ARLINGTON, TX, June 16, 2011 – It’s been a busy year in MMA thus far for “Sir” Douglas Frey. He opened the year with a spectacular TKO victory over Randy Villarreal at XKO 9 to earn a title shot again Steven “Ocho” Peterson at XKO 10. The result of that fight ended up to be one the most hotly-debated issues in the DFW era thus far this year when a disqualification marred an otherwise classic matchup between the two.
With that fight now behind him, Frey took a moment to reflect on his fighting career and grow personally by travelling to his ancestral home of Donegal, Northern Ireland to visit the place where his family has stayed rooted since 1601.
Gaining perspective from that trip and subsequently getting engaged to his longtime girlfriend and fellow fighter Jinh Yu, this Highlander has come back refreshed and reinvigorated as a fighter, more focused on taking heads and moving his career forward than ever before.
This Saturday, Douglas Frey will be making his return to the cage for the first time since XKO 10, stepping back into the fray to take on 4-2 Justin “The Butcher” Hickey at Undisputed MMA in Amarillo.
TXMMA.com recently spoke to Mr. Frey to see what he’s been up to since his last fight and get his perspective on this Saturday’s fight with Just Hickey along with what else the future might hold for him fighting and beyond.
Doug, thanks for taking the time to talk to TXMMA.com during fight week. Before we talk about your next fight, let’s talk about your last one. There was a lot of controversy after your fight with Steven Peterson. Do you have any final thoughts on that one?
There’s so much to say but I will keep it brief. Of all the fights I have ever been in, it was my favorite. I learned a great deal about myself. Everyone including me fully expected there to be an immediate rematch because of all the controversy; however, when Mr. Peterson was asked to defend the XKO title on July 23rd against me he declined the rematch. Oh well, life goes on. Que sera sera.
With that behind you, let’s talk about the fight this Saturday. How’s training and everything else been leading up to this fight with Justin Hickey?
Training for this fight has been great! I took a nice vacation traveling to Scotland and Ireland, I got engaged, and revamped my motivation to come back and grind!
How long of a training camp did you have for this one? Have you tried to do anything specific or different this time around?
I put in a five-week training camp for this one. I am always in fight camp because even if I don’t have a fight on the horizon, one of my training partners usually does. Nothing too specific for this fight though. The guys that come out of Jackson’s MMA are always tough and well-rounded so all aspects of training are vital to succeed against them.
What do you know about Justin “The Butcher” Hickey?
I really don’t know anything about Mr. Hickey other than what his fight videos reveal on YouTube. He looks very athletic, good wind, strong top game, and likes to utilize the clinch.
How do you plan on winning this fight and notching your 10th victory?
I hate predicting how I will finish a fight because anything can happen. I plan on staying on the outside and using my reach to my advantage but I will oblige him if he wants to clinch. Wrestling is my base so putting him on his back and grinding out a win could be in the cards.
Anything planned coming up on the horizon after this one?
I have had several offers from promotions throughout the state and beyond but I will take it one fight at a time before deciding where my talents will be used next.
Good to know you’re not going to LeBron route. Any thoughts on what else the near future might hold for you, MMA or otherwise?
Whether it be with MMA or any other aspect of life, the future holds greatness for me. A move to Scotland could happen in the next couple of years. Only time will tell.
What do you have to say to your fans that will be pulling for you this Saturday?
Thank you to Shane Roller and all the guys at Team Takedown for the work that they have put in with me, William Campuzano for all of his time and effort to help me out with this fight, and Coach Mohler along with all the guys associated with Team Alliance. BIG Thank you to my sponsor The Dragon’s Breath in Bedford.
Insert Completely Random But Possibly Appropriate Braveheart Speech…
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