WITH LESS THAN four minutes of the fight remaining, Brian Moore was thrown a lifeline.
Having lost the first two rounds of his Cage Warriors Fight Night 11 bout against Marat Pekov, Moore needed to produce something special in the final frame.
Eventually, his opponent opened the door for him to steal an unlikely win. Moore was in a vulnerable position but kept one hand on the mat, which ensured that he was regarded as ‘grounded’.
But Pekov was unable to resist. The Russian fighter’s left knee took aim at Moore’s lowered head, piercing the Irishman’s flesh with the illegal blow just above his left eye. Referee Rich Mitchell stepped in to temporarily halt the contest.
Moore shrugged the strike off as if it were nothing more than a pawing jab, but the impact was certainly visible, as blood streamed downward with the potential to impair his vision.
The referee deemed it to be an intentional foul, so the best-case scenario for Pekov was to surrender two points. If the effects of the knee left Moore unable to continue, however, Pekov would have been disqualified and the record books would mark it down as a win for Moore — albeit by default.
“Are you sure you want to continue?” the official asked Moore. At that stage in the bout, it was an opportunity to use the rules to his own advantage. And having lost his last fight, another stroke of green would have been a welcome addition to his Sherdog profile.
The two-point deduction may have levelled the scores, but Pekov was still well-placed to finish the job. In addition to the long flight to Amman, Moore had cut a significant amount of weight to make his debut at 135lbs. The result was an uncharacteristically lacklustre performance.
A defeat seemed inevitable, yet when Moore was offered the get-out-of-jail-free card, he didn’t hesitate to turn it down. “Yeah,” he responded, nodding his head to let the referee know that he had no interest in tainted triumphs.
The fight resumed and the claret contents of Moore’s newly-acquired wound decorated the canvas. Pekov continued his onslaught and with just 28 seconds left on the clock, the referee determined that Moore had sustained enough damage, stopping the bout to award Pekov a TKO win.
“Marat did a great job but he didn’t fight Brian Moore. That wasn’t me who fought that night. I always have huge hunger and a never-say-die attitude, but I just couldn’t get out of the starting blocks. I felt like a kitten in there,” Moore tells The42, reflecting on the bout which took place in the Jordanian capital in April 2014.
“I took an illegal knee and decided to keep going. A lot of people in that situation would have said they couldn’t continue and tried to win by disqualification, but that’s not me. I’d prefer to go out on my shield, as they say.
A coach of one of the other fighters on the show was in the changing rooms afterwards and he asked my why I didn’t say that I couldn’t see. I remember thinking: I really hope I never get to a stage where I have that attitude. I’d never want to win on a technicality.”
The fight was Moore’s second with the Cage Warriors promotion but both had ended in defeat. He was beaten by former CWFC title challenger Dave Hill by unanimous decision seven months earlier, so a win against Pekov was essential. But not on those terms. Victory via disqualification would have merely papered over the cracks that were beginning to appear behind the scenes.
A native of Wexford, Moore won titles at domestic level before graduating to the international stage. The hope was that the move to Cage Warriors Fighting Championship would represent the next step on the road to his ultimate destination — the UFC. However, losses against two of CWFC’s top contenders set him back significantly.
It was a challenging time for Moore. In addition to the Cage Warriors contract, he had recently opened his own gym in Carrick-on-Bannow. While those demands competed for his attention, there was also plenty going on at home. He married his wife Noreen in 2013 and their first child was soon to arrive.
As Moore sought to juggle his professional and personal commitments, neither received the time they deserved. Making ends meet was a struggle and something needed to change.
“I came back to nothing after the fight in Jordan,” Moore says. “In fairness to Cage Warriors, they pay more than most promotions but it’s still not enough to pay for your training camp or your day-to-day life. I remember looking at the cheque in my hand when I was on the way home and just saying: ‘What the fuck am I doing? I need to sort things out.’
“It was a big issue and that caused me to be very stressed in my life, especially in the run-up to that fight. My mindset wasn’t how it should have been. I couldn’t shake it off when I was training. As a father and a husband, your priority is providing for your family. If you’re struggling to do that, you’re not going to be anywhere near the right state of mind to be competing in any sport.
It got to a stage where I’d take a fight just to pay an electricity bill or the tax on my car, instead of focusing on the main goal of progressing my career and trying to get into the UFC.
“I remember preparing for fights and not being able to afford the supplements I needed, then coming home to bills after losing. You’re wondering where you can go next and there aren’t many good options there.”
Moore needed to get his new gym up and running, and with his MMA career not yielding the results he required to justify his efforts, perhaps it was time to walk away — at the age of 26.
“I strongly considered it,” Moore admits. “It took me a long time to recover, both physically and emotionally, after that fight against Marat. I was definitely beginning to wonder if it was all worth it.”
Instead, Moore settled for a postponement. For 12 months, his professional life focused entirely on his business and it proved to be a wise decision. By last summer, Moore Fitness had become “one of the busiest gyms in Wexford,” he says. “Getting it to that stage took a lot of time and effort. I needed to take some time away from MMA to make sure I got the gym moving. Now it has paid off.
