Local mixed martial artist Dawodu heads to Ireland to train for UFC debut
Hakeem Dawodu looked at his options and decided the best place for him to prepare for his first UFC fight was in Ireland.
And not just in Ireland, but at arguably the most famous MMA gym in the world right now.
Calgary’s Dawodu announced this week he’ll be linking up with coach John Kavanagh to train at the SBG Ireland gym in Dublin, which happens to be the home of UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
“I saw what (Kavanagh) did with Conor McGregor, I’ve seen how he has a couple other featherweights at his gym, and I’ve heard what he does with the mental factor of training,” Dawodu said.
“I’m ready to show my full po- tential, and in that way, I think he’ll be a help.”
Dawodu is the most heavily-hyped Canadian prospect to get signed by the UFC in years, and he boasts a vicious striking game that was honed during his early years as a professional Muay Thai fighter.
He’s worked at Champions Creed Gym as he’s transitioned to MMA while fighting under the World Series of Fighting banner, and the Calgary gym will remain his home-base long-term.
It was Champions Creed coach Brian Bird’s relationship with Kavanagh that led Dawodu to choose the Irish gym over his other options when he was deciding where to hold his training camp.
“Originally I was going to go to Greg Jackson’s gym, but my coach wasn’t really liking the track record of Greg Jackson right now and he actually knows John Kavanagh personally,” Dawodu said. “He trusts him to have the best interests of me and develop me and my skills as a fighter.”
Dawodu is expected to make his UFC debut March 17 against Danny Henry at the UFC’s annual stop in London, England, so he’ll ideally be spending approximately six weeks in Dublin preparing for the fight.
It won’t be cheap, but it’s a move Dawodu feels he needs to make.
While training in Calgary has got him to where he is today and he’s been able to work with martial artists around the city, Dawodu believes he needs to be working every day with full-time MMA fighters if he’s going to be able to take the UFC by storm the way he plans.
“That’s the thing, I respect everybody in Calgary, but me and my coach both, we acknowledge that there’s no one really in Calgary who will push me in MMA sparring,” Dawodu said. “I’ve got great jujitsu guys, I’ve got great boxers, and I’ve got great wrestlers (to work with in Calgary), but I need someone to push me back.
“You’ve got to sharpen iron with iron.”