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MMA-KO Gets an Exclusive Interview with Quinn
Mulhern
MMA-KO: First
off I would like to say what a pleasure it is to have this interview
with you Quinn.
QM: Thank you so much.
MMA-KO: So Koffi is coming off a win in
November, he knows you are the #1 KOTC Welter weight. You on the
other hand fought less than two weeks ago, you have a little less
than two weeks before this fight. So what do you have to do to
prepare for Koffi?
QM: I fought two weeks ago, but that
just ended up feeling like one small part of a larger training camp.
You’d think fighting so soon would be a bad thing, but I feel like
I’m on a roll…I feel sharp. Preparation is the hardest part of any
fight, and this one is no exception and I’m definitely not taking
this guy lightly. In fact, I never take anyone lightly. With Koffi I
know that he is a good athlete and he will probably go hard and wild
for the first part of the fight. So, I have to make him fight my
fight, slow him down and do damage so that he feels like he’s some
place he doesn’t want to be.
MMA-KO: You hail from Santa Fe, NM;
when you not fighting, how do you kill
time?
QM: Not a lot of time to kill these
days. I work at the academy where I train, so I put a lot of time
into teaching as well, which is great for me because there are a lot
of really good people to get to know. I also have a part time
tutoring job on the side, working with 5th graders. When I have
free time it’s usually spent with my girlfriend. I guess my recent
hobby has been sports medicine. I’ve been doing some reading and
research into it. I’m always trying to learn how to be a better
athlete and be healthier overall, and that kind of stuff can really
help.
MMA-KO: Why has Quinn Mulhern chosen to
train at the Santa Fe BJJ Academy?
QM: The Santa Fe BJJ Academy built me
as a fighter from the ground up. So, I guess it wasn’t really a
choice, it was an organic kind of thing. I was just a student there
when I was given a chance (purely accidentally) to fight on a show.
I had always been curious so I said yes, and then things just moved
forward from there. I quickly realized how much I had to learn, but
I also realized how lucky I was to be at the Santa Fe BJJ Academy
because it has all the right people to help me. Angelo Sanchez is
my main training partner and Tom Pless is my coach, but the
atmosphere of the place is also very good: people are very
supportive and willing to help any way they can.
MMA-KO: This Welter weight title fight
is scheduled for 5 brutal rounds, you have only one loss and it came
in the fourth round, only one of your fights have went the distance
(3 rounds) and your record is 10-1-0. Are you looking to stick
around this time and see how it plays out or are you looking to end
this one
early?
QM: I always want to finish fights, but
I know that’s not the way it plays out. I’ve learned that you can’t
force it, you can’t have a rigid game plan, if you do it’s over
before you even begin. This fight might end in the first round, it
might end in the fifth, it’s sort of up to my opponent how he wants
to lose. I plan to be
aggressive but also to let the fight go where it’s going to go. I’m
prepared, mentally and physically, to go five rounds if that’s what
needs to happen. So we’ll see.
MMA-KO: Ok, let’s play the “When I…”
game. When I’m the KOTC Welter weight Champion I’m going to…?
QM: Let’s see…I guess I don’t love that
game, I like to take one thing at a time. But I can tell you that
after any win I don’t give myself too much time to celebrate (or
maybe my coach doesn’t let me), and it’s pretty much right back to
the drawing boards to critique my fight and get ready for the next
thing. The
best part of a win is being able to see what you did wrong in the
fight, but having the momentum and confidence to quickly do what’s
needed to improve.
MMA-KO: Is there anything else you
would like to get off your chest? A deep
seated secret perhaps?,
or maybe just a “shout out” to mom and pops or a great group of
friends?
QM: Ha. I’ll give the shout outs after
my arm is raised, maybe tell some secrets to. For now, I just gotta
get back to my training.
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