“Before, I was just running a few classes here and there but it was nowhere near enough in terms of earning. In MMA, even some guys who have made it to the UFC are still struggling financially. By the time they pay their expenses, they’re not taking much home.
“So it’s really important to have something extra to fall back on. In this sport, things like injuries can throw your plans up in the air. You need something else there as well just in case. That’s why I made sure to take adequate time out to build something substantial.”
With his gym established, Moore decided to begin the next chapter in his MMA career. He returned to the cage last November — over 18 months since his defeat to Marat Pekov — and submitted highly-rated former kickboxing world champion Tommy McCafferty.
Moore: “I was really nervous for my first day back at the gym. I remember driving up and I had the same kind of jitters you get before a fight. But I realised straight away just how much I had missed it. I just love this sport.
I trained for 21 weeks before the fight against Tommy and I can hold my hands up and honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed every single session. That’s not something I’ve always been able to say.
“Going back a couple of years, there were sessions that I definitely didn’t enjoy. I was trying to do too many things in my life all at once and it was very draining mentally. But I love the sport too much and I have too much belief in myself to stop.
“It was completely different going into my last fight because I knew my wife and my child were at home, safe and sound. That’s the priority. In my previous fights I felt the pressure that I had no choice but to win, because I thought it would mean the end of my career if I didn’t. That’s not the way you should be thinking when you’re going into a fight and it can only do you harm.
“The support I get from my family is absolutely unbelievable, and my wife in particular. Not once has she ever complained. We’re not at all obsessed with material things but you still want to be able to give your wife whatever she wants, whether it’s just clothes or a night out every so often. I didn’t want to be scrimping.
“She has always had faith that I would go far in the sport. She’s been by my side the whole time. Even when I stopped training to focus on getting the gym up and running, she was always encouraging me to get back into it.
At the time I was so busy with the gym I wondered if I’d ever get the chance to go back to training. Without her support I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
Moore will be looking to take his professional record to 9-4 on 27 February at the 3Arena when he faces fellow Irishman Mick Brennan at BAMMA 24. The aim is for it to be the first of several wins in 2016 that will bring him to the UFC’s attention.
With the fight on the horizon, Moore’s daily routine involves a 9am departure from his home in Wexford to Straight Blast Gym on the Naas Road in Dublin. After putting in four hours of work, he heads back down the M11 to work with clients at his own gym.
“You’d think at that stage that you’d be exhausted but I actually find it hard to leave SBG. There’s a great vibe in the gym because everyone is pushing in the same direction, trying to achieve the same goals. The positivity is incredible. There are so many motivated faces everywhere you look. There could be a technique session involving 30 or 40 people; you could pick any one of them out and you’d learn something from them.”
Moore is eager to reach the UFC and his training partners know the way. Training daily under John Kavanagh and alongside the likes of Conor McGregor, Artem Lobov and Paddy Holohan, the 28-year-old is in the right company.
“There isn’t a featherweight in Europe outside the UFC who I don’t think I can bulldoze,” Moore insists. “When I first started this sport, all I had was heart. Nothing else.
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“As I went on, financial pressure and travelling played a part and my heart went out of it a bit. But now I’ve got the desire back and I’ve added a lot of skill and technique too, so I think it’s going to take a hell of a lot to stop me from achieving my goal.
I might not be the best boxer, I might not be the best grappler, but I truly believe there aren’t many who can mix it better than me. Add in the heart that I’ve got and I don’t think I’ll be stopped this time.
“I believe I’m a UFC-calibre fighter and that it’s only a matter of time if I keep going the way I’m going. Either way, whether it takes a year or three or four years, I’ll keep plugging away because I love this sport and I love competition.”
The UFC are currently releasing fighters quicker than they’re signing them, so Moore knows that a contract won’t come easily. But for a man who has accepted that every victory must be earned, that won’t be an issue.
Fantastic result. Looking forward to watching it later.
Ruddock form 6 in ireland the past 6 months – he probably on form deserves to start v SA but wd be a big call from Schmidt.
Much like Munster winning there last year, shutting up those horrible, horrible Scottish fans was very sweet.
@Peter Brophy: They booed at literally everything
@John Boyle: I think they have a large contingent of Glasgow Rangers supporters ..Nuff said..
Super win!!
A great win. I can relax now and enjoy the rest of the weekend matches.
@Gary: I concur
It’s a mystery how Rhys Ruddock isn’t Ireland’s first-choice blindside flanker. At this stage, I think it might best if Peter O’Mahony and C.J. Stander got injured so Schmidt would have no option but to select Ruddock.
@beni gabor: what an odd thing to say
@beni gabor: I think Heaslip may have played his last international. Ruddock will definitely be involved in November internationals
@Darren Byrne: how does Heaslip come into this?
