With all the headlines surrounding the chopping and changing of fights at UFC 189, you’d be forgiven for forgetting the fact that Neil Seery can secure his third consecutive UFC victory that very same evening.
The 15-10 flyweight takes on 23-year-old Louis Smolka on the preliminary card of the July 11 event and, with all the trash talk that’s gone on on Twitter between the pair, Seery is excited to get in there but he’s admitted that the online exchanges don’t bother him in the slightest.
“I don’t really pay too much attention to that to be honest,” he said. “I get more stick off my kids than I would off any of the shit that Louis has said to me.
“You can’t take it too seriously. If anyone looks online at my Facebook page, they’d see that I take the piss out of absolutely everyone so it’s just a bit of craic for me.
“I don’t get too emotionally involved in fights and this is no exception. That just takes away from the concentration.
“I’m not sure whether or not Louis is going to get emotionally invested in the fight because of all the Twitter stuff but that’s his problem. If he does then so be it and ‘boo hoo’ but I’ll be focusing on the fight.”
@LASTSAMURAIUFC @ATWOS1 @Flyinjudoka @SamSiciliaMMA @danawhite @seanshelby why you scared to stand
— Neil 2 Tap Seery (@NeilSeeryMMA) January 31, 2015
Some of the Twitter trash-talk has involved Smolka accusing Seery of being afraid to go to the mat and the Dubliner claiming that Smolka is scared to stand with him but there’s no gameplan for the Team Ryano product.
“I never go in there with a specific gameplan,” Seery said. “I just go in there and fight to look for the finish and that’s not going to change for Louis.
“I think he’s a very dangerous opponent and you can’t sleep on him. He finished Richie Vaculik in the third round and that was after losing the first two but he came back and landed that side kick on him.
“He’s young, aggressive and very dangerous from his back so I’m not underestimating him at all.”
https://youtu.be/bBcd-HdaRs4
Approaching his 36th birthday, Seery is one of the true MMA veterans on the UFC roster. It seems like he’s saved his best form for his mid 30s after going 6-1 since 2012. 2 Tap reveals that he’s very aware that he’s hitting his stride relatively late in his career.
“I’ve noticed that myself and I’d put it down to me just starting to get a bit more confident in my abilities. I began training at Packie Collins’ boxing gym in Blanchardstown where there’s a good few pro boxers.
“When I realised that I’m able to go over there and stand with professional boxers my confidence just grew and grew. I get beat up, of course, but I’m able to hold my own.
“I also think that I’ve calmed down a lot more in fights as I’ve gotten older. Because of my confidence, I’m actually able to think when I’m fighting. When I was younger I used to be reckless and just go out there to hurt people but now it’s a case of stepping back, thinking and relaxing which is when I perform at my best.”
A win over Smolka would move Seery’s UFC record to 3-1, with his only loss coming against bantamweight Brad Pickett, and Seery claims he’d be hoping for a higher ranked opponent next time around.
“I’m not thinking about ranking just because I don’t like to look too far ahead of the task right ahead of me. I’ve got a genuinely dangerous opponent in front of me but, if I was to think about it, I think a win over Louis would earn me a top 10 fight.
“I’d definitely be looking at a ranked opponent because I’m 35 and, to move on in my career, I’ve got to make a move. I’ve got these young fellas with a lot of gas in the tank wanting to take me on.
Now I’m looking for them big fights. Fights like this because it doesn’t get any bigger than this. I’ve never fought in Vegas or even America before so this is a really big fight for me.”
“It’s horrible. The minute I heard he hurt his rib, I 100% knew the fight wouldn’t go ahead and that it’d be McGregor v Mendes.
“For Aldo, with the amount that’s on the line in terms of money and the belt, it’s too big a gamble.
“Everybody goes in there with injuries, sure, but his rib is really bad and there’s nothing you can do about that. It’s just too big a risk.
“In terms of McGregor v Mendes, it’s a really interesting fight. Chad Mendes is taking the fight on less than three weeks notice but he’s a threat. He had a really good performance against Aldo and he’s an amazing wrestler but, having said that, a lot of people underestimate Conor’s wrestling skills. I know it well because I’ve trained with him and he’s going to be difficult for anyone to take down.
“I see Conor finishing Mendes in three rounds. I’m not going to say he’ll knock him out in the first but three rounds and I’d say Conor takes it.”
UFC’s latest trip to Dublin was confirmed today for October 24th and Seery is thrilled at the prospect of fighting in front of another sell-out crowd at the 3Arena.
“It’s brilliant to see it coming back but, as I said about not looking past opponents, I’m not really worried about that now.
“If it’s anything like the event last year, it will be blown out of the water again. It’s the same venue, the same hype and the fans will be out in full force.
“Of course I’ll be hoping that I’m on the card but I’ll start thinking about that on the 12th of July.”
It’s been a huge misconception in the sport of MMA that the flyweight division is less exciting than the heavier weight classes just due to the fact that there are fewer knockouts at 125lbs and some suggest that as the reason for flyweight fights often being buried on the undercard. It doesn’t seem to trouble 2 Tap.
“I’ve heard that a lot and it doesn’t bother me. I fought Brad Pickett on the main card and it was terrific but it’s not a burning issue with me.
“I’m delighted to just be a part of it. I’m a part of the second fight on biggest card of the year. How could I complain about that?
“This is my first fight on a four fight contract and I’m hoping to see that out. I’ve been around for a long time, 11 years a pro and for nearly 10 years I never really made a penny. It’s finally paying off and I’m reaping the benefits for all my hard work.”
