CRAIG JOHNS BREAKS THE FIRST RULE Roly Poly Kid has eyes on the future
MIXED martial arts has not been the kindest of sports to Tommy Quinn, but the fighting Irish Geordie says a love of fighting and his competitive nature keeps him going.
The Irish-born mixed martial artist has lived and trained in Newcastle for years now – one of the old-guard of North East fighters who helped put the sport on the map in the region.
He’s fought on Cage Warriors during the promotion’s peak years, and shared numerous epic battles during a hard 11-year career. He’s still just 28, but is already thinking about life after he hangs the gloves up.
“I’m thinking three-to-five more years fighting as long as my body lets me,” the popular Quinn, also known as the ‘Roly Poly Kid’ said.
“It’s been a tough career for me. I’ve been fighting 11 years but I bet five of those years have been spent with serious injuries. I’ve had some bad luck when it comes to injuries.
“I’ve no complaints though. When I first got into mixed martial arts it was just for the craic really. I just loved fighting.
“I never got into it to make a living out of it. I made a living from working on the doors. Now I make money as a full-time fitness trainer and MMA coach.
“If I’d have ever made it the UFC or anything like that, great, but it was never something I was desperate for.”
Feeling fighting fit again, Quinn is now fighting out of and also coaching the next breed of mixed martial artists in the newlyopened MTK Newcastle gym.
On November 17 he tops their second North East show at the Rainton Meadows Arena, battling Poland’s Konrad Iwanowski for the MTK European middleweight title.
But given the amount of gruelling punishment his body has taken over the years, what keeps him going?
“It’s the love of fighting and my competitive nature that keeps me going,” he says.
“I’m still always looking to learn and improve and still wanting to test myself against the best in the cage.
“I don’t plan on sticking around as an active fighter too many more years, but while my body is still allowing it, I’m still enjoying being in there.
“I’ve never minded losing when I’m losing to top quality opposition, as long as I Tommy Quinn says a love of fighting has kept him going through the hard times feel I do myself justice in there. I was on a bit of a bad run recently. But the losses to Lewis Long and Matt Inman were great fights that fans were voting for as Fights of the Year.
“It was the Lee Chadwick defeat (in April 2017 at Cage Warriors) that haunted me though. That messed with my head because I didn’t do myself justice. I think that one will haunt me until I die that one.”
Quinn has since rebounded with a win on MTK’s maiden North East MMA show by beating Vincent del Guerra despite carrying a bad ankle injury into that one.
And now he’s feeling good heading into his latest title fight.
“It’s great to get back to winning ways and I’m feeling great ahead of this show. The training camp has gone great.
“The plan is to win that MTK belt and then continue to help build the promotion here in the North East.
“They’re a big deal in boxing, but MMA is different and it’s a lot harder. There’s going to have to be a lot of trial and error before we get it right.”
Tickets for the MTK show, topped by Quinn and featuring many more MMA bouts, are on sale from eventbrite. The event takes place at the Rainton Meadows Arena on November 17.