Become the ultimate MMA armchair expert

By Mary Dennehy

A MMA fan from Tallaght has penned a guide to becoming an armchair ultimate fight expert, with the release of the book coinciding with the run-up to UFC200.

A former student of Templeogue College, Ed Larkin (26) has been a fan of the mixed martial arts sport for the past 12 years and has in recent times noticed how the sport has attracted thousands of new fans – many of whom were being enticed in by Dublin fighter, Conor McGregor.

In an attempt to explain the sport to its new army of followers, Ed wrote Ultimate Fight Chat ‘A Guide to Becoming an Armchair Expert’ a guide he launched to coincide with UFC200, which took place last Saturday, July 9.

Available to download on Amazon for 99c, Ed had hoped for 200 downloads before fight night.

However, the Tallaght lad’s first book got close to 400 downloads before the action started and Brock Lesnar returned to the octagon and won by unanimous decision.

After enjoying UFC200 on Saturday, Ed took some time out to speak with his local paper.

Have you always been into writing?

I’ve always had a love for writing. I would constantly be scribbling down ideas for stories or lyrics. When I was about 12 I convinced myself I was going to be the Irish Eminem, but when I realised that wasn’t going to happen I decided to try my hand at writing a book. When I was 21 I had almost completed my first book but when my daughter was born I put everything on hold and only in the last year have I really focused on taking writing seriously. So far, I’ve released ‘Ultimate Fight Chat’ and I’ve another book finished and ready for release in the next few months. The only challenges I’ve faced with writing is juggling a full time job, chasing around after a four year old that doesn’t like to sit still all day and getting the time to actually sit down and write.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

After attending UFC Dublin last October and witnessing the many Conor McGregor doppelgängers, I wanted to come up with a way of turning these hardcore McGregor fans into actual MMA fans. It was clear they had a passion for the sport but didn’t know enough about it so I started to think of what would be the quickest and easiest way for them to learn everything there is too know. But it wasn’t until April when Conor announced his ‘retirement’ that I felt the time was right and I actually began to put pen to paper. The ideas just started to flow and within six weeks I had managed to write, edit and complete the whole book.

You’re obviously a massive UFC fan, what do you like about the sport?

I just fell in love with the sport the moment I first saw it. It is gripping to watch these two elite athletes get locked inside a cage and attempt to out strike one another. To me MMA is an art, every single day these fighters fine tune their craft in the gym so when the time comes for them to step foot in that octagon you are lucky enough to witness two masters of their trade battle it out to see who is the best.

It has risen hugely in popularity over the years, why do think this is?

The growth in popularity in Ireland is simply down to Conor McGregor, that can’t be taken away from him. He has inspired and lifted so many people with his achievements. He has guided the sport into the mainstream and taking away the perception that MMA is a brutal and violent sport. He has demonstrated the dedication and preparation it takes to be such a high level athlete. In three years he has taken the sport from a stage when no one wanted to talk about it to now it’s the first thing they bring up.

Does it bother you that there are fans who only care about McGregor and not the sport as a whole?

It bothers me in the sense that Conor is only one fighter out of the hundreds on the UFC roster, one out of the thousands that compete in MMA everyday yet he is the only one people talk about. I know he talks the talk but there is plenty of other Irish fighters not getting the recognition they deserve. Joe Duffy fought for the UFC last week and won in 25 seconds and there was barely a whisper of it, by the time UFC 202 comes around social media will be in meltdown talking about Conor McGregor. I know Conor will always get more headlines because of the way he conducts himself but the other 10 or 11 fights at an event shouldn’t be ignored. I just think people should open their eyes to the sport and not be blinded by one individual.

What’s your ultimate tip to becoming an armchair expert?

If I had one tip for any new fan it would be buy this book! Everything you need to know is in it. But my main advice would be to constantly learn. There’s endless information to be learnt regarding MMA. I’ve been watching UFC/MMA for the best part of 12 years and I am still learning new facts. You can never know too much about the sport.

Do you fight yourself or are you a true armchair expert?

I did a bit of boxing and Tae Kwon Do when I was younger but I never made the transition to MMA. I’ve always wanted to but unfortunately I started smoking when I was in my teens. But with the opening of Paddy Holohan’s new gym, it’s become my goal to quit and join up. I’m in the process of cutting down so hopefully by the end of the summer I’ll be out of breath from getting my ass kicked rather than from smoking.

How many downloads did you get before UFC 200?

When I decide to release ‘Ultimate Fight Chat’ the aim was to market it towards UFC200 so the only goal I set myself was to get 200 downloads by then. Within a week I had already passed the 200 mark and on the day of UFC200 my downloads stood at 392, which is an average of 14 downloads a day. The feedback I’ve received and the support of so many people has helped me get to this stage and hopefully by the time UFC202 comes around I can double that figure.

How do you think UFC 200 went at the weekend?

After the shake up a couple of days before UFC 200 with Jon Jones failing a drug test and the fight card then having to be rearranged, I think it went well. There were plenty of great fights and a few shocks and of course, my personal highlight, the return of Brock Lesnar. All in all I think it lived up to the hype and I really enjoyed it.

Any signs of new Irish fighters on the horizon?

Right now in Ireland is a golden time for MMA. There are plenty of young, hungry and up and coming fighters. This past weekend in Las Vegas the Irish amateur MMA team gave a superb showing of some of our future stars, claiming six medals in the process. The best prospects I can recommend to keep an eye out for are Cian Cowley, Frans Mlambo, Dylan Tuke and James Gallagher. Gallagher is making his Bellator debut in London on the 16th of July as he prepares to become Ireland’s next MMA star.

‘Ultimate Fight Chat- A Guide to Becoming an Armchair Expert’ is available for download on all devices from Amazon for only 99cent. Keep up to date with all things to do with “Ultimate Fight Chat” on Facebook and Twitter.