“I’ve always said that I’ll consider retiring when I can’t keep up with the young lads in the gym but, right now, I’m still beating them.”
With his 37th birthday approaching, Neil Seery isn’t even thinking about hanging up his gloves and the Finglas flyweight could soon find himself staring right down the barrel of a title shot if Sunday night works out in his favour.
Seery meets fifth-ranked 125 lber and recent title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi in Rotterdam this weekend and an impressive performance ought to see the Dubliner soar up the rankings but, as is his style, Seery played down the significance of the fight.
“I don’t think a win will give me the massive boost up the rankings that people expect,” Seery said. “I was even wondering why I was given such a big-name guy in Horiguchi when I wasn’t ranked.
“I just asked for a top ten guy so I could test myself and was given him but I don’t really believe in the rankings.
“There’s only one fella in the rankings I believe and that’s the only man who’s not getting beaten in this weight class – Demetrious Johnson.
“He’s coming out on top against all challengers and we all just seem to be fighting each another behind him but of course I’d accept a fight with Johnson if it was offered to me in the future.
“That’s why we’re in this sport. Why wouldn’t you want to fight the best? And to me, Demetrious Johnson is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world”
Seery’s take on fighting is an admirable one and one that comes with over a decade of professional fighting experience.
For the Team Ryano stand-out, fighting is a way to prove one’s skills while making money and Seery doesn’t allow himself to get wound up by his opponents in the process.
“I’m probably one of the most laid-back people you’re ever going to meet,” he said. “I’m a notorious piss-taker and there’s not much that could push me over the edge.
Seery starting already 😂 Horiguchi manager pic.twitter.com/9uOY8lXpKx
— Keith Duffy (@KeithDuffyIre) May 4, 2016
“The last time I had a back-and-forth was with Louis Smolka and that just turned out to be a bit of banter and fun. I don’t let anything get under my skin.
“With Horiguchi, there’s absolutely nothing personal. It’s just business. I spent all of Wednesday morning sat two feet away from him signing 130 posters. There’s no problem between us.”
With the UFC’s decision to cut Team Ryano teammate Paul Redmond and the recent retirements of Paddy Holohan and Cathal Pendred, Seery is now one of only four Irish fighters on the UFC roster alongside Aisling Daly, Joe Duffy and Conor McGregor.
McGregor has been making more headlines than usual in recent weeks due to his stand-off with the UFC around media obligations and Seery admits he sees both sides of the argument
“My take on the Conor situation is that he’s just too good at promoting himself,” Seery said. “When you promote yourself as well as he did, people just love you and want you to continue doing it.
“But sometimes you just want to take a break for awhile and spend your time training rather than answering the same questions over and over again but, at the same time, it has to be done.”
As recognisable as Seery is to MMA fans, he is still a world away from McGregor’s level of fame and that’s something that the 16-11 flyweight is absolutely delighted with.
“To be honest, I think that fame would wreck my head,” he laughed.
“You’d have all the money and everything that goes with it but, to me, there’s nothing better than a Friday afternoon, going up to the barman and having a quiet pint. Conor can’t do that any more.
“Conor can’t just wander into a pub and order a pint without being pestered by people for photographs and autographs but it comes with the territory when you’re that recognisable a celebrity.
“I never get recognised and it’s brilliant. Sure we all look alike in Finglas anyway.”
