Connor Matthews, UFC Atlantic Metropolis ceremonial weigh-ins Credit score: Jake Noecker/Cageside Press
The nickname “The Controller” for Connor Matthews is essentially the most apt one within the UFC. In spite of everything, he sepnt years within the US Air Pressure as a fight controller. Nevertheless, after leaving the millitary, he selected one other dream – or slightly two of them.
“For a couple of years after I got out of the military, I was working at Lauzon MMA. And I was just teaching classes there,” Matthew defined. “My whole dream, my whole life is, you know, outside of being a UFC fighter, is I want to open my own gym”
“I took the chance after the pandemic. I actually was renting space from a CrossFit gym. I had running classes, kid classes, adult classes – but unfortunately, the CrossFit gym that I was renting from ended up closing their doors because they didn’t get the customers back like they did prior to the pandemic,” he stated. “That being said, I had a mat. I had everything. But the gym closed. So, I was kind of screwed for a little while.”
Fortunately for Matthews, he had the right assist system. His mother and father jumped proper in and gave him an avenue to proceed what he was doing.
“My parents were like, ‘hey, you can just put your mats in the basement for a little while until you find a new space’. And that’s what I did,” Matthews stated. “I put the mats down there, started running my kids’ classes, started training. In the meantime, I ended up getting this Contender Series fight, winning my fight, and that kind of took over.”
As soon as once more, his different aim – the one in all being a UFC fighter – has given him a slight detour from proudly owning that fitness center. Nevertheless, what he has proper now’s increased degree than anybody actually realizes.
“Right now, I’m not really running the classes the way I was before. I’m just kind of focused on training myself, and I love it, man,” he defined. “You know, rent’s cheap, first of all. But I still have a lot of pro fighters come down. I just did my last rounds in my cage in my basement with Nick Fiore, who was a prior UFC fighter as well.”
But it surely’s not simply Nick Fiore who pops in. There are many professional and even former UFC fighters who make appearances. Althought these appearances are nice, it’s a few regulars which have Matthews at his best for his upcoming struggle.
“I’m sure, at first, you go, oh, my God, this guy’s training out of his basement. Like, who knows? But, like I said, it doesn’t really matter,” he stated. “We got good coaches down here and good training partners. I got my really consistent guys that are coming up in Andrew Valdina and Joe Poirier. They’re down there, like, every night with me.”
We’ll see the fruits of mother’s basement this Saturday as Connor Matthew takes on Jose Delgado. That fights takes place as a part of the UFC Vegas 102 most important card beginning at 7pm EST on ESPN+.
You possibly can hear the whole audio of this interview at 25:53.
