Dec Dean is making his professional MMA debut against Richard Lunt at FCC 30 this Saturday, at the Bolton Arena.
Dean, 29, has made a name for himself on the amateur circuit, racking up some impressive performances and two slick submission finishes on his way. Dec allowed us to interview him a few days before his big debut.
Interview with Dec Dean
You’re just a few days out from FCC30. How have you prepared mentally and physically for this fight?
“Physically, it has just been good old-fashioned hard work, to be honest, lots of cardio, weights, and plenty of rolling and sparring, learning as much skill as possible and getting the fitness level high, I don’t think there’s any secret on how to prepare physically, especially with all the content you can find online. Mentally I’ve never really done any mental preparation, but recently I’ve been reading sport psychology books and listening to podcasts.”
You’re making your pro debut this Saturday. How do you think the jump from amateur to pro will affect you? Will it add any extra pressure?
“No, extra pressure. I think the pro game will suit my style better than the amateurs.”
How do you see the Pro game being better suited to you?
“The longer rounds suit my pace better along with adding elbows to ground and pound.”
What do you know about your opponent Richie? How do you see your matchup against him going?
“I know he’s like a 9x world champion kickboxer so I imagine he’s gonna come out fast and aggressive and I feel it’s gonna make for a good fight.”
Dec Deans Talks Comfort in the Cage
Does the fact he’s a decorated kickboxer, make you want to take this fight to the floor? Or are you comfortable enough in your stand-up game to trade on the feet?
“Doesn’t bother me, one-bit mate, I’m comfortable on the feet and I’m comfortable on the floor.”
Who’s someone in the MMA world that inspires you?
“There are people that inspire me in different ways, GSP is one for how dedicated and skilled he was, Cerrone because he’s a proper fighting man, and Chito Vera because he’s just an all-around cool guy. Got a bit of a soft spot for thug nasty as well for his zero tolerance for bull shit.”
MMA Future
Some fighting legends there. What is your overall goal in MMA? Where do you want to be in the years to come? What would bring you happiness to sit down with someone and say, wow, I did that!
“I’m just gonna take it fight by fight and see where I end up, ultimately I’d like to end up at the top of the sport and I don’t see any reason why I can’t get there because l believe in myself and the team I have around me so I think anything is achievable once you believe in yourself. I’d also like to fight in the Pfl tournament because I like the format and obviously I wouldn’t mind winning the million dollars.”
Anything is possible! I don’t want to take too much of your time, so finally, can we have a prediction for Saturday night, and are there any final messages you want us to shout out?
“I just see me getting my hand raised by any means necessary and I’d like to thank all my team and sponsors, intelligent FS, domestic air conditioning, secure & protect solutions, pound 4 pound MMA store.”
FCC30 goes down this Saturday, September 10th, 2022. You can still get tickets here. The PPV can be purchased from Live MMA here.
Featured image credits to Dec Dean
