YOKKAO 14: a Word with Greg Wootton!
As we all know Greg Wootton is the main event for YOKKAO 14 vs Saenchai PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym. This fantastic bout is set to make history. Wootton is yet again facing a name that is very well known throughout the Muay Thai World. He took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for us about his training and preparation for the fight is going.
Dom: Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where's home? Where do you train? Who trains you? How did you get into Muay Thai? etc.
Greg: I was born and grew up in west London and have always trained at KO gym. I’m trained by my coaches Bill Judd and David Paquette and my team at the gym Richmond and Leon amongst others. I started training Muay Thai when I stopped playing football as I was looking for something to do to keep fit. A good friend at school was going to classes invited me along and it started from there.
Dom: How many fights have you had now? What’s your fight record?
Greg: I’ve had 35 fights with 31 wins and 4 losses
Dom: How do you keep motivated?
Greg: I keep motivated because I enjoy training and the people I train with. Every fight is a new challenge or step up and something to and work towards. You can always improve, learn new techniques and develop.
Dom: What has been your biggest challenge to date? How did you overcome it?
Greg: Every fight is a new challenge or at least it should be. First title fight, first A class fight, first Thai opponent etc. in order to keep improving each fight should be more challenging than the last. So in that sense it’s hard to single out one specific challenge. On paper it would probably be fighting against Pakorn or Petchboonchu and approach each challenge with the same attitude as the last one which is to train hard, improve, enjoy it and win.
Dom: Is your nutrition generally on point or do you have a specific plan when you have a fight coming up?
Greg: I generally eat pretty healthy apart from having a few sweet treats. Then when I have a fight coming up I will go on a more disciplined diet to benefit training and lose weight.
Dom: What does fight camp entail for you?
Greg: I will train twice a day, six days a week and eat a stricter diet. I’ll train for longer, spar more and work on tactics specific to each fight.
Dom: Do you feeling Muay Thai is growing?
Greg: With the rise in popularity of MMA and UFC where the majority of the fighters practice Muay Thai as their stand up martial art, Muay Thai is also becoming more popular. There is some great momentum around the world with fast growing promotions such as in China, the States and the UAE.
Dom: You have fought Pakorn before on YOKKAO, how did losing feel?
Greg: I didn’t fight to the best of my ability that day so I wasn’t happy with my performance. It’s never a nice feeling to lose but when you could have done better it feels worse. It doesn’t matter who the opponent I just want to fight well and win.
Dom: What will you do differently this time round? What is at stake for you?
Greg: I train hard for every fight so the only difference will be fighting my best on the day and leaving the ring knowing that.
Dom: You are fighting Saenchai next, possibly one of the most well known Thai fighters in the world, is that intimidating to you?
Greg: Yes, every fight against top level fighters is intimidating. It’s how you deal and respond to it that matters.
Dom: YOKKAO is great exposure for you as a fighter, what do you feel YOKKAO is doing for the growth of the sport?
Greg: This next fight is big for me and great for the sport in the UK. Having top Thais coming over and fighting British fighters shows the level in the country is improving.
Dom: Any final words for Saenchai?
Greg: Nope. Well there we have it! How do you think it will go down? Leave your comments at the bottom of the page with your opinions, I would love to hear what you think! If you haven’t got your tickets yet, which wouldn’t make any sense because this is going to be off the hook...You can get more info on them right here: https://www.yokkao.com/blogs/news/yokkao-14-15-tickets-are-basically-all-sold-out/ I would also like to know how you think the Liam Harrison vs Singdam Kiatmoo9 fight will turn out… You can voice your opinion on the bottom of this article, while getting my opinion and a few of the people I train with too:
