SEAN Devine insists he feels better than ever ahead of his Clan Wars mixed martial arts bout on Saturday evening in the Crowne Plaza, Belfast.
The 20-year-old only has an amateur record of one win and one loss but with every camp, he believes he is ready for every challenge put in front of him.
The bantamweight is scheduled to take on SBG Ireland’s Ciaran Mahon on the prelim card as he aims to boost his profile further before aiming for greater things.
“This time compared to my previous fights I am feeling a lot more prepared,” Devine said.
“I haven’t had one injury, I couldn’t believe it, not one bump or scratch.
“It has been a perfect training camp,” Devine added.
“I have no excuses going into this fight, everything in terms of diet, fitness, and strength has been perfect.
The talented martial artist has been working with weight-cutting specialist and nutritionist Tiernan O’Malley throughout his camp, something the Lisaghmore man feels has transformed him to the next level.
“He has helped me tremendously with my diet and I feel that it has supported me more than I ever could have thought.
“I feel like I am doing things more professionally now. I am training six days a week, I am eating at the right times, and I’m eating the right things for my body.
“Everything is going exactly to plan for me, with no injuries. I feel great.”
The Kombat Jiu Jitsu student staged his first two competitive fights in Derry. The first of those at the Foyle Arena in September 2016 and, after a prolonged layoff, he returned to the squared circle at the Long Tower Youth Club last April.
However, the blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has no qualms about taking his next challenge to Belfast, feeling excited to step back in the octagon once more.
“I didn’t really think about it before but this is my first time fighting outside Derry and I really can’t wait to put on a show for the fans up there.
“I feel like in my first two fights I never really took control of myself and what I can do,” he added.
“This time, I am going in there with the belief that I am going to put on a show and a showcase of everything I have learned in the gym.
“I want to be dominant in there, I believe it will be a challenge but, I want to dictate the fight.
“I am in there to make a statement for myself and to show everybody what I am about.
“There is a lot of other guys who are getting their fights handpicked but, not me, and I want to blow this one clean out of the water.”
Under the stewardship of Ciaran McFadden, Devine explained his elation at competing on the same card as the mentor who taught him how to throw his first punch.
“I have been with Ciaran (McFadden) from day one, so it’s really special to be able to fight on the same card as him.
“I’ve only been there (Kombat) a couple of years and I get young boys asking me how long I have been training in the place.
“I couldn’t throw a punch properly before I met Ciaran.
“We have pushed each other this whole camp, so it will be really good to be able to compete on the same night,” he said.
“And I wouldn’t be here either if it wasn’t for my dad.
“We were eating one day in a restaurant and he introduced me to Ciaran and I was his first student to step inside the cage.
“He has helped me so much, with having every meal prepped for me,” he said.
“He has kept on top of me for the whole camp.”
Before Devine takes to the scales tomorrow morning ahead of his clash, he admitted he could hardly contain his excitement to get to battle on Saturday.
“I just can’t wait to get back in there. I don’t want to sound overly confident, but I don’t even one bit feel nervous either.
“I have put everything into this training camp, I’ve worked on every aspect of my game. I can’t wait to display that this weekend.”
Sean Devine would like to thank Mandarin Palace, Kellys Centra Trench Road, Bespoke Barbers Clarendon Street, for taking the opportunity to sponsor him for this fight.
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