Joel Downey-Cave will be looking to punch, kick, and grapple his way to victory on May 5, as he prepares for his fourth professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight.
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Now 1-2 from his first three fights, Downey-Cave is looking to reverse the losing trend in 2018, which he expects to be his busiest year yet.
The Goulburn local intended to move to Ireland at the end of last year, however that plan was curtailed by a visa confusion, and he is now living at home while working two jobs, along with fighting and training.
The fight in May will see Downey-Cave face off against Danny Hopper, is currently 0-1 professionally with two amateur wins under his belt.
The 20-year-old has had one fight a year since he made his professional debut in 2015, and he has decided that he must become more active if he is to give himself a chance of signing with a major organisation.
“I fought once last year, we’re trying to switch that now and get five or six this year,” Downey-Cave said.
“It’s too inactive, I’m young, I’m healthy, I wanna get it over and done with.”
A perfectionist with a tendency to over-analyse, Downey-Cave said that his biggest struggle in the ring was not technical but mental.
“I try not to think too much about the opponent specifically,” he said.
“Psychologically, it doesn’t do well with me to dwell on one person for too long, because I’m a hyper-critical thinker, I overthink things too much.”
Downey-Cave’s coach and instructor for the last six years, Craig Harmer, is well aware that the biggest obstacle facing his protege is his developing maturity level and the ability to deal with mental setbacks.
“He’s dedicated, he works hard,” Mr Harmer said.
“Like everyone, he can get frustrated at times when they’re not developing where they think they should be.
“Athletes can be very hard on themselves.
“Joel still being young, that’s probably a big part of where he needs to continue to develop. Physical part is no problem, it’s more a mental game.
“Now with him trying to develop a bit of maturity, 20 is still quite young.”
It is more important than ever for Downey-Cave to continue his development this year, due to a conversation he had recently with former UFC fighter and professional kickboxer Cung Le.
“I got some good news the other day,” Downey-Cave said.
“Cung Le … hit me with a message on Instagram. He said that ‘When you get to four and two, give me a ring. I’m friends with Scott Coker, the president of Bellator. We can get you in.’
“Best case scenario, I could be signed to Bellator by mid year.”
Bellator is the second largest MMA promotion in the world, behind the UFC, and should Downey-Cave earn a contract, he would be the only Australian male to fight under its banner.
To do so will mean that Downey-Cave has to win three fights in a row, however he is confident that once he improves his mentality, there will be little to stop him achieving this goal.
“If I’m on, no-one can outstrike me,” he said. “It’s when I’m on, it’s when I’m aggressive [that I’m at my best].
“I’ve gotta get myself to that point of being aggressive … all that leads to being peak performance.”
The fight between Joel Downey-Cave and Danny Hopper will take place under the Brace promotion at the AIS Arena in Canberra on May 5.
The doors will open at 6:30pm, and the preliminary card will begin at 7:00pm.
