The MMA Clinic’s Darren O’Gorman (4-1) meets SBG’s Blaine O’Driscoll this weekend at Cage Warriors 81. He labels his opponent as a “decent fighter” who is fairly well rounded, but believes he has the advantage in every department .
“I’m going to get my hand raised. I’m better than him everywhere.”
This isn’t the first time the bantamweights have met each other in a competitive bout, O’Gorman met the SBG man in a K1 bout in April 2013. The London-based fighter finished the fight in the first round with a devastating right hand. “I knocked him out!” he exclaimed.
“I’ve already got that one win against him. It isn’t guaranteeing a win for me this time, but I’m confident that I will win. It will be there in the back of his mind, even if he thinks it isn’t, it will be there in his head.”
“That threat is still there. I have knocked him out once already, and I have the ability to do it again.”
His Cage Warriors debut will see him fighting at the 3Arena for the third time in his career, he found himself unable to enjoy the experience when he fought Frans Mlambo at BAMMA 22. It was the first time he tasted defeat as a professional fighter, and he found that that negative experience was still lingering in his head when he was preparing to return to the arena at BAMMA 26, though he overcame those concerns and defeated Gary Morris.
“I had to play a bit of a poker face the second time I fought there, and Blaine can say what he likes, but that right hand will be in the back of his head, because that loss was in the back of my head when I stepped back into that arena, I was just hoping that it would go well, because I was going into the same venue for the first time, and it did. And now I’m going to be very comfortable.”
“I love fighting in front of family and friends. And now I’m comfortable with the 3Arena, which is a good thing,” he told SevereMMA.
Looking back at the fight against Mlambo, O’Gorman doesn’t recognise himself, he was unhappy with his performance but explains that he didn’t feel right and found himself sweating ferociously only two minutes into his warm up, though he doesn’t take anything away from his opponent and acknowledges that the SBG fighter was the better man on the night, and has used that experience to grow as a fighter.
“I wasn’t 100%,” he said. “But you have to deal with it; sometimes it isn’t your night.”
“I shouldn’t have stayed so flatfooted. He literally side-stepped my kick and his right hand went across my jaw. It was lights out. People have told me that my head movement wasn’t good enough. Credit to Frans, I told him it was a sick right hand.”
“I’ve learned a lot from that fight, I took some time off. I had two K1 fights and entered some jiu jitsu competitions. I’m competing in every discipline I can. I just want to get better. MMA is my main concern, so I don’t mind if I lose in other arts, as long as I learn from them, especially if I face martial artists dedicated to that specific martial art. All I can do is learn.”
He has since found that training at the MMA Clinic in London, as well as the time spent in Thailand, has improved his striking by leaps and bounds, and he believes Cage Warriors fans will be in for a treat when he steps into the cage this weekend.
“Angles! Angles! Angles!” he repeated over and over. “That is all that has been drilled into me. You’re going to see a much better fighter, a completely different striker, especially with me having the reach on him. I’m going to go in and be so relaxed, and show everyone what I can do!”
The former amateur boxer’s first interaction with Irish MMA came when he visited the MMA Clinic in Cork because he required physiotherapy treatment, but he soon found himself sparring with their fight team and was advised that he should pursue a career in MMA. He won his first amateur fight in 2012 against Dean Knight and has been hooked on MMA since.
The 23-year-old admits that he first entered the gym with an ego, but quickly found out that his amateur boxing experience was not going to help him against grapplers. “These guys were taking me down and dominating me on the floor,” he said. “And then I decided that I really needed to focus on my jits, I think my striking suffered because I got obsessed with jiu jitsu.”
“I’ve won 9 of my last 11-12 fights by submission, and now I feel very confident in my ground game.”
O’Gorman had only ever been offered one fight contracts from BAMMA, so he chose to commit himself to Cage Warriors, feeling that tying himself to the promotion would provide stability and platform to get his name out there, and the Graham Boylan connection between the gym and promotion certainly made it an easier decision.
“They have some of the best coverage in Europe, they are on UFC Fight Pass, Eir Sport and BT Sport. It will be nice to fight on the main card and get exposure. That is the goal, isn’t it? It puts me a step closer to where I want to be.”
O’Gorman believes that the platform Cage Warriors provide will boost his profile if he continues to defeat opponents in an impressive manner, feeling that he doesn’t get the credit his performances have warranted from fans and media.
“I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but I do have 4 wins to my name, 4 fancy submissions. I was a heavy underdog in my second fight [against Gavin Kelly], and I finished the fight with a flying triangle. I always look to finish the fight but people are still underrating me.”
The 23-year-old hopes to end 2017 with 4 wins added to his record, with eyes firmly set on getting into the UFC. However, he emphasises that he is still early in his career and that things can’t be rushed, knowing that he wants to stay with the UFC once he gets there.
“Once you get that cut, you really have to impress them to get back in, and not many fighters do.”
“I’ve only had 7 professional rounds so far, I definitely want at least 12-13 rounds under my belt before I think of the UFC. You’re going in with guys who have a lot of rounds to their name, I want to be able to keep up that pace, I don’t want to be a flash in the pan.”
In August 2016, he was presented with an opportunity to coach and train at the MMA Clinic in London. He had visited the gym regularly over the last 6 years and was hoping to make a permanent move at some point, and he didn’t hesitate when the position was offered to him.
“They are very welcoming, I’m really enjoying my time here, I’ve made some good friends, and there are a lot of solid fighters here. ”
Training the MMA Clinic’s members has also helped O’Gorman improve as a fighter, teaching newcomers the fundamentals of MMA means that O’Gorman has to know them like the back of his hand.
“I’m always improving as a fighter and teacher, always improving my skills,” he told SevereMMA. “I teach people at the gym all day, so I constantly have to make sure that I have the basics down right, which helps me grow.”
And despite having made the move to London, he believe he will always be affiliated to Samson Martial Arts, previously known as Trials MMA, and the MMA Clinic before that, as it was the place that drew him into the sport.
“I’m still friends with all the lads, I still have a connection to the gym, and always will.”
By @JeevanMMA
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