FightIreland Exclusive: Heads Up with RFA Head Coach Paul Cowzer

Almost a year on, the unforgettable Cowzer vs. Coady fight.

FightIreland lands another big one as we go heads up with Irish MMA stalwart and Rush Fight Academy Head Coach, Paul Cowzer. In this exclusive interview Paul reveals who has called him out, his reaction to the infamous SBG t-shirt video and gives us an insight into how John Redmond is preparing for his eagerly anticipated title fight against Chris "The Killing" Fields at Cage Contenders this month. Enjoy!

So first up, how is Paul Cowzer?

Paul Cowzer is great! Life is good and I'm very happy.

Congratulations on receiving your the purple belt. What's next for you?

Thanks, it was a shock to me as I was not even thinking about it but it's great. As for what's next I might be fighting the end of the year so need I'll to get fight fit for that.

Great to hear! You always put on a great show when you compete, is there anybody out there on the local scene that you would like to step into the cage with?

Thanks! Conor Dillon called me out apparently... So even though I prefer Bantamweight I would be interested in that fight, then I would go back to Bantam' and see what happens.

We will ll watch that space....As Head Coach at RFA you are no doubt proud of RFA going from strength to strength. What is the atmosphere like there at the moment?

The atmosphere is always nice, we train hard and we all try to help each other out. For the length of time we are going we have really excelled and I'm very proud of the whole club.

Looking forward to John Redmond's title fight - Is this the biggest fight in RFA history?

It's a big fight and John is one of our top fighters. Sure, it has to be one of the biggest if not the biggest fight we have had all right.

So how do you see it going down and what your thoughts on his opponent Chris Fields?

I see John winning it's just a matter of how, people have not seen John's ground game yet and might get a shock if he/we utilise it. Chris Fields is a good guy and good fighter and the two make a great match up in my opinion.

The forums we're set ablaze with the now infamous video of John hitting a grappling dummy wearing an SBG shirt. What are your thoughts on the whole thing? So tell us was it your idea?

Bemusement!!! It was not my idea but I do have to accept that I'm the coach and I was there. It was not meant as any slight on SBG but was meant to represent John training for Chris specifically rather than just training.

Thanks for clearing that up, John looked very focused. How is his camp going - has the controversy and hype spurred him on?

John's camp has gone great, he's been sparring well and he is very fit. He has been receiving extra training with John Donnelly and rolling with the big guys like Karl Roche and Andy Ryan over at Team Ryano.

John has said publicly that he will be Cage Contender's MW Champion and then onwards and upwards. He is a confident man, so how far do you think he can go?

We just take one fight at a time, like all top fighters they dream of fighting in the UFC and so this is a step we need to take if that dream is to be realised.

You have a Rumble in Rush 6 scheduled for September 3rd how is that coming along?

The fight card is stacked with good fights and I'm really excited to see it in action, plenty of local lads on the show too which is what the fans come to see.

Excellent on keeping the local scene going with some quality. So on the international scene - who do you rate - your favourite fighters and why?

BJ Penn is my favourite ever MMA fighter, he's just so well rounded and talented. Right now I like Dos Santos and Velasquez so I'm intriqued to see how their fight will pan out.

Finally, if people want to contact you how can they reach you?

www.rushfightacademy.ie has all my contact info and all of our club's details.