that one.Cage Warriors 47 in Dublin was truly a spectacle for any MMA fan, arguably one of the best fight cards on the planet this year as well. At what point during the show did you think, wow this ones special? It just seemed to me that every fight was a classic.
Boylan: After the first amateur fight, just before the professional prelims kicked off. I thought that was a great first fight and from there on the action just got better. By the time we got to the main card the atmosphere at the Helix was electric; you couldn't even hear yourself think. At that moment I realised that the show was going to be talked about for a long time to come. We ended up having to award two 'Fight of the Night' bonuses but all the main card fights were probably worthy of it.
Addicted: And that's going to be a hard card to match in terms of entertainment but Cage Warriors 48 next month with its 3 released fights is giving off the impression its going to compete. Do you ever think "Oh no we've set the bar to high"?
Boylan: I think we've set the bar too high after every show but that's ultimately what we're aiming to do with Cage Warriors. We'll continue to raise the bar but we'll also continue to scale it.
Addicted: Thank you so much for your time Graham, are there any shout outs you would like to give?
Boylan: I'd like to thank all my team, all the contracted fighters who have committed themselves to Cage Warriors - you now have a bright future and a busy schedule ahead - and all the friends and fans who make Cage Warriors possible.
Addicted: And of course its time for our signature question. Outside of MMA what is Graham Boylan addicted to?
Boylan: Outside of MMA, I'm addicted to giant chocolate buttons and I love nothing more than winding-up haters. Winding-up haters is starting to become my biggest addiction its f**king hilarious watching them bite.
So if you think you have what it takes to fill the criteria for a 5 fight CageWarriors contract you can either apply personally through social media to Graham Boylan or drop them an email at events@cagewarriors.com
Also make sure to check out the CageWarriors website.
http://www.cagewarriors.com/
Published by Boogeyman - Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:08
