Kingdom MMA Exclusive: Interview with Max Nunes

BAMMA's unbeaten star Max Nunes tells Kingdom MMA his next fight "should be for a title"

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Wednesday 12th March 2013 I had the privilege of interviewing BAMMA’s unbeaten rising star and my pick for the one to watch in the next 18 months Max Nunes. Max who now holds a 10-0 professional MMA record after his TKO win against Marcin Lazarz at BAMMA 12.

Ben: Hi Max, Thank you for taking the time out to do this interview for Kingdom MMA, it is very much appreciated.

Growing up in Sweden how did you first get in to MMA as a fan?
Max: I was never a MMA fan. I had never watched it or anything like that. I had never been a fan until I started fighting.

Ben: When did you first start training in MMA?
Max: It was about four years ago, something like that.

Ben: Why did you start training in MMA, especially if you were not a fan before?
Max: There was a MMA club in my gym and after seeing them train every day I just decided to come and try.

Ben: Had you trained in any martial arts before you started training in MMA?
Max: Nope, nothing I just went straight into MMA without any background in any combat sport.

Ben: I believe you moved to London to help progress your MMA career, what ultimately made you come to this decision and when did you move?
Max: Yeah I purely came to London to train MMA because back then MMA wasn't so big in Sweden. There weren't many shows in Sweden so it was going to be a move to the USA or UK and the UK was closer.

Ben: Did you ever have any amateur fights in Sweden/ England or did you go straight in to fighting as a professional?
Max: Yeah I did fight as an amateur but only in England, I went 3-1-1 as an amateur/ semi-professional.

Ben: Did you win your first amateur fight? Or was that your only loss?
Max: Yes I lost the first fight and haven’t lost a fight since.

Ben: That’s a great achievement, especially as you had done no training of any martial arts previously. How long had you trained before your first fight?
Max: About less than a year I think

Ben: You are now 10-0 as a professional stopping all opponents inside the distance. Do you pride yourself of this fact?
Max: Yeah I am very happy it’s like a dream come true. I always try and go for the finish. For me that is very important to get the stoppage. You never know what the judges are thinking and they are not really known for picking right all the time lol

Ben: Yes I agree if you have the ability to finish it go for it and make sure the judges can’t make a mistake.
Max: That’s how I see it.

Ben: With five wins by KO and five wins by Submission this proves you are a fully rounded mixed martial artist. Do you have a preference on where you like to keep the fight?
Max: Not really, anywhere I can get the stoppage is fine by me.

Ben: In your last fight you went in to the third round for the first time in your career (and past the first round for only the second time) but proved you still had the cardio to control that round before getting the KO finish with some brutal ground and pound. Do you pride yourself on being able to fight the whole fifteen minutes even though we have not seen this yet in your professional career?
Max: Yeah, you can’t expect to finish everyone in the first round, Marcin Lazarz was very well prepared and I think it is very important to be fit. I never want to lose a fight because I gas out. However, I do always do my best to finish the fight.

Ben: In your last fight it was the first time in your career that you looked in a bit of trouble getting rocked in the first round, do you remember much about it and were you hurt at that point?
Max: Yeah but in the fight I didn’t feel hurt or anything I just felt that he hit me. Looking back at the fight I can see that I got rocked.

Ben: Would you say you had any areas of weaknesses inside the cage that you need to develop?
Max: Yeah of course, I want to be better at everything. I’m always looking to improve my skills.

Ben: Who would you like to fight next and when? Also, do you think your next fight should be for a BAMMA title as both British and World titles are vacant at Light Heavyweight?
Max: I don’t care. I will fight whoever they put in front of me and yes I think it should be for a title.

Ben: Am I right in thinking you are now one fight into your exclusive three fight deal with BAMMA, if so would you like to fight two more times this year?
Max: Yes that is correct, I have two more fights left on my contract. If I could I would fight two more times before the summer.

Ben: By the sounds of it BAMMA can’t keep you out of the cage then….
Max: Ha-ha yeah I like to keep active.

Ben: Realistically how many times do you think you would be able to fight this year if BAMMA keep putting the shows on?
Max: If I could and was not injured about every eight weeks.

Ben: Are you fighting fit following the win on Saturday night or did you pick up any knocks?
Max: No I am really happy that I came out of that fight unharmed, my legs are just a bit sore.

Ben: Out of all of your fights do you think you have a win that was most satisfying for you?
Max: The last one, because it made me 10-0.

Ben: If you could fight anywhere in the world where would it be?
Max: Japan, I just love the culture.

Ben: As a fan now, do you have a favourite fighter?
Max: Yeah Shinya Aoki, I think he is amazing.

Ben: If you could put together a fantasy fight who would you want to watch fight and why?
Max: It would be me vs. Anderson Silva just because he is the best fighter in the world and it would be an honour to say that I had a fight with him.

Ben: One last question, if you had to pick a fight with two separate fighters other than yourself, who would you pick?
Max: Silva vs. Jones. I think everyone wants to see that fight.

Ben: I think you are right, that’s a brilliant fight and surely nobody would complain if that fight got made.

Ben: Thank you very much Max for your time and for answering all the questions for Kingdom MMA. I look forward to seeing you back in the cage and speaking to you again in the future.
Max: Thank you

Be sure to keep checking KingdomMMA.co.uk to find out the latest news on Max Nunes, BAMMA as well as the latest MMA stories from around the UK and the rest of the world.