There are fighters who make their pro debuts with a bang and then are fighters who fly under the radar, win a few fights and before you know it, are a serious force to be reckoned with. Oakville, Ontario native Rory McDonell (0-0) will be coming to APEX: A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS rather quietly, but there is a good chance he will leave quite the impression on everyone in attendance.
Back in April, McDonell quietly did his thing while showcasing his skills at the APEX: Auditions and MMA Camp. His ground game was superb and his striking skills caught the eyes of not only the judges, but those of the other participants as well. A wrestler by trade, he has been practicing the art for over 10 years, plying in both Freestyle and Greco Roman formats eventually becoming the National Greco Roman Champion.
Over the past two years, McDonell has been fusing the submission wrestling game into his arsenal, adding boxing and MMA to round his overall skills. The 5'9", 24 year old welterweight will be making is debut on October 14th, vs Cedric Grenon, a prodigy of APEX Middleweight sensation Nabil 'The Thrill' Khatib.
McDonell comes from quite the camp himself. He has been rumbling with Jeff Joslin, the Hamilton, Ontario welterweight phenom, who will also be fighting on the same card. McDonell realizes he needs to train with the best, to become the best and his reasoning for becoming a fighter is obvious. "I'm a fighter because I'm good at it and I love doing it. I've always been good at combat sports, and MMA was the natural progression from boxing and wrestling. The school guidance counselor used to ask: "If you had a million dollars what would you do every day?" The answer was supposed to be your job when you grow up. Well if I had a million dollars, I would train every day and fight every chance I get. I love it."
His motivation is an internal one, filled with a self desire to be the best. "In terms of MMA, winning is obviously what motivates everyone, no one is in the ring to lose. For me though, I want to become the most complete fighter I possible can. Every day I train I work on my weaknesses, every day I come into the gym with a game plan. I'm not going to take the easy way out and fall back on my wrestling, I'm going to be a true mixed martial artists."
His hobbies besides wrestling and fighting are 'reading and writing' and often takes a deep breath while tackling the difficulties of playing the bagpipes. Surely the inspirational sounds of the bagpipes fuel the fire within but McDonnel still kicks back and enjoys some classic rock. He lists AC/DC, Led Zepplin as some of his favourites and adds 'I'm a Johnny Cash fan.'
McDonnel is a full time university student, but works construction 'a few days a week to pay the bills.' I asked if he had any superstitions he believed in, and he stated 'Not really, but I do always wear my sox inside out because I think it's more comfortable that way.' The same can be said about the routine that makes him feel comfortable before fight time. 'I have a specific warm-up and visualization routine that gets me totally focused on the fight at hand.'
Many fans are awaiting to see what Rory McDonnel can bring to the ring on October 14th, at the Robert Geurtin Arena. With just over one week to go, everyone is awaiting to see what this young buck can bring to the table. Tickets for APEX:A NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS can be purchased via ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca or by visiting www.apexfighting.com.