Steve Langford Interview *Exclusive*
Fresh off his professional MMA debut, UK middleweight Steve Langford is itching to get back into the cage. The Fight Lounge managed to drag Steve away from the gym and his Playstation to have a few words regarding his past and future in the worlds greatest sport.
TFL: Hi Steve, welcome to The Fight Lounge!
SL: Hello buddy, thanks for having me!
TFL: You made your professional MMA debut last month. How did you find the experience?
SL: Yeah, I fought the Welsh beast Gareth Williams on Merthyr Mayhem 3. I loved the whole experience. The promoters really do look after the fighters. Obviously I was disappointed with the result but I knew what Gareth was capable of as I actually went to spy on him when he fought and beat Tomasz Marszalek for the British title at AMMA. It was quite funny that night, I remember watching Gareth fight with my team mates and coach as he destroyed Tomasz in about a minute! I turned to my coach and he had a look of despair on his face! But there was no way I was backing out of that fight at Merthyr! It actually got me more excited! Maybe I have a screw loose? Who knows?
TFL: When can we see you back in the cage?
SL: If all goes to plan I shall be fighting at Kudegra 3 in Bolton. I really can’t wait, Kudegra looks really promising.
TFL: Where do you train?
SL: I prepared for my last fight with the guys at Eclipse Martial Arts in Walsall. They are a Gracie Barra school with a great kickboxing pedigree. They have great people to spar with stand up and in no-gi grappling but I would say the one thing, what I was lacking was some good MMA sparring. I’m kicking myself now as I got offered the chance to go and spar with Pure MMA but I didn’t through loyalty. It’s silly really. Time to start thinking about number one I think!
TFL: What is your training schedule?
SL: I have a lot of spare time on my hands as I only really work weekends on the door. When I’m in fight prep my schedule is usually a gym session in the morning to work on my cardio and amazing physique and I usually do at least three hours in the evening working on my stand up and grappling. I like to get as much road work in as possible and there is also this really cool park where I live that’s got all sorts of great climbing equipment where you can get a really functional workout. To top it all off I get at least 15-20 rounds a week in on UFC undisputed on the PS3, I would say this is my secret weapon, you heard it here first!
TFL: Are there any fighters you would like to face in the future?
SL: In all honesty no. I’m not fussed about who I fight as long as they’re not cans. I’m not going to take a fight unless there is a chance I’m going to lose. What’s the point? I would rather finish my career with 0-20 record having fought beasts all that time than be 20-0 and fought nobody’s.
TFL: What domestic fights are you looking forward to seeing yourself?
SL: I’m really looking forward to Eugene Fadiora vs. Gunnar Nelson; this fight is going to be huge. I’m also really looking forward to the return of Dave Butlin, if you have ever met him in person you will know what I mean when I say he has got a very scary personality. It will be interesting to see how much he has progressed in his time off; I really can’t wait for that.
TFL: How did you get into MMA?
SL: It was totally random actually. I was training at a fitness first gym and I noticed this evil looking little bloke take a punch bag off the wall and place it on the floor, he then proceeded to beat the hell out of the thing! When I finally got the courage to approach him he told me was starting a MMA club in Wolverhampton and invited me down. After a year or so we became Wolfpack MMA and the rest is history so to speak. I really do miss those days.
TFL: Who or what where your martial arts influences growing up?
SL: I was never a fan of martial arts movies and I couldn’t tell you a thing about Bruce Lee. I grew up watching boxing and actually did a bit when I was younger not that you could tell that now. My home town has a history of boxing and bare knuckle fighting in the old days.
TFL: What do you think of the current state of the UK MMA scene?
SL: I think it’s growing from strength to strength in terms of fighter quality. One thing that I find a bit worrying is the amount of small shows that are popping up thinking they can make a quick quid. I really wish all the major UK players would co-operate a bit more though, you know who you are guys! Pull yourselves together! It’s a very exciting time to be part of the UK MMA scene and I’m very proud that I’ve been a part of it.
TFL: What would you like to achieve in the sport?
SL: I just want to fight and see what happens, win lose or draw I will keep going and let life takes it course. I could be all cliché now and say I would love to fight in the UFC etc but I’m a realist. I’m not good enough; I don’t have that killer instinct. I do however have a massive pair of balls.
TFL: Who is your favourite fighter to watch in the world?
SL: BJ Penn all the way! Everything about him is just plain awesome! I love his attitude, his heart and his skills speak for themselves. A fit and game BJ is unbeatable in my opinion.
TFL: If there was such a thing as MMA Top Trumps, which fighter would have the best stats?
SL: It pains me to say this as I’m not a massive fun but it has to be GSP. He would be my pound for pound number 1. To me he is the complete fighter and one hell of an amazing athlete. Plus he does that really cool nipple tweak thing at the start of the fight, that’s got to be worth a few points surely?
TFL: He could be trumped by Keith Jardine in that department though. Is there anything you would like to say to the readers of The Fight Lounge?
SL: Yeah sure. Keep doing what you’re doing and supporting the UK scene guys. We’re only going to get bigger and better if we start working as a team. Oh and start getting your arses to events and supporting financially instead of just waiting to hear of the results online! One last thing, a big thank you to everyone that has ever supported me, be it through training, advice or just a good luck message, it all counts and makes getting my head punched round a cage worth it.
TFL: Well thanks for your time Steve, please visit us again?
SL: Thank you very much for having me, you do an awesome job. Anytime!
