On April 12, Welsh native Martin “Mr Pink” McDonough (11-4) will look to extend a current 3-fight win streak under the banner of top European promotion Cage Warriors, at CWFC 67 in Swansea.
Having worked from the bottom, a continuously improving life has seen Martin McDonough free himself of drink and drugs following a potentially life saving intervention from his friend – former BAMMA British Middleweight Champion and Cage Warriors contender, Jack Marshman.
“I didn’t really do anything growing up, but Jack Marshman, who grew up a few streets away from me and who is one of my best mates, came back from serving in Afghanistan and saw that my life wasn’t really going anywhere because I was really into drink and drugs.
Jack sat me down and had a word with me and told me I need to turn my life around. He then took me down to Tillery Combat where we worked on my striking and some other stuff. Jack and the guys thought I had potential and said I could make some money from this, so I focused on my training and the rest is history.”
The persona of ‘Mr Pink’ was soon born; a UKMMA fan-favourite with 7 submissions and 4 knockouts from 11 career wins. Sporting pink shorts complete with a signature Mohawk, It’s safe to say that ‘Mr Pink’ is a highlight of any Cage Warriors card.
“Maybe is because win, lose or draw I always come to fight. I like to get the finish when I fight, if I got a decision I think I would be disappointed with myself, I want to give the fans who pay £35 and upwards value for their money and I think my eagerness to knock out or finish my opponents show in my performances, and that may be why I’m so popular with Welsh fans.
Back in the day, when I first started out, I was broke with no money and there was a grappling competition coming up. I needed a pair shorts for the competition so I went down to Tillery Combat to ask my coach where I could get a cheap pair of shorts from and the cheapest pair of short he could find were pink. Then, during one of my earlier fights MC Ricky Wright introduced me as “Mr Pink”, and the rest is history.”
Many fighters credit MMA with changing their lives, however others can truly say that MMA saved their life. McDonough is one such fighter whose future was clouded with a potentially dark outcome, had it not been for ‘Mr Pink’ shaking the monkey off his back at Tillery Combat Academy.
“Mixed martial arts has changed my life so much, because from about the age of 17 to about 19 years old, I was heavily into drink and taking a lot of drugs like ecstasy. When I was at school the teachers didn’t really push me to make anything of my life, so MMA gave me focus and helped me to get my life on track.”
As one of the most well known products of Welsh MMA, McDonough is joined by some of the best that Wales has to offer at Tillery Combat MMA Academy, from established veteran Jack ‘Hammer’ Marshman, to several future prospects.
“There is Kris “Evil” Edwards who is a former Cage Warriors bantamweight contender, and we have our resident young gun Matt Shore who is a semi-pro fighter with a lot of promise. We also have the likes of Joe Orrey, Gareth Williams and a few other fighters who represent Tillery Combat. Working with these guys has helped me to continue to improve as a fighter.”
Currently on a 5-fight win streak – the best of his career so far – McDonough has now chosen to make the extra 10lb drop to flyweight, a tactical move of which he feels able to do with great comfort and perfect results.
“If you look at my fight against Alex Enlund, I made bantamweight with absolute ease and that was without having to really diet, all I normally do is eat tuna and pasta from about a week before I’m due to fight. In between the Enlund fight and my fight with Mark Platts, I decided to do a test cut to 125lbs and I made the limit in 4 days, and the weight cut didn’t effect my power, but made me quicker.
The way I see it is, despite my success at bantamweight, I felt I am small for that division, so looking ahead, if I make it to the UFC I will probably compete at flyweight as the bantamweights there are all massive. I didn’t want my UFC debut to be the first time I attempted to make the cut to 125lbs, I wanted to already have successfully made the cut and competed at flyweight a few times to ensure I give myself the best chance once I get there.
At 5’8/5’9, I think I’m pretty tall for the division, I’m pretty strong for my size even at bantamweight and my power hasn’t been diminished by the cut. I also have a reach advantage over most of the guys at flyweight so I think these are all the things that will help me in my new weight-class.”
Prior to his current run of form, which kicked off in February, 2012, McDonough’s record was a respectable 6-4, however with losses blocking him from generating a longer win streak. McDonough needed to refocus his efforts with a mental tune up, and the catalyst came in the form of his son.
“I found I was having a son. I was working in a factory, earning minimum wage and when I heard the news I was going to be a Dad, I thought to myself that I don’t want to be doing this forever, so I knuckled down and got right on it, as before I was training as a bit of a laugh instead of taking my training seriously, and that was how I began to turn my career around and the start off my 5-fight winning streak.”
McDonough was one of four men positioned to compete last September in the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship Tournament, to crown the UK promotion’s 235lb champ. The tournament and title were won buy ‘Mr Pink’s’ fellow Welshman Brett Johns, with McDonough having been devastated by a hand injury and forced to pull out in advance.
“It absolutely broke my heart. I had a niggling injury throughout my training camp in the lead up to the tournament and I didn’t get the chance to rest it, unfortunately for me it flared up one day in training so I had to pull-out of the tournament.
If it had flared up during the bantamweight tournament I think my adrenaline would have seen me through, but it happened during sparring, I caught my sparring partner on the top of the head and I just felt my hand go. I made the decision to go to the hospital and they told me I had re-fractured my hand and that I was out of the tournament.”
Now, McDonough is back in action for the first time since May last year. At Cage Warriors 67 he meets Shajidul Haque (4-1).
“Shajidul is a bit of a grinder if I’m honest, he likes to get a hold of his opponents, take them down and grind out the win. I’m not going to let him do that to me, and a lot of my training has been specifically geared to avoiding that. Without going into too much of my game plan, I want to keep him at range and when he gets in close; dominate the clinch with elbows and knees so he doesn’t want to stay there.
I think I will be the first fighter to finish him. Without sounding cocky, I have 11 wins, all coming by way of submission or TKO, and I defiantly think I have all the tools needed to finish him.”
The standout factor of McDonough’s game is clearly his submission threat, with 64% his victories having come via tapout. However, like all serious mixed martial artists, the game is continuously evolving and ‘Mr Pink’ is looking to do the same.
“Mainly, I’ve been working a lot on my wrestling in order to improve my takedown defense. I have also been working my offensive wrestling as well as my boxing with my coach Gavin Rees, that has seen my striking come on. I’ve just been working my all round game so I can be the best mixed martial artist possible.”
What can we expect from Martin McDonough this year?
“same as always, good fights, more finishes, hopefully some bonuses and of course I will be looking to give fans the knockout they’ve been waiting for.”
With thanks to: “Jack, Chris and all the boy’s at Tillery Combat. Richard Shore, Gavin Rees, my sponsors, including my newest one Combat Junkie, and all my friends and family for supporting me.”
Photo credit: Dolly Clew/Cage Warriors
