Ask Luke Riley, and he’ll admit, “It’s been a bit of a mad camp.”
For months, Riley (9-0) has prepared for the biggest fight of his life, though the circumstances changed drastically due to elements outside his control.
“I felt a bit stuck, just a bit lost,” Riley said recently to MMA Junkie. “But I stayed in the gym. Obviously it kept me a bit sane getting there.”
Riley, 25, is the next generation of Next Generation MMA in Liverpool, England, the home of UFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann.
To have a Dana White’s Contender Series fight scheduled for Sept. 24 was elating. To have it then canceled due to visa issues was a bitter pill to swallow.
From age nine, preparing for fights has taken priority – over school, over work, over everything.
“When people were studying for exams, I was in Thailand hitting the pads,” Riley laughed. “I’d come back and the teachers would be like, ‘Luke, what the f*ck? Where have you been?’ I’d like, ‘I’ve just in Thailand. I’ve just been fighting in Thailand.’ They’d say, ‘Oh, you can’t do that, Luke.’ My mom was on my side. They knew fighting came first. It wasn’t school and then fighting, for me. It was fighting and then school.
“Fighting is No. 1, and it always has been. … I know people say there’s a lot more to life, but this moment in my life from since I’ve very first started fighting, it’s been a promise; it’s the first thing that comes first, before anything in my life.”
Riley is confident the issue will be resolved before the UFC circles back, so waiting on the shelf was an option – but it was not a remedy. Riley elected to compete again and will headline Cage Warriors 178 vs. Alexandre Junior (6-2) on Saturday in Manchester, England (UFC Fight Pass).
“I spoke to Graham (Boylan) and basically said I need to get back in the cage,” Riley said. “He got me on the Manchester show and then obviously the title fight. … I’m very happy, mate. … It’s not like I’m done forever. When it comes back around, it’ll all be sorted out. That’s why I’m happy.”
Despite his age, Riley’s level-headedness is beyond his years, majorly due to the influences he’s surrounded himself with professionally.
“Paddy is one of my best mates,” Riley said. “We have a lot in common in life. We’re just two normal lads, mate. Obviously, where he is now in his career, it’s inspiring. Sh*t, it’s more than that. He’s like an older brother, someone to look up to. I love to be in the gym with him.”
Being “Paddy’s guy” comes with a lot of attention. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s an extra angle of the fight game many youngsters don’t have to deal with. Riley, however, takes it all in stride. Seeing how Pimblett embraced it all made it easier for Riley to do the same.
“Obviously, all the Paddy haters are going to jump on whoever he’s going to mention,” Riley said. “He recently turned all the haters back around to fans again. I think that’s how fickle the MMA fans are. It’s just one of them, mate. You can’t stress over people on Twitter or Instagram or you’re not much of a fighter, are you? … He’s on a much larger scale than me. But even the likes of him, who has never lost, he’s still got haters. I’ve got to take it in stride and not bother me and just carry on going, mate. Back on.”
Like Pimblett, the confidence oozes from Riley, who dreams big and sounds so convincing he’s going to do everything to make them reality.
Even with knowledge the UFC is already interested, Riley aims to exceed the wildest expectations. Perhaps there’s a way he can convince the promotion to sign him, even knowing his travel abilities will be limited (at least for now).
“A lot of built-up f*cking… I don’t even know what the word would be. It’s not even anger. It’s built-up emotion,” Riley said. “I’m just looking to put a statement on, mate, basically. I want to make a statement to the UFC. I feel like I’m on the radar already. But after the performance I’m going to put on, they’re going to be like, ‘F*cking hell. Let’s sign this kid. I don’t know what we were thinking putting him on the Contender. This Luke, we need to sign him ASAP.’ That’s the type of performance I’m looking to put on.”
Whether it’s tomorrow, next month, or next year, Riley is confident he’ll live out his UFC dream one day. He’s in this to be the best and with an unblemished record, no one has thrown him off that path.
“Today, I could step in the octagon against anyone in the 145-pound division and win,” Riley said. “Mate, I’m willing to f*cking fight anyone. I believe I would beat anyone. I wouldn’t be in this sport to be f*cking having a 9-5.
“… If I was older and I was 35 instead of 25, I’d be honest. You’d see in interviews me saying, ‘He needs to hurry up.’ … There’s only one person you’re racing and that’s yourself. I’m a young kid, so I’ve got a lot of time. So no stress. Let’s see what happens after this one after I knock this kid out.”
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