Win or lose, James Dixon has proven to be must-watch when fighters step up and accept to fight him.
The knockout artist is fresh from a mauling of Milan Silva at Golden Ticket Fight Promotions 20, which moved him to 3-2 in his professional career thus far. Dixon looks to build on his momentum this Saturday at GTFP 21 and close out the year 2-0 by defeating Adam Horvarth.
We had the pleasure of speaking with James Dixon ahead of fight night, discussing life as the Lion’s Gym head coach, his most recent outing and the task at hand on Saturday night. Read the full exclusive interview below.
Interview With James Dixon
It’s fight week again, James, as you prepare to compete for the second time this year. How have things been inside and outside of fighting since we last spoke?
Honestly, things haven’t changed at all since my last outing in the cage… Repetition is the mother of skill, so I tend to lead a very monotonous lifestyle: teach, train, walk my dogs, eat then sleep.
Last time we spoke, you told me ‘a strong mind and lots of visualisation mitigate the negative effects’ of ring-rust. Is it safe to say there was no ring rust when we last saw you at Golden Ticket Fight Promotions 20?
As I mentioned before, ring rust is massively embellished by the MMA media. That being said, I definitely felt more nervous about this fight. I absolutely loved it! I have a tendency to be lackadaisical during the initial moments in the cage. However, I found the fear kept me sharp from the very beginning.
Although adding a third KO to your impressive 100% finish rate resume, was there anything you weren’t pleased with against Milan? Or was it all plain sailing for you?
The fight duration. Of course, we’re first and foremost prize fighters, so I’m in this game to make a name for myself and earn some money. Winning quickly undoubtedly accelerates this. That being said, I am deranged. Violence is my therapy, and I’ll need far more than a minute in the cage to cure myself.
James Dixon Comes to Fight
You’ve yet to go the distance in your pro-career. It’s always kill or be killed when you’re in there. Is that something you enjoy having the fans know you for? The man that always brings it, win or lose?
Absolutely! Fans part from their hard-earned money to come to these events. Fortunately for them, I love fighting and have little regard for my own well-being.
Saturday night Adam Horvarth is the man that stands across the cage from you. What do you know about him, if anything, and how do you feel you matchup against one another?
Adam has three times the professional experience and will have at least a one-foot height advantage over me. Regardless I’ll manifest his weaknesses for my strengths to exploit.
Obviously, you’re coaching your own guys and girls, watching tape on their opponents before they make the walk. That being said, do you feel that gives you an advantage for your own fights when you study for your opponents? The experience, knowledge and key details you may possess and be able to identify as opposed to someone like Horvath could be massive.
I’ve been fortunate enough to coach full-time since the age of 21. Teaching forces you to break techniques down to the smallest nuances. This, coupled with my obsession for watching and analysing fights, has definitely increased my Fight IQ, giving me a huge advantage inside the cage.
Dixon Promises Violence
Last time out, you told me you and Milan would commit terrible acts of violence against one another. However, it was you committing the violence. Is that the same mindset you find yourself in this time around as we close in on fight night?
If you’ve watched any of Adam’s fights, you’ll see he comes out aggressive, and if you’ve watched any of my fights, you’ll see I rarely take a step backwards. I predict we’ll both meet in the middle of the cage, but only one of us will leave it with a memory of the violence that’s just taken place.
As we close out 2022, a win would mark a great return to competition from you this year, not to mention your success as a coach. Have you had a think about goals for next year in terms of coaching/competing?
My goal has always been to build a formidable fight team out of Lions Gym and put Coventry on the map. Myself and my fighters went 5-2 in 2021 and 11-1 in 2022. We’re undoubtedly on the correct trajectory. I’ll look to close out the year with another win then we’ll attack 2023 with the exact same vigour.
Featured image credits to James Dixon
