Martin Stapleton talks about FCC10, his time in Bellator and the future
by Alex Dillon @_AlexDillon_
Yesterday Kingdom MMA caught up with Bellator fighter Martin Stapleton to discuss his upcoming fight where he will make his "homecoming" as he returns to fight at FCC 10 this weekend. We talk about how the fight came about and also, we discuss what the future holds for Martin and when he will likely return to Bellator.
Alex: Hello Martin, cheers for taking the time out to chat to us before FCC 10, how is your preparation going so far?
Stapleton: Preparation has been awesome for this fight, I've taken things to a new level! I've just been out at Mjulnir MMA in Iceland for the final week with Karl Tanswell and Matt Inman so that has really capped everything off.
Alex: Given that this is your homecoming fight on FCC, a show in which you won their first ever pro MMA fight, how excited are you to be back for such a big occasion?
Stapleton: Yeah I'm just excited to fight full stop!! It's great that it's gonna be a home crowd etc but that's just an extra plus point. The real thing is that i get to go out and show how much my game has raised and i get to do what i love.
Alex: After signing for Bellator, things haven’t quite gone your way. What’s the reason behind coming back to FCC for one fight only? Do you feel as if you need to regain the confidence and form you had in the fights that lead to you being signed by Bellator?
Stapleton: No, i have no need for that. I know wholeheartedly what I'm capable of and I've gone out and made adjustments that will now show the world what I'm capable of. I'm gonna be a World Champion and every fight is just one lesson closer!!
The reason I'm fighting in FCC is pretty simple in that Bellator are allowing me to stay busy before my next fight in the states which is looking like September. I want to get 3/4 fights in this year so this keeps me on that track.
Alex: Obviously, moving into tougher organisations like Bellator come with bigger challenges, how do you balance full time coaching whilst having a training camp for such big fights?
Stapleton: Yeah its hard, and last year i took on way too much. This year, like i say I've made adjustments, brought more balance into my life and re-organised things so my training now has a level of structure i honestly don't think many guys in the World can match. I don't wanna go into too much id rather let my performance do the talking so you'll see what i mean next week!
Alex: Onto your opponent, Stanislav Enchev, a seasoned pro in his own right, have you seen much of him as of yet? If so, are they any weaknesses you are going to look to exploit?
Stapleton: I've seen little bits but honestly I'm not thinking about his game or anyone else's game etc.. I'm aware of what he can do but I'm 100% focused on what i am going to do and i don't think there are many Lightweights out there that can match that.
Alex: What’s your game plan for this fight? Your record boasts a good mix of ko’s, sub’s and decisions where do you think the fight will be won?
Stapleton: My game plan is to finish him! Its that simple! There are no expectations or no predictions, its an MMA Fight and it could end anywhere at anytime. My preparation will allow me to take the finish when it comes and I'll be pressing for that from the start.
Alex: With you being a local lad, a strong crowd is expected to be cheering you on, do you see this as motivation to come out and put on an unforgettable performance?
Stapleton: I'm gonna go out and put on an unforgettable performance regardless!! Where ever the fight is, because i want to. But obviously the home support is gonna be a nice push.
Alex: Back at FCC 9, your gym had a successful night with five out of six wins. Are you going to be looking to get these guys on FCC 10 and make it a real night to remember for the Full Contact Performance Centre team?
Stapleton: There is just one young lad from FCPC making his debut at FCC 10, Adam Hussein. A guy I've got a lot of faith in and I'm very confident he will take the Win home. These amateur guys we've got at FCPC are so dedicated I'm confident in all of them. Its an honour to Coach them.
Alex: What are you looking to do after FCC 10? Straight back to Bellator or is there a chance you’ll stick around for a while and possibly fight on FCC 11 as well?
Stapleton: Well Bellator are talking about a September fight over in the states, after that it just depends. If they get me back in a Tournament I'll be pretty busy over there but if not there is every chance I'll fight again in the UK between my Bellator match ups so I'll have to weigh up my options and take the best route available. Its all down to Bellator really, they call the shots!!
Thank you again for your time Martin, we wish you all the best this weekend and look forward to seeing you in action on Saturday night.
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