Decky McAleenan – “Karate used to be respected, now it’s a game of tag!”
Cage Warriors 102 is just round the corner now. The London fight is showcasing some the best UK talent in the MMA world and I was delighted to finally get a chance to speak to one them, Team Torres BJJ Fighter Decky McAleenan.
The first time I saw Declan fight was at local Scottish promotion Headhunters. He was taking on a tough fighter and got the job done pretty convincingly with a TKO. (One for watching in the future) I thought to myself. Decky made is way through the ranks on shows like Cage Legacy and Ontop and when he dispatched of the very experienced Irishman Niall Smith, the next step was Cage Warriors (although he had fought on the promotion back in 2017)
This card however is stacked with talent and expected to be a sell out in London, Deccy though is no stranger to travelling and fighting on the big stage
“When I was 12 till about 14 I’d already been round the world with Karate, I competed in Japan, America and all across Europe, so fighting in a big show in London doesn’t bother me one bit.”
When we got talking more about Karate I had no idea about some of the new rules and how it’s changed the sport
“When I started competing it was proper karate, not what it is now, they changed it so that it could get in the Olympics, you can’t KO anyone or you’ll get disqualified, you’re encouraged to strike the body not the head and it’s now…. basically… a game of tig! (Tag)”
The protective armour change I get… according to Decky, it used to be cotton mits, but are now 8oz gloves. But it seems to me now that aesthetics and how it looks to an outsider is more important to an Olympic committee than a martial arts itself.
I’ve watched Tae Kwon Do descend like this. Hell when Tae Kwon Do was created for the military you could head butt. Now you’re lucky if you throw more than one strike at a time. My amateur opinion I guess, but lemmie hear your thoughts, hit me up @Martialartschat and don’t forget to check out the full interview with Declan and all the fighters ahead of Cage Warriors 102 in London. It’s gonna be some night!
Listen to “Cage Warriors 102: Rhys Mckee, James Webb, Steve O’Keefe, Deccy McAleenan” on Spreaker.
