Following the late breaking news of Dan Downes stepping into a WEC event fight less than a week before the event. MMA Valor caught up with him to take some time out of his extremely busy training schedule to ask a few questions. We kept it short and sweet so the fans can get a quick peek into a rising star before his debut.

MMAVALOR – I see you turned pro in 2007, how long have you been training MMA and what made you get into the sport / end up at the Duke Rufus Gym?

DOWNES- I started training with Duke in 2004.  At first it was just something to do during rugby offseason conditioning.  My parents never let me do martial arts as kids so I figured why not try it out.  Also, since I just thought I’d be doing it for a couple months, I didn’t want to do a traditional martial art and get bogged down in the whole belt system.  So I just did a Google search and found Duke’s gym. Eventually I got hooked at its led me to where I am now.

MMAVALOR - Your next opponent is coming off a highlight reel TKO loss, and you seem to have what it takes to stop guys at 155 is that your plan for your WEC Debut?

DOWNES -That’s exactly the plan. Chris is a great opponent and a huge step up in competition, but I train with his caliber of guys all the time at Roufusport.  If people expect me to be scared and back off, they are sorely mistaken

MMAVALOR - Have you ever traveled to Canada or been outside of the USA to fight?

DOWNES - Never been to Canada or outside the USA to fight.  As long as the customs guys don’t get too grabby I don’t see how it’ll be different from any other fight.  Plus, I’ve always wanted to find out why Tim Horton’s is such a big deal up there, and after weigh-ins, I’ll finally have the chance.

MMAVALOR - Who are your main sponsors for this fight?

DOWNES - Still working on that.  Taking a fight on short notice doesn’t give you a whole bunch of time to get things in order, but I’ve been sponsored by Tokyo Five and Full Tilt Poker before so I’m sure they’ll help out again.

MMAVALOR - Have you recently been interested in joining the WEC with your training partner, or has this been the goal since you turned pro?

DOWNES - I turned pro with the goal of making it to the big show.  Lots of guys are content to idle away at the local level and be a big fish in a small pond.  Not I, from the start I wanted to make it to a platform like the WEC and now it’s my chance to show what I’m capable of.

WEC Fighter Dan Downes Interview
WEC Fighter Dan Downes Interview

WEC Fighter Dan Downes Interview

WEC Fighter Dan Downes Interview

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