WEC fighter Dan Downes Interview
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.
About the Author (Author Profile)
A college student residing in Arizona, coming off of active duty and continuing to work for the government. I hold a black belt in Hapkido, and have high school wrestling experience paired with multiple grappling tournaments. I spent six months training Authentic Muay Thai and now I am currently enrolling in Gracie B.J.J/MMA this week. I plan on starting my amateur fighting Career sometime late this year to early next year and also plan on entering B.J.J. tournaments through the year.Subscribe
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I’m not surprised to see that “Danny Boy” Downes is a fighter now. He was one of the meanest kids in our school!
@Bobby
Really man, I hope he didn’t beat you up and take your lunch money though. LOL