You’ll be happy to have me back time and time again…
At the AFC and KLF co-promoted MMA spectacle on October 28, Karate Black Belt Dane Beeby will step up to the plate knowing full well that an impressive victory on a fight card of this stature will automatically propel him into the upper echelon of Australasian martial arts, and that is an opportunity he is well and truly planning to make the most of.
The last time Dane graced the AFC with his presence he battled the rugged ‘Samoan Warrior’ Mikey Vaoutta and in what many considered to be fight of the night, he dropped a Unanimous Decision. You can relive that cracker on the AFC You Tube page: Beeby vs. Vaoutta
On that night, even though the decision didn’t go his way, in defeat Dane still took a lot away from the fight:
“I had a ball fighting Mikey, the fight went everywhere and I felt we were very evenly matched, him being that little bit stronger but I felt I was a little bit fitter so it made for good competition. One thing I learnt from fighting Mikey was that you really need to be sharp in all areas of the game, or the other person can use something as basic as strength or fitness to overpower that persons lack of technique, whether it be on the feet, in the clinch or on the ground, especially on the ground where the fight slows down a bit. Mikey had good strength and was able to shut out a lot of reversals and transitions I was attempting, and due to sloppy technique in some areas on my behalf, he managed to snag the win after 3 rounds.”
That particular fight was 12 months ago, which is a long time for a martial artist to ponder what went wrong and what he’ll do differently in the future. Dane has used the absence to refine certain parts of his game and become a more complete martial artist:
“Been just about a year since my fight with Mikey, but I haven’t stopped training at all. I’m a mixed martial artist, so I’m constantly pushing to improve every area of my arsenal. I’ve spent a lot more time focusing on cleaning up technique and brushing up on areas I felt I wasn’t very confident with, but basically just fundamentals of all aspects of MMA, striking, clinch, grappling, everything, because in MMA everything matters.”
Although now more refined, and as dedicated as ever, statistics do not lie and unfortunately for Dane his career teeters at 1-3. His loses have all be honorable, but now more than ever Dane needs a huge ‘W’ and come October 28 he’ll get his chance to write previous wrongs:
“Every competition is significant I believe otherwise we wouldn’t compete, but after coming off 2 loses, I’m hungrier than ever to get my hand raised once again”
As Dane prepares for what may be the most significant fight of his career, he’ll do so at Excel Martial Arts under the tutelage of Ando Williamson. This facility has become Dane’s home way from home and that’s exactly how he likes it:
“Fight prep with the team at Excel martial arts in Fort Knox, training with Ando Williamson as always and the guys there that continue to push me weekly. Sparring a lot with the Thai fighters and getting in some good rounds of rolling, drilling, escapes, jiu jitsu and wrestling with the BJJ guys and girls”
As Dane mentioned, he’s wisely been training with Thai fighters as he prepares for the Muay Thai phenomenon Brock McRobb. Brock was super impressive in his AFC debut and although Dane concurs with the impressive nature of Brock’s performance he’s also had a good chance to scout his opponent as he prepares for October 28:
“Brock’s last fight at AFC was great to watch. I thought he put on an awesome performance being his debut. I expect him to bring that energy and pressure into this fight and probably some more as he’s just come off a win which is always a good feeling going into the next fight, but I think we will put a good show for everyone, I’m excited for it, I hope he is too”
In a sport where the tiniest of advantages can be the difference between a hurtful ‘L’ and an inspiring ‘W’, Dane firmly believes his fitness may just be the difference in this one:
“One thing I pride myself on is my fitness. I always work my ass off leading up to fights to make sure I easily can go the distance, and continue to hold a high standard of technique where other people would get gassed, so I’m confident in saying I won’t be letting fitness and bad technique get the better of me”
As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to prosper in this Country, the AFC continues to develop and produce an exciting array of champions. The announcement of a recent groundbreaking partnership with KLF Kunlun Fight further instills the AFC and KLF as global players and furthermore a highly sought after promotion for athletes to apply their trade. Dane is all too aware of the importance of impressive performances as the AFC and KLF continue to grow and prosper:
“It’s awesome you guys [the AFC] have put together such a big promotion teaming up with KLF and I definitely have plans to be a part of the future fight cards, I’ll prove that this coming fight and I’m sure you’ll be happy to have me back time and time again”
This historic fight card will be headlined by a Light Heavyweight Title Fight between the reigning and defending LHW Champ Jamie Abdallah and UFC and PRIDE veteran Sokoudjou. This showdown promises to be one of the all time great Australian MMA fights and Dane really can’t split the combatants:
“I think this is going to be an awesome fight! I know Jamie fights hard, he’s a good hitter and fights with great intensity so I can see he’s going to bring that game into this fight, and he’s definitely going to have to against Sokoudjou, who’s no doubt a veteran in the MMA world, so a clash of 2 power houses should be a show not to be missed. I always look forward to the big fights AFC has to put on, and I’m happy to say I think this will be one of the biggest. Can’t wait!”
This blockbuster card will definitely sell out so get your tickets now: Tickets
