Paddy ‘The Hooligan’ Holohan made a deal with himself at the start of 2014. With no guarantees that he would gain a UFC contract having suffered a back injury, he simply wanted to put in such an effort with his fighting career that he would be able to get his nearest and dearest anything they wanted for Christmas.
Despite his own Christmas being somewhat diminished due to his bout with Shane Howell on January 18 in Boston’s TD Garden, it seems it was mission accomplished for the Dubliner having banked two appearances in the Octagon last year.
“Christmas is January 18 for me you know what I mean?” said Holohan. “The rest of it is just of it is just a build up to get there, but my Christmas was good.
“My young fella got everything that he wanted for Christmas, and that’s what I said I wanted since the start of the year – I wanted to work so hard that everyone would get what they wanted for Christmas.
“I think the last few years have been tough for everyone. I’m not rich, but I’m definitely not where I was last year. Last year I was literally counting every penny, every day right up until Christmas. I’m very lucky that my son has such a good mother too. He is very lucky, he has too very good parents.”
‘The Hooligan’ highlighted the physical difference he feels in the lead up to this fight as opposed to his last outing in Halifax in early October, where he picked up his first loss to late replacement Chris Kelades, in a ‘Fight of the Night’ winning performance.
“I feel amazing, and the feeling of your body doesn’t lie,” claimed the flyweight. “I’m not just saying this, but when I was heading to Canada I had these feelings but they weren’t as strong as now. I feel like I really, really want to go now.
“My mind has already got that sharp, excited feeling. After I go training I empty out them feelings and then after a few hours I’m right back into it. The only way to get rid of them feelings is to work it out. I’ve sweated hard for this guy and now he’s getting it.”
Referencing a Disney classic, Holohan insisted that his first professional loss to Kelades has provided him with a useful learning curve.
“As a very wise man once said, ‘You can either learn from the past, or you can run from it’, do you know who said that? The monkey out of The Lion King.
“You can’t help but learn from these things. I’ve been in situation in there where I’ve been whooping ass and now I’ve been in situations where I’ve been on the bottom getting my ass whooped. It doesn’t matter though, I’m ready to go.
“I’m fighting my heart out as always. I’ll come home with my shield or on my shield. That’s my attitude and to get me out of there you’re going to have to be a special human being,” insisted the Tallaght man.
The former Cage Contender bantamweight Grand Prix champion spoke about how it feels to be preparing alongside Cathal Pendred and Conor McGregor who will also appear on card:
“We’re making the pace together. We’re always with each other on the mat and we’re always gauging how we’re all feeling. The bond is real in our team, we care about each other and to me this is a family. They look after me as much as I look after them.
“I’m down for giving backrubs and whatever else if needs be. I’m helping out if someone gets injured, that’s how close we are. You can’t help but bond with people like these – we all want to be around each other and genuinely see each other succeed.”
It seems that the current crop of Irish fighters, seven of whom are now signed to UFC with many more prospects on the verge of doing so, are a throwback to the early days boxing where pugilists of Irish descent dominated the sport.
Although the MMA charges of the Emerald Isle have some way to go before they can claim similar dominance in their respective field, their success thus far cannot be disregarded. Pondering the comparison between the new and old generations of ‘The Fighting Irish’, Holohan highlighted his own family heritage in combat.
“It feels me with pride to hear someone else say that to me,” answered Holohan to the question regarding the glories of Ireland’s first championship boxing proponents and the current crop of Irish MMA fighters to which he belongs. “My whole family have been scrappers. I’m probably the first that has used my brain and my skills together to make some money, but they all loved to fight.
“My granddad loved to throw down. Every other day he would be at it, he was always known for his fighting style with his small build. These are the stories that got me excited when I was a little kid. My uncle Paul too, a real man, you know? He has more knockouts than some pro boxers.
“These are the people I come from and the background that I learned from. Even my grandfather’s father, he was the same as well. I know where I come from and that helps me move forward – you’ve got to know where you’ve been to know where you’re going.”
Shane Howell will stand in the way of Holohan’s second UFC win. A veteran of 21 contests, Howell dropped his promotional debut back in June when he met Ray Borg at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs Stephens.
Interestingly, five of the American’s eight losses have come by submission, which may suit SBG’s celebrated jiu jitsu player.
“I have had a look at him, I’m learning how to deal with these things as I go along. Every day that passes by that I’m in UFC, I’m getting into bed at night and I’m learning.
“This is all for my son at the end of the day. This is his legacy, this is what he gets to tell his children. That’s what motivates me today. I’m getting better at looking at footage and figuring out what kind of person they are.
“After all that in Canada I don’t really have a prediction. I just want that ‘W’ as fast as possible. I’m not going out there pushing for it or putting pressure on myself or anything. I might come out, go straight into his corner and take his head off, he might do exactly the same to me.
“All I guarantee is, whatever situation happens in there, I’ve already been there a thousand times and I will know the ins and outs of it.”
Finally, Holohan gave his thoughts on carving out a piece of history for himself with one of Ireland’s best loved television programs in 2015:
“My plans for 2015 are fairly mapped out, it’s not going to be much of a surprise. I want to get this win in the bag and then I want to start looking at Croke Park or the Aviva, whichever one it is, I’m going to be on that card.
“If we can do them two as a package, we’ll be on Reeling in the Years. You know and I know, if you’re on Reeling in the Years in Ireland, you’ve definitely made it. You’re Dustin famous if you make it on there.”
@PetesyCarroll
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