Che Mills talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight against Jack Marshman at Cage Warriors 72
by Ben Heather @benheather |
| Copyright: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors |
Next Saturday night in Newport, Wales a middleweight showdown will take place which will have serious title implications for both men involved. As Che Mills and Jack Marshman go to war in what is sure to be an exciting fight for all the fans in attendance and everyone watching at home. After Jack Hermansson defended his title a couple of weeks back it seems set that the winner of this fight could get the next shot, that is if they go out and put on a great performance. Before the cage door shuts though we caught up with Che to discuss the fight.
Ben: Thank you for your time, how have your preparations been for this fight?
Mills: Yeah really well, I know everyone says that anyway but everything has gone really well.
Ben: I've noticed that you tweet regularly about feeling and performing the best you have in your career now. Why now? What have you done to feel the improvements and why is it all coming together now?
Mills: To be honest I've been doing a lot of mental work as well as physical work which is something i have never done before and I really think it has helped a lot. I mean, its no secret that I went through a bit of a bad patch recently and I kinda think that I'm now past that and all the stress has come off me and I'm really enjoying training and fighting and all the aspects again now.
Ben: Last time out you put on what I would classify as one of your most dominant displays since your UFC debut in 2011. How did it feel to go out there and put on a display we all knew you was capable of but since signing with cage warriors had been unable to show?
Mills: I put a lot of pressure on myself before that fight.As you said I believe i am capable of it but i just haven't shown it as of late and so i put a lot of pressure on myself as i wanted to win obviously but i really wanted to make a statement as well so I trained really hard and made sure i was mentally there and it all worked out in the end really.
Ben: Not long after that fight Jack Marshman fought and beat Bola Omoleye and after the fight called out yourself? Was this fight a fight which interested you before this happened?
Mills: I actually tweeted before that fight that I would like to face the winner, it wasn't a call out as such it was respectful good luck to both men but I would like to face the winner. Then obviously Marshman won and had the same kind of feelings so it worked out ok in the end.
Ben: once you were offered the fight was it an Easy decision to accept the fight
Mills: Yeah definitely, I have a lot of respect for jack. Again, like i said it was nothing personal I just think it will be a good fight. He's well respected and he's been around for a while now and I think it will be a good fight to get my career back on track
Ben: you are both known for the quality of your striking but from different backgrounds. What would you say in terms of mma are the main differences between your muay thai/ kickboxing approach and Marshman's boxing style.
Mills: For me the kickboxing style is better for mma, after all you are allowed to kick, punch, knee and elbow and if you have more tools in the box you will be able to do more. That's my thoughts on it personally but I just go in and train everything now
Ben: Marshman known for boxing but improved his ground game, is this something that you have worked on and is it something which concerns you?
Mills: No, the whole fight is a concern obviously it would be stupid to think I can go in there and just do what I want so that's why I have been training so hard so i can stay sharp. As far as just one area not at all, i train just as much if not more the wrestling, jui jitsu style and this is a part of my game which has been overlooked just because I haven't been performing lately. I tried to show some improvements in my last fight, getting the takedown and doing some damage from top and obviously finishing with the submission. As I said this is MMA and so myself and all of my coaches make sure that I have every area covered.
Ben: Do you see any part of Marshman's game that you will be looking to exploit?
Mills: I wouldn't say he is just a boxer like a lot of people have said, he comes from a good team as well. I'm just going to stay fit, stay well trained and well prepared and look at doing my thing and whatever happens in this fight I will be ready for.
Ben: Now that you are back in the win column can we be expecting another explosive performance in Wales?
Mills: Yes definitely. I mean every time i go in to a fight I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform because I know what i can do in the gym when I'm training but come fight time its time to prove that to the world and show it. Like i said my last few performances have been sub par but I got back to my old self in my last fight so now its just time to keep building, putting on exciting fights and winning
Ben: You are fighting in Newport which is only an hour away from your home town, will you be looking to take a lot of support even though Marshman is the local fighter?
Mills: Yeah I try not to dwell too much on it. for me mainly its literally just about the fight. As much as the support is nice at the end of the day they can't help me in there. Ive had a lot of people come up and wish me luck, I was training doing a bit of strength and conditioning at my normal gym and a guy I didn't know came up to me to say good luck, we've got tickets and we will be coming to watch you fight. I think i will have a lot of support there, I have even got family coming down from Glasgow to watch the fight so yeah it will be good.
Ben: Personally I believe the winner of this fight will get the next shot at the belt. Have you been told whether this is a number one contender fight?
Mills: Not directly, I've seen a video interview in which Graham Boylan said it was a possibility so just the word possibility means nothing is promised. So then that makes me want to go out there even more so and put on the great performance that would convince him even more.
Ben: How do you see yourself winning this fight?
Mills: To be honest I cant see it going the distance. I think my style is explosive, if you look at my record the majority of my wins are finishes and I think the same for Jack really so i think its going to be an explosive fight. I think it could be different as well, I don't think it will be the stand up war everyone is expecting. I think it will be a really skilled fight and I just want to make it as exciting as possible and obviously just want the win.
Ben: Speaking of the title, what did you make of Jack Hermansson's first round victory against Topolski last month.
Mills: Obviously I watched it, you didn't really see a lot of him but he looked really comfortable. I've never met him but he looked like a big guy and from what i have seen so far he is a worthy champion.
Ben: Have you been keeping an eye on him as the champ or are you just solely focused on Jack Marshman?
Mills: I would be lying if I said i wasn't keeping an eye on him and looking out at what he is doing as he is the main man at the minute. At the same time this fight is important as without a win in this fight there is no possibility of that title fight against Hermanson so this is definitely the most important thing for me at the minute.
Thank you Che for your time, we really appreciate it. Cage Warriors 72 takes place in Newport, Wales on September 13th and is headlined by a welterweight title fight as Nicolas Dalby looks to defend his belt for the first time and in the co main event Cory Tait and Toni Tauru fight to be crowned the new bantamweight champion.
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