On the 25th of June FCC 29 will go underway, hosted at the Bolton Arena. The promotion has put together a card with some of the finest amateur prospects taking part.
Evidence of that is the matchmaking that put together Tom Wright and Connor Walsh. The aptly nicknamed ‘Flycatcher’, Connor Walsh most recently compounded a good start to his amateur career, capturing gold at flyweight. Having beaten top opponents such as Jimmy Saddique, Ali Sohaiki and edging Dan Farrell out on his debut, he now wants to test himself by going up a weight class and becoming a double champ at FCC.
We had the pleasure of speaking to Connor Walsh ahead of FCC 29, read the full interview below.
Connor Walsh in the Lead up to the Fight
In March you captured the FCC flyweight championship, beating Ethan Ridler in a decision win. You are jumping up a weight and attempting to become double champ at FCC. How do you feel going into this bantamweight title bout?
“Yeah, so I fought for the FCC flyweight title against a good kid, enjoyable fight but gutted I couldn’t get the finish, but it is what it is. Yeah, so this time I’ve moved up a weight. At first, this was not the plan. I was looking to defend my belt on this FCC at flyweight. I was struggling for a match, and I got offered the fight against Tom, so I jumped at it. It’s a good fight for me, he’s a game lad, and he’s a top scrap. I feel good leading up to this fight feeling ready, and I’m ready to perform and put on a show.”
You are going into this fight ranked as a top ten flyweight and chasing a second belt. What can fans expect to see from you on June 25th at FCC 29?
“One thing I believe is that I should be a lot higher than ranked top 10. I should be at least top 5 and yeah, expect a sharp performance. You will be entertained watching this fight on the 25th.”
The Test
When this fight was offered to you, what was your initial reaction? And was this a fighter on your radar before being offered the bout?
“So yeah, as I was saying, my plan wasn’t to go up a weight. But why not test myself? I want the best fights and that’s what I’m doing and no to be fair I was only looking at flyweights but from now onwards a few bantams will be on my radar.”
In the lead up to this event, preparing for your opponent, have you identified any strengths or weaknesses in their game? If so, are you training towards supressing their game plan or bolstering your own skill set?
“We know he’s game and pretty good all round, and I’ve prepared to be comfortable anywhere the fight goes, and that what I do every time. We have a game plan, we always do, but I’m looking forward to showing off my skill.”
Connor Walsh: Future Aspirations and Fight Prediction
We are at the midway point of the year, where would you like to be by the end of the year if you can walk away from FCC 29 with a win? And what is your goal over the next five years?
“When I walk away from FCC two-time champ, I will be known as one of the brightest prospects in the game. The first year of competing full amateur MMA and I’m a double champ in two different weight categories, and my goal is to just keep putting on better performances as the fights go on and just keep getting better and improving my skill level.”
Lastly, how do you predict this fight will go?
“Me putting on a big performance.”
We appreciate Connor Walsh giving us his time and answering our questions ahead of the fight, we wish him the best of luck!
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Featured image credits to FCC
