Andy Young on Wooding: “It’s too early in his career to be fighting me”

MMA veteran, Andy “Taz” Young will face off against highly rated British prospect Dominique Wooding for the Interim BAMMA World Flyweight Title in the co-main event of BAMMA 28 this Friday night. This will be Young’s second outing for the promotion, losing his debut fight in a razor close decision to current flyweight champion Rany Saadeh at BAMMA 26 in September of last year. Young bounced back almost immediately beating the undefeated Alexander Barabash via TKO in the second round in an impressive display to capture the WWFC world championship in Ukraine and extended his pro-MMA record to 10-8.

Young who will turn twenty-eight in July, began his pro-MMA career in 2011 and since then has accumulated eighteen professional fights and has fought for twelve different promotions in the six-year span.

Young who has won five belts throughout his career holds an obvious experience advantage over the 20-year-old Wooding who will be competing in only his fourth pro MMA fight. Young believes that his experience is a key advantage going into the fight and that the whole event will be “a bit too much” for the 20-year-old.

Speaking to Severe MMA Young said:

“I feel like I have a lot of advantages going into this, experience alone I think is one of the biggest things. It is very much overlooked, it’s not even fight experience in terms of like how many you’ve had, it’s the types of fights you’ve had and especially the number of titles I’ve had and then the arenas. He’s not really fought for a professional title; he’s not fought in a big arena like this. There’s a lot of things adding up on him and I think it’s going to be a bit too much for him and he’s young as well. I’m not taking anything away from him but I think it’s going to be a bit too much.”

Wooding’s last contest came in May of last year and he has struggled to find a fight since. Wooding who believed nobody would fight him because they were too scared decided to take matters into his own hands and called out Young on Twitter. Although “Taz” believes it was a mistake to ask for the fight, he confessed that he understood the frustration that Wooding is going through.

“I didn’t know who he was” Young told Severe MMA “Saying that he was fairly respectful in the way he did it. He was just was frustrated in not getting fights, I’ve been there I understand where he’s coming from but it’s too early in his career to be fighting me. I think it was just a mistake, but he does seem to have a lot of skills and I know it will be an exciting fight, so you know if everyone’s scared to fight him and he’s being built up as the next biggest thing, I’ll fight him.”

Young has fought abroad throughout most of his career but this time he will have the hometown advantage fighting in the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  The County Down native believes that fighting in your hometown is “definitely a bonus.”

“Well it’s definitely a bonus, I fought away from home quite often” Young said “For most of my career it all seems to have been abroad. But always fighting in front of your hometown gives you that extra bit of energy. Obviously the home comforts after weigh ins, I can go home and cook my own meals and stuff like that. I have a lot more of a relaxing time so it’s always an advantage.”

Next Generation Northern Ireland team-mate and Lonsdale lightweight title holder Rhys McKee also features on the BAMMA 28 card taking on Tim Barnett in his first title defence. Young admitted that having a teammate fighting on the same card is an added bonus.

“Oh yeah one hundred percent, I mean I know like me and Rhys are just going up strength for strength and for sure it’s going to be a good night for us”

The winner of Friday night’s clash will likely go on to face current BAMMA flyweight champion Saadeh in a bid to unify the belts. Young however is adamant that the German does not want to fight him and that this Friday’s fight is for the real belt not the interim belt.

“Yeah well I mean if he fights me but I wouldn’t count on it he’s had two opportunities”

“I think he’s just buying his time and I don’t think he really wants to fight me”

“In my mind anyway this is the world title, the last one was very close, this one you know, I think this is the world title in my mind there’s no interim belt.”

When asked about his confidence going into the fight Young admitted that he is going into Friday’s clash supremely confident and stated that we will see the best ever version of Andy Young.

“I’ve never really lost any confidence again like I showed what I could do against Rany and against Alexander as well but I mean I’m ten times the fighter I was even from the last fight, I mean I’ve improved in leaps and bounds and this is just going to be the best version of me ever and you know I just can’t wait to show it.”