JOE caught up with Philip ‘The Honeybadger’ Mulpeter to chat about his epic BattleZoneFC title fights, his new five fight contract with Cage Warriors and why he nearly walked away from MMA when he seemed to be hitting his peak.
By Fergus Ryan
On the face of it, Philip ‘The Honeybadger’ Mulpeter’s MMA career seems to have been charmed.
He trains at the most successful gym in Ireland (SBGi) and has only ever fought on the big shows in Ireland (Cage Contender, Chaos FC, Clan Wars and BattleZone) and nearly half of his seven fights in his career have been for titles. But like his Twitter profile says, it’s down to ‘hard work and dedication’ rather than being a stroll in the park.
Moving Up
Philip recently signed a five fight contract with the largest MMA promotion in Europe, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship (CWFC). This means his fights will be streamed on MMA Junkie and screened by Sky Sports. Philip didn’t enter the sport for kicks; there was a plan to get to the top and CWFC is another step up the ladder.
“That was the general plan alright, basically just to follow the lads from the gym (SBGi) that are fighting there (CWFC) already. I’d be a late starter compared to some of them so they kind of lead the way,” Mulpeter told this.
“I feel like I deserve it because of my last few fights.”
The last few fights Philip mentions are his claiming and retaining of the BattleZone FC welterweight title. He won the title after going five rounds in the ‘War in Whitehall’ with Team Ryano’s John Donnelly, a fight many thought would be ‘Fight of the Year’ in Irish MMA. His first defence against Ritchie Gorey was another war.
Ready for War
“Anyone that has seen those fights says they’re amazing but there are probably more people who haven’t seen them and want to see them. I thought the fight with John was going to be ‘Fight of the Year’ and then I fought Ritchie and people started saying that one was better.”
Rather than look for easy fights to pad out his record, Philip is happy to step up and face the toughest guy out there.
“I like fighting tough guys and beating them because I reckon that’s the fastest way to get to the top so I was delighted to get the title fight at BattleZoneFC. Everyone at the gym (SBGi) that has a championship belt has a spot on the wall with their picture so it’s nice to have my spot on the wall. Like I said, I feel I’m playing catch-up and the guys that have done it are pushing me to do it. They stepped up first so now it’s my turn to step up.”
When we discuss his two epic BattleZoneFC title fights, it proves you never really know what’s happening unless you’re one of the guys in the cage.
Ironically, in the fight Philip was losing he felt more comfortable and the fight that he led, he felt more in danger. Against John Donnelly, Philip got a lead on the scorecards early and finished winning a unanimous decision 48-47. In the Ritchie Gorey fight he was definitely behind heading into the fourth round.
“I knew Ritchie was going to be a tough guy but I knew his striking wasn’t going to be as crisp as John’s. That’s why I think the fight with John was tougher because he rocked me a few times and I felt I was in more danger in that one. Ritchie was a tough dude and he was hard to get out from under when he was in top position but I was never rocked or never felt in danger during that one.”
Quittin’ time? Not yet!
It seems hard to believe but we nearly never got to see Mulpeter v Gorey. After winning his title in one of the greatest fights ever in Irish MMA, Philip considered hanging up the gloves.
“After the John Donnelly fight I wasn’t in a good place. It’s hard to explain but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I felt like I was putting a lot of energy into something and getting less back. I really can’t explain exactly where I was but yeah, I considered giving it all up.”
You’d think lion taming or the rodeo would be the only professions that could replace the buzz of a main event title fight for Philip… apparently not.
“Ye won’t believe this, but I was considering taking on a college course in accounting.”
Thankfully he didn’t exchange the small gloves for the spreadsheet.
“I’m not even sure what got me switched back on. I started doing a course in personal training and then my own training started to go great, I was really enjoying the work and then I suppose I just got back on the right path and I was back in the game.”
Accountancy’s loss was definitely MMA’s gain and to underline his return, Philip had a four round barn burner with BJJ Cork/Pedro Bessa’s Ritchie ‘Souza’ Gorey on his return to the BattleZoneFC cage.
Check out SevereMMA’s video of Philip’s fight with Ritchie Gorey at BattleZoneFC 6
“I figured I’d lost the first round because I was too lax. I was hoping to wear him out so I wasn’t too bothered when he had me down or pinned against the cage, I’m pretty comfortable in those positions.
In the second I thought I won that round and reckoned I could have finished him. I went for a choke when I probably should have stuck to ground and pound. In the third I was a little tired from the second and he’d got me down and I couldn’t get up so I reckoned instead of wasting loads of energy trying to get back up I’d just hang out and recover a little.”
Though he was probably down two rounds to one Philip was feeling positive about coming out for the fourth round.
“In the third he was landing shots but in my head I knew I wasn’t hurt and wasn’t in danger of being finished and that was the point I knew I had him. At the end of the (third) round I got up and held my arms up because I knew I’d be fresher than him in the fourth. I knew if I took it to him, I’d win.”
Down, but not out
While he may not have been counted out, most people would agree Philip was losing the fight and it looked, from a spectator’s viewpoint, like he’d taken a beating in the third round. What happened next was a classic ‘Rocky’ moment that only sport can provide.
Just like Liverpool against AC Milan or Leinster against Northampton, Philip came out in the fourth and shocked the world. He walked forward swinging with fury till Gorey hit the floor. Philip followed him down and ended the fight with a hail of ground and pound in one of the finest displays of calculation and courage.
Next up for Philip is Tommy Quinn at CWFC 51 on New Year’s Eve.
“I saw most of Tommy Quinn’s fight on the last Cage Warriors in Dublin and I thought he should have won it, to be honest. He’s a big strong guy and he likes to come forward and I like to come forward so I reckon it’ll a three round war and a contender for ‘Fight of the Night’.
Philip wanted to thank Swan Leisure in Rathmines, Big Shot Nutrition, Irish Strength Institute and all his coaches and team mates at SBGi.
Anyone looking to train under Philip’s guidance can get down to the Honeybadger Sports Clinic in the Portarlington Business Park, Laois for some kettlebell, women’s boxercise, MMA striking and grappling classes.
Cage Warriors 51 will take place in the Helix on 31 December. Tickets will go on sale later this month, with more bouts to be announced shortly. Keep track of Cage Warriors on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
Pictures supplied by In Cage Photography. For more MMA pictures check out their Facebook page.
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