Interview with APG�s Oisin O'Conghaile

Fighter profile of Oisin O Conghaile by Jeffrey Ramirez

Record 5-0-0 (W-L-D)
Wins 5 (T)KOs (100.00%)
0 Subs (0.00%)
0 Decisions (0.00%)
Losses 0 (T)KOs (0.00%)
0 Subs (0.00%)
0 Decisions (0.00%)
Next Fight Desmond Carter

2012-01-28

We are sitting here with Oisin O' Conghaile. As Joe Boxer is currently fighting a bout in the UPG, Oisin is currently the highest ranked 185 lbs. fighter on the APG roster. Let's dive right in!

Welcome, how was the trip here?
Well, let me tell you. It's winter in the NYC and I'm freezing me balls off. Unfortunately to paraphrase a line from me training partner, Mr. Bon Scott," I don't have the biggest balls of them all," in fact right now, dey probably look like a pair of raisins!

Yeah, the NY winter can be a pain to a mans balls. Tell us what its like to grow up in a place like Ballycarney?
Ahhh, home, it still brings such warm memories to me heart, almost warm enough to get me scrotum to crawl back out of me arse. It was such a wonderful place to grow up, ya' can be sure. Me mudder and fadder were kind folks and I miss them so. They died back in the day, me fadder on the streets was a busker and he caught a mighty cold one day and never recovered, me mudder she died of a broken heart, then it was up to me to take care of me brudders and sisters. But all in all, it was a great childhood, we used ta' sneak inta tha pubs to see if we could grab a scrap o' food from someone�s table when they weren't lookin', but the owner of one such pub took pity on us and would save us all the leftovers from the kitchen. I remember one really cold winter, he let us stay in the loft above his pub and that was that, we never left there and were never cold or hungry again. In fact, he gave me me first job!

Sounds though mate, what kind of job did you do?
Well at first I just helped clean up after all the drunks went home to their ugly wives, but after that I worked for awhile in the kitchen. I can tell you this, working in a kitchen is hardcore. It's just go, go, go, non-stop. I saw quite a few people burn out after only a couple months, but if you make it and earn your stripes, you become respected and you have shown what kind of man you are. One time I was working and actually saw a certain current celebrity chef burst into tears after being yelled at by Chef Marco. I'm not gonna name names, but let's just say it was Hell in the Kitchen..... after me first year on the line, (I was only about 10 or so at the time you see,) there was this one drunk bastard who used to come in every night around 9 O�clock and then we used to hear stories that he would go home loaded and beat the shit out of his wife and kids. Well, if there is one thing I won't stand for, that's a bully, especially a bully who hits women and children. So, I decided if he thought he was tough, I would bully the bully and see what happened. I walk up to this prick and say, "hey you sod, why not pick on someone your own size!" (Now I was 5 foot 2 inches or there about and weighed maybe 8 Stone which is around 110 lbs., so it was kind of funny,) and he takes a swing at me! I swivelled me hips and let him have it. We dropped him out back in a dumpster and I never saw that dick again.

How come you started a fighting career?
Growing up on the streets meant you had ta' be tough. We weren't the only young'uns who had it bad back in the day, so you had to defend yer turf if ya' catch me meaning. Turn yer back for a moment and all yer stuff was runnin' off down the road with some other kid. So to protect me younger siblings I had to learn ta' fight and I mean FAST! I remember once there were some boys just standin' on the corner rapping (ya' do know the Irish invented Rap doncha'?) when all of a sudden a couple of older boys came along and kicked the crap out of them all just ta' get a bedroll, that was when I knew I had to learn me a way to protect ourselves. Then after we was allowed ta' stay in the loft above the O'Connell Pub, our benefactor saw right away that our only chance ta' survive was fer me to hone me skills on the adults who had had a few too many pints. We knew that most of the Island loved ta' box, so I learned me another craft, how ta' kick someone in the teeth! Those big buggers thinkin' they were Rocky Marciano or Muhammed Ali learned quick that just knowin' how ta' box at the local gym wasn't enough if ya' ended up with a face full o' boot!

