UIC 8: Sam Mensah "I Expect Nothing But Carnage"
It'd be more than fair to say I'm looking forward to this bout on August 4th as these two men go at it until the ref calls it off, I caught up with Sam to gather his thoughts about the fight and the night itself.
AddictedMMA: Hi Sam, it's not long until your fight against Kevin Hutchinson at UIC 8; How's training going at Trojan?
Sam: Hello Steve, trainings going good. I have made a few slight changes due to it being a heavyweight bout as opposed to my usual light heavyweight, but overall it's going well.
AddictedMMA: Your original opponent had to pull out due to personal reasons and Kevin jumped at the chance to take you on. What do you know about Kevin and what are you expecting from the fight?
Sam: Yeah Brad Conway had to pull out unfortunately, I was really looking forward to fighting him too, and now Kevin Hutchinson has stepped in. I don't know too much about him, I know he's a big guy (laughs). Being a heavyweight bout, he's gonna be coming in quite a bit bigger than me but I've adjusted my training slightly to deal with it, it's more of a challenge and I like that. I expect nothing but carnage as usual (laughs), and he sounds up for it so should be a good clash!
AddictedMMA: The last time I saw you on a UIC card you absolutely battered your opponent inside two minutes if my memory serves me correctly. Is a repeat performance the plan for August 4th?
Sam: I can never predict how it's gonna end but I can predict what i'm bringing, and it's bad intentions... and i'm always looking for the stoppage!
AddictedMMA: You made your BAMMA debut back in March and then your K1 debut in Gloucester in May. What have you learnt about yourself after those two fights?
Sam: BAMMA taught me a few good lessons about making mistakes which i'm sure I won't make again. But i'm glad it panned out how it did, it was step to becoming a more mature fighter which i'm glad I learned. I really enjoyed my K1 bout, it showed me that I can stand and fight without having the ground to fall back on!
AddictedMMA: Well I've got to say I've been very impressed with your stand-up game from what I have seen. What do you credit that to?
Sam: All credit for all my fighting game goes to my coaches at Trojan especially our head coach Paul Sutherland. He keeps our games up, and also having the sparring partners to test our skills against.
AddictedMMA: UIC 8 is stacked with some insanely good looking fights which is a testament to Paul Sutherland's matchmaking abilities. Apart from your own which fight are you looking forward to the most?
Sam: Wow, there's so many i'm looking forward to lol. Apart from the main event, Bruno Marques vs. Anthony Ferguson will be good. Mario Saeed is always a pleasure to watch. And my boy Marky P. vs. Chris Leavers will be a tear up!
AddictedMMA: The main event is a fight I'm itching to see. The trilogy fight between Ben Constantine and Lee Caers, I know what's coming but how do you see that fight going?
Sam: I think everyone is itching to see this fight, these two are so equally matched and game as hell, I could watch them fight 10 times (laughs). I know he's my team mate and i'm not taking anything away from Lee but I think Ben is gonna settle this one without any doubts, the boy is an animal.
AddictedMMA: Is there anyone you'd like to thank or send a shout out to?
Sam: Yeah I'd like to send a shout out to my son Samuel jnr. who goes through it all with me. Dan Richards and Paul Sutherland also my other coaches, Raj Bista, Matt Ewin, Lee Badman, Scott Hamilton and all my team mates at Trojan. Without the team we wouldn't get anywhere.
AddictedMMA: And now it's time....for our signature question! Aside from MMA what is Sam Mensah Addicted to?
Sam: At the moment? Yo Sushi (laughs).
AddictedMMA: Thanks for your time Sam and good luck for August 4th.
Sam: Thank you Steve, a pleasure as always.
Get your tickets online here: http://www.ultimateimpactevents.com/index.php/cagefighting/upcoming-event
Full UIC 8 Fight Card: http://www.addictedmma.com/story-Cards_7348_Ultimate-Impact-Cagefighting-8:-Caers-vs.-Constantine.php
UIC Relocates to Cheltenham for UIC 8: http://www.addictedmma.com/story-News_7846_Ultimate-Impact-Cagefighting-Relocates-To-Cheltenh.php
UIC Ring Girl Competition: http://www.ultimateimpactevents.com/index.php/cagegirl-competition/ring-girl-entries
Thanks to our sponsors:
• TROJAN FIT
• GLOUCESTER KICKBOXING TEAM XTREME
• SCI-MX NUTRITION
• SUNNY CAMS
• THE BLUEBEARD REVENGE
• DR CREATIVE MEDIA
• TROPHY WORLD
Follow me on Twitter @AddictedMMA
Photo's One & Two courtesy of Huw Fairclough, Short & Round Photography.
Short & Round on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/list#!/pages/Short-Round/133783940043144
Published by Steve Wickett - Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:23
