Interview with Mike Ling

Mike Ling has had a steady flow of fights since he started out in MMA four years ago. As one of the top fighter’s at Gym01 he proves that he is not only a submission artist but is also a highly proficient striker. Mentioned recently by the Cage Warriors director Graham Boylan, as a ‘dark horse to keep an eye on’, we caught up with Mike as he prepares for his next fight in April.

Tell us about your martial arts background?

I`ve been training MMA for 4 years (ish), I started at South Coast Submissions (now GYM01) but previously to that I hadn`t done any other type of martial arts. I did play rugby and football before but once I found MMA I was hooked.

Who are your coaches and training partners at Gym 01?

The MMA coach at Gym01 is Brian Adams but we also have coaches in other areas to help cover all aspects of MMA. I`m lucky to have training partners like Phil Harris, James Brum, Mok Rahman to name but a few.

Who have been your biggest inspirations in MMA and why?

It sounds cliché but my coach inspired me to get into this sport, I watched him fighting and that inspired me to take the path I`m on today.

You’re quite a tall guy, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this in MMA?

The advantages are I can punch my opponents from about 2 miles away and I`m great off my back with submissions.

Do you prefer to stand or roll with opponents?

I love to bang tbh, sometimes though a game plan might mean I`ll look to take the fight to the floor but most of the time I just want to get into a war.

After looking back at your last fight with Hermansson were you happy with your overall performance and were there any important learning curves for you?

I took that fight on a few weeks’ notice because I knew it was a good opportunity and no one else had the balls to fight him. I could only train 4 times per week leading up to the fight hence why I made lots of mistakes on the floor. It was a learning curve for me but I feel that now I`m training full time I could beat Jack in a rematch. Hopefully he`ll grant me one in the future.

In 2011 you had two fights and suffered two of your three losses: how has this affected your training routines, mental conditioning and overall preparation for the next fight?

Like I said previously my job took up so much of my time and simply didn`t allow me to prepare like my opponents could. I honestly feel I`ve been fighting at 60% but in my next fight you will see what a fully focused and fully prepared “Big Daddy” can do!!!!

You’ve already fought on some great promotions like Shock N Awe, BAMMA and Cage Warriors: when can we expect to see you fight again?

I`ll be KO`ing my next opponent in Saudi Arabia in April, I feel sorry for whoever that may be because someone has to take a nap. I honestly can`t wait.

Were you approached to fight in the eight-man middleweight tournament for the Cage Warriors vacant title and how much would it mean to you to be able to fight for the belt?

I wasn`t approached to fight in the tourney because I had work commitments but I am an alternate, so if someone gets injured I`ll be happy to step up and fight for Cage Warriors. I`ll be winning that belt at some point anyway, if it comes in 2012 fantastic but 2013 works fine for me also. I`ll just keep fighting whoever my management ask me to and hopefully everything will fall into place.

How competitive is the middleweight UK MMA scene and is it a tough division to be in?

On any given day I think any of the top 10 guys can beat the other. I`m supposed to be number 20 but if that`s true then u84kg must be the most stacked division in the UK!!! Most of the guys above me won`t fight me.

Graham Boylan recently had this to say about you, “I think you will be hearing a lot about Mike Ling in the future, he is a dark horse to keep an eye on”: what do you think about that?

Well if there`s one thing I can tell you about Graham Boylan it`s this, “He knows what he`s talking about”.

When people like that give you praise it gives me a boost and shows me that all the sacrifices I`m making are worth it.

What are your future plans and where have you set your sights for the next few years?

I`m looking to develop my all round game over the next 12 months and then prove I belong in the top 5 middleweights in the UK. Picking up the Cage Warriors title along the way would be nice.

MMA Prospects UK would like to thank Mike for taking part in this interview and we wish him every success with his MMA career and in moving up the Middleweight rankings.