Will Bean of Carlson Gracie Hull will look to extend his 1-0 record when he faces off against Reykjavik MMA fighter Tiago Oliviera. The fight will take place at the Doncaster Dome, in Doncaster, on Saturday, September 17th, at Cage Steel 29. The fight card will be headlined by fellow UK fighter Charlie Milner and Lithuanian fighter Pavel Dailidko. Tickets can be purchased here, and the PPV here.
Will Bean, 26, finished his debut fight in the second round via arm triangle choke. Not surprising coming from the prestigious gym from which he trains. Will gave us some of his time before the fight to have a chat. We discussed the upcoming fight and a few things in between.
Interview With Will Bean
Hi Will, thanks for chatting today. How’s camp been? How are you feeling going into the fight this Saturday, and have there been any changes from this camp to the others?
This camp honestly has been unreal! I learned a lot from my first camp and did things differently this time, and everything has been hit perfectly. I’m a grappler at heart, but my striking has come along leaps and bounds in this camp, and I’m a hell of a lot more confident in my striking! One thing I’ve learned about myself in this camp is I’m a happier person in fight camp. It gives me purpose, discipline, and routine, which I believe is built into us for happiness! Confidence is a huge thing for me, and I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll do anything to get the win on Saturday!
In my last camp, I was cutting weight last minute and was depleting my body going in, which isn’t great on same-day weigh-ins. But this time round, I did it smartly, and I was on weight two weeks out and now am eating a good quality & quantity of food on fight week, which makes a huge difference to my performance! Honestly, mate, I just can’t wait to get in there and do my thing! This fight won’t go the distance…!
A good camp equals an exceptionally dangerous fighter. What do you know about your opponent, and how do you think you match up well against him?
He looks like a decent striker from a good gym in Iceland. Excited for the match, he has more experience than me in terms of MMA bouts, but I don’t believe he will give me much trouble as I’m confident in all aspects now, and as I said, I don’t think the fight will go the distance.
Who inspires you most in the MMA world and why?
Charles Oliveira! Comes from the slums and has nothing but losses and never gave up! Best BJJ guy in the UFC.
UFC 280 Prediction?
Do you think he gets the job done against Islam Makhachev at UFC 280?
Yeah, I do! I think he will struggle, but I think Islam will take him down, and then Charles will put him to sleep.
What do you hope to achieve in MMA? If in 30 years’ time, say, you look back on your career. What would be some standout things you’d want to have done in the sport?
I’m looking to go 5-0 in ammy then turn pro and try to get into cage warriors. I want a good run at pro, and I look to do as much as I can before I’m 35 and then open my own gym. I also look to get into the professional grappling scene, such as grapple fest/ Polaris, etc.
I’m a big fan of Polaris and submission underground events. Good to get into, for sure! Other than MMA, what else interests Will Bean? What do you spend a lot of your time doing?
Same mate, my coaches and training partners compete on Polaris. I’m into all aspects of fitness and challenges like so! I’m pretty much just obsessed with BJJ and MMA, though, haha.
Love that! I won’t keep you too long, mate. So, finally, can we have a prediction of how the fight goes Saturday? And do you have any final messages or shoutouts?
As I said, I strongly believe the fight will not go the distance. That’s all I’m gonna say! Huge shout out to my coaches and teammates at Carlson Gracie Hull, Senshi Bjj Leeds, AVT Leeds, my S&C coach Jack Harman and last but not least, my Fiancé Jade!
Featured image credits to Angy Ellis Photography