A lot of Martial Art Centers in Ballycarney?
Nah, there were none when I was coming up, just boxing gyms. Not to knock the sweet science any, cause I love me a good bare-knuckle boxing match, I had a few of those back in the day that lasted over 40 rounds! But I knew that in most of me future fights, the guys would be relying solely on boxing so I had to find a way to catch 'em unawares. Now that I've been pro for awhile, I can see that I will have to brush up on me old bare-knuckled skills again. Which is fine by me! As I climb the ranks I see that a lot of me competition is pretty skilled in all areas of the fight game. It wouldn't bother me much, but with head butts not allowed, I'm gonna' have to work on another ground strategy.

I Googled your name and I came up with a wild rumour that you eat a lot of horse meat?
Ahahaha! Seriously?! Nah, I leave that to the Dutch Heavyweights! I'm more of a Corned Beef and Cabbage kind of guy, but I'll tell ya' what, if I told you some of the things I had to eat when I was a kid on the streets you'd probably get sick. Now I'm not one for the fancy French type food, but when yer starving, snails and raw beef suddenly start looking good. Ya' know in some countries they eat dog! Imaging that! "Here Fido, here boy, oh that's a good boy, now hold still while I season you up with some Salt and Pepper!" Hahaha! I guess if I WAS hungry enough, I'd eat just about anything, but for now, I'll stick to me Guinness and potatoes!

Have you ever killed someone Oisin??
uuhhh, next question..... We'll just leave it at that..... A word to the wise when around me though, don't hit women and children..... come on, next question please.

Wikipedia says you are a great banjo player and Karaoke singer?!
Now THAT is a better question! I just happened to have me banjo with me! Here's a few lines from one of me favourite tunes! * Well, I been a Wild Rover for many's a year, and I spent all me monies on Whiskey and Beer! * Me Da' taught me that one shortly before he passed away. Oh he was a great man! One day after he had been out all day tryin' ta' make enough fer rent, he came home with a ball and a stick and me, him and the rest of us kids spent the evenin' playing stick ball out front o' the apartment we lived in. Within a few minutes we had all the neighbourhood kids there and we all had a wonderful time! After that, even though he hadn't eaten for a few days, he took me and me siblings along with me Ma' out for a scoop of Ice Cream! We didn't have heat fer a week, but it was Summertime, so it didn't really matter. Sometimes I think of those times and it brings a tear to me eye.

Okay, someone needs to update Wiki on that issue!!! How do you like NYC?
Ah, I love the NYC, it truly is me home away from home. What I love the most about it, is it had a really bad reputation back in the day, just like Ballycarney, but suddenly you could see a movement wit tha people, where they said to themselves, we may have a bad reputation in certain areas, but one thing be for sure, we will stand tall and defend our own. It sounds kinda' strange but I really think the tragedy back in tha day with tha two towers coming down, really defined the future for the people here. They banded together regardless of race, religion or societal status and just helped one another. I think that has created a bond here that cannot be broken and the rest of the world should take notice. It's amazing the kindness, generosity, humility and love that can come out of such a horrible situation, you see it whenever there is any kind of emergency anywhere in the world. Not to sound too wishy washy, but NYC is like a Phoenix rising out of the ashes of destruction to bring beauty to the world! That reminds me of me brother back home. He is so kind and righteous, but if you mess with him, it lights a fire within, that's why we gave him the nickname "The Phoenix" back home. I'm sure you will hear about him in the future.

APG and Jeff treating you well??
That Jeff is a real prick! JUST KIDDING JEFFY BOY! Nah, me and Jeff are great friends. He treats me like a friend first and an employee second. Whenever I need some help, he is always there with a helpful attitude and an outreached hand. He took me into his fight organization back when no one else would believe in a weird mohawk wearin' boy from Ireland with a chip on his shoulder and who hadn't proved himself with an "amateur" record. I've been in over 100 fights, probably more like 400, but that don't matter if there is no one keeping track, so Jeff took a chance on me and boy has it paid off, the friendship we have formed is worth more than any money out there. I believe in loyalty and will stay loyal to my friend and his mates. The only time I walk away from a friend is if they try to rip me off or lie to me, and I can guarantee you this: Jeff is a true friend and one hell of a drinking partner!

