UK Fighting Championships recently held their debut event at the Preston Guild Hall in Lancashire. In the 22nd bout of the night, Leeroy Barnes defeated Daniel Lelandowski by way of submission in just 68 seconds. For Barnes it was a third straight victory – and third straight first round submission – marking a change in fortunes for the middleweight, in and out of the cage. Speaking to The Sprawl a week (or so) removed from the fight, Barnes explained how such a quick victory didn’t necessarily feel so swift.
1:08
“It felt much longer than just over a minute,” Barnes commented. “I was trying to solidify my positions and work technically correct without rushing anything.”
“Every aspect of the fight, from start to finish, I had drilled in the gym the week before and in the warm up room. So to do it flawlessly under pressure, I was happy. As I progress back to the bigger shows, which I undeniably will, the opponents will become more durable and I’ll be able to showcase more of the damage I can do to these middleweights.”
Splitting his time between training with Jimmy Wallhead and the Rough House guys at 4DMMA in Nottingham and Enigma BJJ in Blackpool, Barnes has worked hard on improving all aspects of his game, including his striking – something his recent opponents haven’t been fortunate enough to witness.
“I’ve made it clear I’ve been wanting the opportunity to stand and showcase my striking skills, but I don’t make plans for fights anymore. Anything can happen and if I’m put in the position where I’m forced to grapple, then it’s a stupid move on my opponents part as I will finish the fight quickly.”
NO EXCUSES
As it turns out, Barnes was lucky to even step foot in the cage that night, let alone get his hand raised. Not that you’d have known about it, mind.
“I was in a quite a bad car accident the day before the fight where me and my partner were ran off the road and ended up on our side in a ditch,” Barnes revealed. “I didn’t want to give myself any excuses or get out clauses, in the highly unlikely chance I lost, I still would have never mentioned it.”
“After my win I just wanted to make a point after so many pathetic pull-outs recently. I was injured in the accident, yes, my right collar bone is quite painful and seems to click in and out of the joint. I’ve got to go for further checks but it was provisionally diagnosed as a sprained clavicle joint and strained ligaments.”
Given the nature of the accident, and the injury sustained, Barnes would have been forgiven for underperforming on the night, or not even showing up. Instead, a dominant showing and a clinical finish earned a third consecutive victory and the continuation of the run of good fortune he’s enjoyed in recent times. So to what does he attribute this turnaround?
“I write everything down, I believe in the application of making a mental thought physical by writing it down on paper with a pen. I write every negative thought down and I counteract it with a positive. I write every positive thought down and I cement it.”
“I write every single session, every single drill, every single move down in my book. If I’m struggling with a position or a sequence or a movement, I write it down step-by-step. I figure out where I’m going wrong, I study how to conquer it and I write down a plan in which to improve it step-by-step Then I read it and visualise it over and over and over again between sessions. Then I put myself in those positions and work for those sequences over and over again until I get I right.”
I can’t lie to myself and I can’t hide from myself, I can’t fool myself because it’s all written down in black and white. My confidence comes from preparation and all my goals and step-by-step plans to achieve them are written down and repetitively read and visualised daily.
THE PROFESSIONAL
A change in mental preparation isn’t the only reason Barnes is finding success in both his MMA and BJJ careers, eating clean and “living like a professional” also contribute.
“I don’t go out partying, I’m not on the social scene, I’m focused on my career and my relationship with my girlfriend and leading as much of a positive life as I can. I’m much lighter and I’m always in shape and ready to compete.”
As well as this, a more thoughtful approach to fight preparation and training has helped Barnes to progress.
“I don’t do fight camps anymore, I train 2-3 times a day, every day and the only thing that changes when I confirm a fight are specific points of focus and intensity. I’m not as regimented with my training regime and I listen to my body. Some months I can train two weeks solid without a day off because I don’t need one, other months it may be four days.”
“I put all the above and much more into live practice on the grappling circuit last year, building my confidence and putting all my theories to the test, taking many titles and medals along the way. I’m now slowly applying it to MMA. My grappling coach Paul Rice will have you believe that all the above is simply down to committing to training BJJ in the Gi though [laughs].”
SCHADENFREUDE, NEIN
An increased level of professionalism is clearly evident in more than just Barnes’ athletic performance, a recent back-and-forth with should-have-been opponent, Dez Parker afforded him the opportunity for more than a little schadenfreude. Given the floor, and an outlet to revel in this, Barnes was somewhat reluctant to take joy in the misfortunes of Parker. At least, on this occasion.
“I said some hilarious stuff in my post-fight interview,” admits Barnes. “But as I’ve said previously, the only person that gets anything out of a fight between me and Dez Parker, is Dez Parker. There’s nothing in it for me and after that performance, [Parker tapped to a Shaun Lomas armbar on the same show] he definitely won’t be getting a fight with me.”
“I’ve got nothing to say about it really and I don’t want to come across as a bully, I said what I needed to say in my post-fight interview at the weekend and right now I’m sure he’s very depressed about his loss and I don’t need to kick him when he’s down, that’s not a positive move for anybody.”
I know how hard it is to be in that position and truly don’t wish it on him, I honestly hope he comes back from it and he’s not too depressed at the moment because I believe, if he had good experienced MMA people around him, he could do good stuff.
AN UNLIKELY OPPONENT
So, the Phil Baroni Twitter ‘disagreement’?
“I don’t actually know how I got on his radar to be honest, it was a bit surreal. I just got a random abusive tweet off him saying he would fold me up like a deck chair. Silly twat couldn’t drop his toilet seat these days. I think he was having a fag break at work and just got bored to be honest, you can’t blame him. I’ve heard he’s a fork lift truck driver for Kensington Homes now with a trade account at Jewsons and does foreigners at the weekend laying patios, he was obviously having a bad day.”
By now every MMA website in the UK has run a piece on Alex Reid’s return to MMA on the Bellator London card, the name Leeroy Barnes has cropped up in the conversation on numerous occasions, but it’s unlikely to be going any further than that.
“My management did speak to Bellator about the Alex Reid fight, he turned it down I believe. I’m not sure how much they pushed to get me on the card against anybody else though. I know they said I had to guarantee minimum 100 tickets sales which is a bit mental because half of the UK fighters I know who are on the card – especially some of the northern ones – struggle to do half that at home with 10 weeks of sales. So not sure how they expect to do it at the o2 in London. I’ve done half that on a weeks notice, so I’m sure with my following I probably could but didn’t want to make any promises. I’m sure it doesn’t go unnoticed how many views my interviews get online etc. and how much interest my fights attract.”
“If Bellator want me they know where to find me and I would love to hype that show and light up the o2.”
Assuming Bellator don’t come knocking, what’s next for the man with the plan?
“I am a man with a plan, and my plan is, er, going to plan [laughs]. I’m not sure when I’m back in the cage but I’m looking for something now. I’m hopefully making my professional K1 Debut on Paul Daley’s Ultimate Gladiator Show on May 28, but I’m not sure if we will have an opponent. If not I’ll be competing no-gi in the black belt professional category at the ADCC UK Championships, but hopefully I’m back in the cage ASAP!”
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