Paul Gardner: Moss Side Ground 'n' Pound Still Alive And Well

deano · Jan 4, 2011

After UCC 2 many were under the impression that long-standing gym Moss Side Ground and Pound were no longer functioning. However, under new head coach Paul Gardner, himself a Pro fighter with a 5-3 record, the gym is alive and well. Gardner explained the situation to BritMMA.

"What happened was I was fighting for the title, and Kieran [Mullin], Ali [Arish] and Chris [Ram] were fighting," began Paul, explaining how the event panned out for his team. "The night didn't work out as usual. Maybe it was a bit of a cliche it happening, and with Danny (Ram, founder and former trainer of Moss Side Ground and Pound) bowing out and ready to call it quits. At the end of the day, he's been all over the country in the last five years with at least a show every other month, which is tough. I'd been doing a class for two and a half years, and Tommy and a few new people came in; they'll be back. I've got new guys though, and Brendan [Loughnane] and Ali were training a bit ago. They've got a lot of respect for me, and I've shown Ali this and that, so he'll be going places soon. Brendan too; they're both top prospects.

"Brendan started off with me and Danny with nothing," continued Paul about the 20-year old. "I remember him coming to a show when he was going to school when I was fighting in Swansea. He came and was saying, 'I'd love to do this,' and look at him now."
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On his fight with Shaun Lomas:

"Me losing when everyone expected me to sail it and nail him didn't help things," he conceded. "I'll be dead honest; it could have been my fight no problem. The thing was, I peaked two weeks early, and to give Kieran [Mullin] his due for how he did, I've walked out in front of crowds in Nottingham, Swansea and here there and everywhere, but nothing quite prepares you to walk out in front of 1,800 people that are wild. That's part of the parcel of being a Pro fighter though."

So would Paul like another crack at Lomas?

"Definitely," he asserted. "I'm not bothered about a title or anything like that; I'd just like to set the record straight because I know I could beat him, no danger. I'm not just saying that; I need to do it for myself. I was doing the corner for Ali when he fought in November, and I said to the Mrs. that I left something in that cage and I picked it back up then. For eight weeks, I was a shell of a man. I lost about a stone. It didn't sit right, because it shouldn't have been the way it was.
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Check out the full interview here: http://britmma.co.uk/#/paul-gardner-moss-side-ground/4547039572

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Paul Gardner: Moss Side Ground 'n' Pound Still Alive And Well

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Paul Gardner: Moss Side Ground 'n' Pound Still Alive And Well

deano Active Member Full Member