The Deer?! How did you earn that nickname? Pretty different from the usual fighternicks like The Axe murderer etc!!
Ya' ya', I know I know. Everyone in MMA wants to posture and put out these images of death and destruction, like it makes them tough. That is all image bullshit, my friend. I don't care if a guy is nicknamed Shirley Temple or Mary Poppins, ya' can't judge a book by it's title, nor by it's cover. I remember one big fat lazy lookin' guy back in Ireland named, now get this, The Pacifist! He was knocking guys out left, right and centre, so I walks up to him and say, with a name like The Pacifist, you sure kick some ass! He looks me right in the eye and says, "Son, look at my hands. There is no way any man is getting Past this Fist!" Really made me think. So anyways, I had the nickname The Deer since I was about 8 and kicked a dude in the ear. You see, deer are actually one of the most deadly animals on the planet, they kill more people each year than any of the famous predators. Sharks? Pussies. Wolves? Come on man. Axe Murderers? I haven't heard of no real life axe murderers EVER. Sure maybe the odd guy snaps one day and buries the hatchet, (sorry about that, might be in bad taste,) but as far as deer go, you go "Google" deer attacks and take a look, then come back and tell me it's not scary! They call me The Deer cause of the Irish Deer. Go look up "megaloceros" and tell me you would want one them kicking you in the face! I think you can put two and two together and look at my past fights and you will know why they call me The Deer. While you are at it, look up my name, Oisin! Oh and be sure to check out my entrance song. Pure beauty and enchantment!

How come you ended up with a manager like O'Connell who is more known for his talent in whiskey than fighting?!
Well, let's just say that Seamus O'Connell is like a father to me. I would die for that man. If you look above, you might get a hint as to why we are so close. As far as his Whiskey drinking goes.... well, he's the only man I ever saw who could drink three bottles of "The Water of Life" (that's what Whiskey means you know,) and still stand tall, defend the weak, defend his home and kick the ass of some downright criminals who tried to take over his homeland. You know, he has been fighting his whole life for the weak and downtrodden so if the man wants to be blitz twenty four hours a day, that's his right. He�s earned it. As ye can see, I'm pretty protective of the man. But on to a something more light and humorous. One day he was drinking at the bar, been there since the wee hours of the morning and it was almost closing time, when two punks stepped on his foot and told him to get the hell out of their seat. Well, I'll tell you what, I had just showed up to take him home, but before I could even swivel my hips to unload a head kick, Seamus jumps up and delivers to quick head butts, breaking both their faces up and they are out cold. I says to him "What the hell was that!" and he replies to me with a wink of his eye "That's a Glasgow Kiss sonny, you know me father was from Scotland!" and then he proceeds to turn his head and passes out falling to the floor! I couldn't help but laugh as he woke up the next morning and asks why he's got a big lump on his forehead, I didn't have the heart to tell him it was from hitting the bar with his noggin', so I told him one of the punks had hit him with a bottle before he KO'd them both.

You are undefeated with five KO wins, a combined fight time of less than 9 minutes. You have surprised a lot of people with your aggressive style!
Well brother, I just do what I do. I come in prepared and if the other guy makes a mistake, I punish him for it. There was that one guy in one of me fights who was the first guy to take me down. Now he didn't do anything once he got on top but lay n' pray, and that really pissed me off! I'm not the kind of guy who likes a sweaty dude laying on top of him humping his leg, so when the second round started, I said to him, "you want my leg?" Well how about I give it to ya' then?" and then knocked his ass out!

With all those head kicks flying around, do you have trouble finding spar partners?
Well, I used to have trouble finding guys who would let me kick them in the head. They always said my kicks were too dangerous even with padding. Now those guys were pussies. So what if I knocked the first guy out with 30% power through shin pads and head pads? I mean, if you aren't going to Spar with some purpose, there is really no point. Do you think a guy in a fight is going to say, "Hey, don't kick me too hard ok?" Well, I shouldn't say that, one guy did say something like that to me, so I felt sorry for him and gave him one at maybe 15%, I don't know if he has a soft melon or something, but all it took was one and his lights were out! Now I have found a group of guys who aren't scared to go full on in sparring, so it has been great. I'm teaching them my skills and they do the same for me. It's like a family getting together for dinner. We fight, we eat, and then we do it all over again!

