TFN Interview with Welterweight Matthew Colquhoun “Fight Time 36”

The Fighting News
March 19, 2017

For welterweight Matthew Colquhoun, winning is a mindset. As a young prospect recently signed to Fight Time Promotions, mindset will determine whether his star will rise or fall. The Fighting News recently sat down with Colquhoun for an exclusive interview:

TFN: So you’re currently training with…

MC: Currently I’m training with CSMMA and Blackzilians…

TFN: How is it training with the blackzilians ?

MC: It’s good! I’m training with the top athletes that I’m used to seeing on TV. It’s upped my game a lot, level-wise. Skill wise, it’s improved my wrestling and striking a lot. The Blackzilians are the best team in South Florida.

TFN: South Florida is a hot bed for MMA in the nation, in terms of the number of gyms, promotions, and fighters coming from this area. I know the Blackzillions have some cutting-edge equipment there, how has that affected your training?

MC: It’s really awesome, man, again-before I came to Florida, I was living in Colombia for a little while, and it’s totally different. I’ve trained in Jamaica, trained in Colombia, and then trained with the Blackzilians. I went from here…to here. I was a small goldfish and I fell in the shark tank with these guys, and it was like, wow. I had to learn fast. Just turned pro last year, and rolling around with these guys is just a real honor. They have all the state-of-the-art equipment, top notch coaches. It really boosted me skill-wise.

TFN: Where do think the biggest advantage is, training with the Blackzillions? Is it the equipment, the coaches?

MC: Everything. The knowledge of the coaches. Knowledge is key to learning the skills. When you have a good teacher, and he’s able to teach you the skill properly in a way you can understand, you’re bound to do something good.

TFN: Exactly. In terms of your last fight, the fight you had in Hawaii…

MC: I had a fight in Hawaii, it was a short notice fight. I had two weeks to prepare. I just took it because I wanted to go see Hawaii, and the opponent was way more experienced than I was. I was coming off a three-fight win streak, all first round KOs. So I went over there and I would say nerves got the better of me. The flight was along flight and that took its toll. Plus cutting the weight in two weeks.

TFN: I saw the guy’s record-he had quite a few first round knockouts before your fight. How do you adjust your game plan when you see an opponent with that kind of knockout power?

MC: I was training in Jamaica at the time and doing a lot of boxing. I had friends that knew the guy and they said, “Matthew we think you can beat him” so when they have that kind of confidence, I am confident that I can beat him.

TFN: And what have you learned from that experience that you can take with you to your next fight in April with Fight Time Promotions?

MC: Keep my composure. It’s keeping my composure…training with the Blackzilians has totally upped my game. I’m pretty confident going in that I have the skill set to compete with any of these guys in Fight Time. I’m training with guys who are at the highest level. But taking from that fight in Hawaii, it’s keeping my composure, not rushing in, not underestimating anyone…I took that loss pretty well. I worked on myself mentally…I’ve taken a lot from that fight, I‘ve grown since that fight.

TFN: Have you watched tapes of your next opponent?

MC: Yes, I’ve seen him. He’s from Brazil, living in Florida. From what I can see, he’s not a good striker. He is a Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu. He’ll look to take me down…I think I have the advantage. I’m taller, I have the reach advantage, my striking is good, my ground game is good. I haven’t seen anything I’m too worried about.

TFN: And is there anything you’re like to tell your fans?

MC: That I’m coming, man. This promotion is a feeder to bigger promotions. I’m using this promotion to make a statement…This is my first fight in Florida as a pro. I’m here to make a statement…All the guys in my weight category better prepare themselves because I’m coming…I’ll always put on a show…expect fireworks!

Matthew Colquhoun will be fighting on April 7th at the War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale. Visit www.fighttimepromotions.com for more tickets and more information.

By Matt Benoliel