| Tom "Kong" Watson Interview |
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Our First Nuzik.net interview with Britain’s larger than life MMA fighter Tom “Kong” Watson who is currently one of Britain’s biggest up and coming talents, who’s stand up skills are one of the best around today. |
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Hi Tom, thanks for taking time out of your busy training schedule to answer a few questions with the Nuzik Team. Can we get started off by asking how did you actually come up with your nickname? |
 Tom "Kong" Watson in action |
| It came around a few years ago when I was rather drunk one New Year’s eve and I smashed up a hotel. I really can’t recall anything about this night. The next day my friends told me people were screaming and it looked like 'Kong' was on the loose so it took off from there! | |
| That’s an awesome way to get a nickname. Apart from the Kong suit do you have any pre fight rituals? | |
| No, I am not superstitious. I think this creates a problem if something in your ritual can’t be fulfilled. I just think you need to have faith in your preparation and good things will happen. | |
| How did you get into MMA and when did you see your first bout? | |
| I had my first fight back in February 2006 on Sol Gilbert’s first MMA show against one of his fighters. I went into MMA as I had been doing stand up for years and wanted to test myself in this new domain. | |
| Who would you say is your biggest MMA influence? | |
| I would not say I have a specific MMA influence, but many people have helped me in my career. All my Coaches, Team-mates, Management that work with me all help play a part in my progression of this sport. | |
| What made you go pro after just two fights? One of which was a draw. | |
| I actually had a few more amateur MMA fights. I actually had seven in total, however they were more like grappling tournaments back then as there were no head shots allowed. For some people they need to do more of these, I just wanted to fight and test myself! | |
| Yeah totally understand that. However, your upcoming fight is against Pierre Guilett, we both have you down for a victory in this fight, although you are fighting against a guy who has some years and experience on you. How have you prepared for this fight and has your preparation been any different from your other fights? | |
| Pierre is a very tough opponent who is both experienced and very technical. For me, this is not really a problem as I have always fought tough people with many more fights than me. I am improving every day and Pierre will see these improvements on March 8th! | |
| So how do you prepare for each bout? Can you give us a breakdown of your training routine? What bits do you enjoy and what bits do you hate? | |
| Training for this fight is 2-3 hours a day, Monday through Thursday then 1-2 hours on Friday and a run on Saturday with Sunday as rest. I always will try to peak my training so I hit my optimum levels the week before the fight. I’ll then begin resting up to prepare myself for the battle that will ensue. MMA is very hard in that there are so many aspects you have to work on. This really means I don’t hate or enjoy anything more than another just depends on how the day is going! | |
| Having watched your last Cage Rage outing you squared up against Mark Epstein, did you feel you had done enough to warrant winning the fight? Myself and the Sensei thought it was a very close match and the decision could have really gone either way? | |
| I feel that the decision really was close too but I did the more effective work continually working from the bottom and scoring when on the top. However, I learnt a valuable lesson in this fight that I must trust my own abilities and push the pace more rather than thinking about the 15 minutes. People will see the more aggressive Watson back at Cage Rage 25!!! | |
| We’ll look forward to that then Tom! If you could set up a fight between any two MMA fighters past or present who would you like to see square off and why? | |
| Difficult one, so many great fights already happening, Silva V Henderson at UFC 82 for example. Right now I would like to see Faber against Kid Yamamoto and also Donald Cerrone fight Jamie Varner in the WEC. | |
| Out of everyone around today is there anyone you would particularly like to have a fight against? And why. | |
| Matt Ewin because he has the British title that I am coming for! | |
| What advice do you have for anyone looking to take up MMA? | |
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Tom "Kong" Watson in fight pose |
Find yourself a good team who you can trust 100%, listen to your coaches and give it everything your heart has & most importantly have some fun. |
| 2007 was a huge year for MMA all over the globe. What was the most exciting fight you saw in MMA in 2007? | |
| Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi in Pride! A fight that had it all; big punches, cuts, huge heart and an incredible finish! | |
| The UK MMA scene is growing rapidly. How do you see it in five years time? | |
| In five years I think the UK will be a major force in MMA with some great events and fighters representing and doing us all proud. | |
| Will Cage Rage's agreement with Elite XC allow you to fight in other Elite XC organizations in the States if you continue to succeed? | |
| Yes I am already looking at exploring this option as I want to fight the best fighters I can at 185lbs. | |
| With the UK’s first Women’s MMA bout at Cage Rage 25, what's your view on female MMA? | |
| I love female MMA, there are usually some great fights and I train alongside three of the best at Jackson’s. I’m sure this will continue to grow in the years to come. | |
| Is there any advice you can give us on how to get everyone in the UK MMA industry to help us out so we can report the best news from the best country in the world? | |
| Continue to be passionate for the sport and the MMA community will recognise your hard work. War Nuzik | |
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Brilliant stuff. Thanks for your time Tom and we look forward to seeing you in action at Cage Rage 25 on March 8th at Wembley Arena. |
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