You recently changed gym to the new started Wolfschanze!? Rumour says you was forced to quit your old gym because of an affair with the owner's daughter!? True?
Let's just say that the old gym owner was concerned that I was too preoccupied with head... kicks that is, head kicks. So we decided to part ways as he wanted to focus more on grappling. So I signed on at Wolfschanze after looking around and I found in it, a great group of guys who are into serious training, but aren't scared to have a little fun too. After Saturday workouts, we go watch some fights and get blasted, but you know what? First thing Monday morning, we are back in there kicking the crap out of each other and I wouldn't want it any other way. They really are like a family. No one is ranked higher than the other here and we keep each other humble. Plus the owner doesn't have any daughters, just a couple of cute cousins..... *wink*

(Off the record, did you do her?)
hahaha, well, I'm not one to kiss and tell, but my parting words to that old prick at the dump gym was as follows, "The only thing around here I'm interested in grappling with is your daughters snatch! You know she was the only one who would let me go and fully explode to the face." I'm not a mean guy, but why should he care if me and her were bumping our uglies? If he had an issue with it, he shouldn't of let her parade around in a bikini while we are trying to focus on training. A couple times some of the other guys wouldn't want to spar cause they were popping hard-ons watching her! We no longer see each other, but I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up to my next fight. You know what they say, "Once you go Deer, no other man will get near!"

How do you get along with the other fighters in Team O�Connell?
The boys? They be grand! So very grand! They've become almost as close as brudders to me! Most of 'em come from the Island, but there are some who are from other places in the world. Me buddies Ryan Ballinger and Bon Scott, now they be a blast, so funny! This one time I be sparring Muay Thai with some new guy and I start unloading a few leg kicks, this guy clinches me up and throws a knee right to me bojangles! As I'm rollin' around on the floor in agony, he comes in close and says, "Hey Leprechaun, I thought yer Charms were supposed to be Lucky?" Ryan comes in with a flying knee, knocks this guy to his ass and says "Wanna try mine? They're magically delicious!" Next thing, Bon Scott comes walking around the corner singing his song "I've got big balls, I've got big balls, And they're such big balls, Dirty big balls, And he's got big balls, And she's got big balls, But we've got the biggest balls of them all!" I'll tell you, all of us ended laughing our asses off, even the guy I was sparring with couldn't stop! He apologizes for the shot to me nuts and after that, we decided he was one of us and let him join permanently. You may have heard of him, Phan Tran Le? He fights out of Hilo right now, same as our other guy, Aodhan. Now Aodhan, he is a great guy to look up to. He's been fighting a long time and has helped us all. He's been around even longer than Uisce! Me and Uisce, now there's a "sibling" rivalry! We are always trying to out head kick each other! I gotta' say though, I think I have the edge in that one. Me other partners are all great too, in fact a few of them helped me get in contact with Jeff and the APG.

You fight Desmond Carter next, comments?
I don't know a lot about Mr. Carter, but I do respect him. I've taken a look at the tapes of his fights and I am definitely impressed with his heart. He has gone the distance once, in his last fight, but he pulled off an impressive submission in the last round of his debut. That takes skill and composure, doesn't matter who the opponent is or what his skills are, heart easily trumps expertise or experience for that matter. That said, I am planning on making him a rich man, once he cashes in with the tooth fairy from all the ones I knock out! Seriously though, I hope no one gets seriously hurt, cause if I get pissed and unload with even 75% power, we might see our first death inside the APG cage. I hope Desmond has his Last Will And Testament all worked out cause this could be the end for him.

Will you call out Joe Boxer if you wins??
To be honest with you, I couldn't give a crap about Joe Boxer. Not to disrespect the man, he has accomplished a lot, but he has never been in the cage with a MAN like me. I'm too much for him and he knows it, that's why he is over there at the UPG right now. My advice to him is, stay there. At some point our paths will cross, and where ever that may be, he will probably retire after I leave him unconscious on the cage floor, unless he ends up in Cr� na cille..... look it up.

Well this is the end of our interview, do you have anything else you want to say?
Yeah, I'd like to close by quoting my personal bio that I gave the APG for their website: "You thought we were extinct, you thought we all perished. I am here to show that we are not." Take from it what you will. I've gotta' go have a pint now with Seamus and the boys, yer welcome to come if ya' think yer man enough. So ask yourself this, can you go out with the boys to drink and still get up with the men to work? *winks*

There you have it folks, our full interview with Oisin "The Deer" O' Conghaile! Hope you enjoyed it!

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