@Conor Paddington: as he has been the most consistent back row in the irish set up for years but being out injured means someone else will move in to the 23. Ruddock will definitely be involved. With the likes of Conan leavey jdv all playing so well its going to be hard enough getting back in to the leinster team regularly let alone the irish set up by the time of the 6 nations.
@beni gabor: awful thing to say. I’d rather they were fit and he had to make a choice across 6 or 7 fit world class backrows.
@Elma Phudd: There’s no way Ireland have 6 or 7 world class backrowers. Maybe two or three at a stretch. There are a lot of good players out there who could be brought into the fold and introduced to international rugby to see where they stand. Stander and O’Mahony are very limited players
@Darren Byrne: He should have played his last international years ago, as should Rob Kearney and we all know it.
@beni gabor: Jesus, I’m a Leinster fan, but can’t agree with them being limited. Christ You don’t get picked to lead the Lions in a test match by being average joe.
@Elma Phudd: Gatland realised the error of his ways and dumped O’Mahony out of the side in favour of an out-of-position Sam Warburton. O’Mahony’s line-out work is sometimes to the fore, and you’re glad he’s in the team. His game is unremarkable outside the line-out, so when that’s not a centrepoint of the game, he’s largely ineffective.
Stander isn’t nimble enough to wrong-foot tacklers, and his decision-making when it comes to choosing whether to pass or run is sometimes quite poor. He’s not a cerebral player.
I don’t mean like serious injuries. Just a dislocated shoulder or something like that to keep them away from the team and unable to corrupt Ireland’s play with their backward mindset
@newbie: yet I’m here 4 years. Must have been in my blind spot up to now! I’ll put him back there.
@Rochelle: Rubbish, just your usual Leinster hating vitriol Rochelle.
@beni gabor: You do realise Ruddock captained the last tour, yeah?
@Rochelle: One of our very best players in a successful Autumn internal series less than 12 months ago.
@David Supple: pure poison laced with incredible ignorance
@Paddy O’Brien: *International. Jaysus.
Lots if us might been happy to leave with a LBP but to come away with 5 is amazing. Great performerance despite the bad conditions.
Serious contenders. Outside of the back 3 maybe, their combinations could match almost any team in Europe at this stage. Add Seanie, Isa Ringrose and Heaslip (if he can get back in the line up) and there is a legitimate claim to knocking Sarries off their perch.
@Johnny 5: I’d say Saracens would beat Leinster easily
@Johnny 5: don’t forget Lowe is yet to arrive
@Matt F: Carberry FB, Nacewa on one wing (or one of the younger guys if the improve) and Lowe on the other is pretty décent I would have thought. Irish centre partnership, and best 10 in Europe. All in all a potentially excellent backline.
@Andrew Hurley: I wouldn’t like to see 2 NIQ players in the back 3 at the same time when we have loads of young talent there in Carbery, Byrne, OLaughlin, Larmour and Daly. Those 5 players could have big futures in the green jersey, so it would be poor form if their development was blocked
@Rudiger McMonihan: they’d develop a lot better if Leinster go on a serious run in both the pro 14 and Europe. A successful Leinster side will be good for all the young players. Have a team of 23 young Irish players getting beat is no good for anyone.
A good win masking a lot of weaknesses
Especially midfield,huge amount of missed tackles again, needs to addressed to proceed.
@Martin McKenna: A great win
@Martin McKenna: Ringrose will help leaps and bounds, don’t worry too much.
Hope Daly’s injury isn’t anything too serious. Have been enjoying watching him play.
@Ciara Baines: he reminds me of the old French wingers..
It’s possible a long trip back from SA affected Glasgow in the first two rounds, all that being said I thought we managed the conditions superbly, especially in the first half. Delighted for Cian Healy to get them tries. MOTM was never in doubt for Ruddock. Hopefully we’ll have Ringrose and Isa back for the Chief’s games and James Lowe bedded in, I think player management may well become a problem, making sure everyone gets game time!!
@David Lawlor: When is Lowe due in?
@Dave Murray: His team in the Mitre cup have proceeded on to the next round, so he could be a while yet.
10pts after only 2 games means Leinster will almost certainly go through to the knockouts. Last year you needed 16 and the year before that 19. It’s hard to see them not making up that difference. I think today’s weather really helped them given the superiority of their pack and the injuries of Byrne, OLaughlin, Ringrose and Nacewa
@Rudiger McMonihan: need to rack up the points as we saw going to France in the semi was very very tough. The more the merrier
Why use two words when you can use one. The eastern province is called Leinster!
@Reg: you’ve obviously never had much interest i writing…?
@Conor Paddington: I’m not reading a novel or some great work of literature, it’s a match report and I know where Leinster is!
@Reg: Don’t let something so trivial get to you so much, it can’t be good for you.
@Reg: not as annoying as the indo who only refer to Leinster and Munster as the blues and the reds.
Great win today and 10 points is excellent from their first two matches. I’d worry about the high amount of missed tackles though.
“Finn Russell dissected the posts from the tee” … there’s a howler I haven’t seen in a while! “Bisected” is cliche you were thinking of perhaps?