James Brum after Cage Warriors Fight Night 8 fight "tapping is not an option. It is either escape or go to sleep"

James Brum talks to Kingdom MMA after defeating Olivier Pastor at Cage Warriors Fight Night 8

by Ben Heather @benheather

Last Saturday night Cage Warriors visited the Mirbeh Sports Hall in Al Fujairah, United Arab Emirates for Cage Warriors Fight Night 8. James "Job Done" Brum went in to the fight looking to extend his winning streak and make it six wins in a row, that streak dates back to September 2011. As it turned out Brum got exactly what he was hoping for when he defeated Olivier Pastor by Unanimous Decision. Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Brum to discuss the fight and what plans he has for the future.

Ben: How does it feel standing here today having got the win on Saturday night?
Brum: All the hard work and sacrifice is paying off and it feels great to get another WIN and extend my WINNING streak to 6 fights and remain unbeaten in Cage Warriors. I can't do this without the great team I have behind me at Gym 01.

Ben: Did the fight pan out the way you expected it to on Saturday?
Brum: Although Pastor has not been finished in over 18 fights going into last Saturday's bout I believed I would TKO him in the second or third round. I didn't expect to almost lose the fight in the first 30 seconds with that mean guillotine of his. That was tight to say the least!

I would have liked to have pushed the intensity a lot more during the fight, especially in the last round but I had been feeling ill all weekend. Watching some of the footage back you can see how bloated my stomach was during the fight. It was a miracle I was able to save the projectile vomiting till after the fight.

I would have liked to have got the finish but considering the calibre of opponent in Pastor and the fact I wasn't feeling 100 %, I'm happy I got the WIN. Judging by the crowds reactions during the fight I think they enjoyed the fight too.

Ben: Did Pastor fight as you has prepared or did he surprise you with anything?
Brum: I had a great camp with my team mates at Gym 01 so felt I was prepared for wherever the fight went. All the boys did their best to mimic Pastor's fighting style and literally take my head off in sparring. I didn't expect him to look for the takedowns as much as he did and thought he would look to want to stand and bang. I have real good takedown defence as seen in previous fights and was able to keep the fight standing.

One thing that did surprise me was how well he did at getting back up to his feet after I took him to the ground as in previous fights he has worked off his back. Then again I wouldn't want to be working off my back with 'Job Done' raining ground n pound on me.

Ben: How close did you come to tapping when Pastor locked in the guillotine? Looking back at the fight your face went purple so it looked very tight.
Brum: I apologise for giving my fans an early scare. I think they all thought he is either getting out of this or we are about to see Brum go to sleep.

That guillotine was on real tight and I think most fighters would have taken the easy way out. But I'm not your average fighter. I'm not prepared to let anyone take away everything I've worked on so tapping is not an option. It is either escape or go to sleep.

Ben: What were you thinking when he got you in that situation?
Brum: I had a million thoughts running through my head but tapping wasn't an option. I went to a happy place and  grit my teeth and fought the hands. It is important to keep calm in those situations and listen to your corner team.

Ben: Now you have won your last 6 fights where do you go from here?
Brum: I'm taking a couple days off to detox and get rid of this stomach bug or whatever I have passes through my system and then I'm going straight back into training and improving my skills. People like to poke fun at how much I balloon up in weight in between fights. From now on I'm going to walk round a lot leaner (I can hear the boys saying yeah right) but you never know what opportunities may come your way. I want to be ready to take whatever opportunities come my way.

Ben: When would you like to fight again?
Brum: It is up to Ian Dean, the match maker at Cage Warriors and my management company Intensiti Fight Management to decide when my next fight is and who my next victim is. IntensitiFM have done everything right by me in steering my career and I look forward to moving onwards and upwards together.

Ben: Do you see yourself as the European #1 Bantamweight after beating 5 of the European top 10 ranked fighters in your current run of 6 wins?
Brum: I believe I am the #1 Unsigned Bantamweight in Europe, period! I am the 2012 Cage Warriors Fighter of the year and AddictedMMA Fighter of the Year. No other bantam has fought the calibre of opponents I have in the last 15 months. I am undefeated in Europe's biggest promotion and 5 of those WINS were away from home, outside of the U.K.

Most of the guys with "good" records around me in the rankings have never fought more than an hour away from their homes. Try flying and travelling for 15 hours before you make weight etc and taking risky fights on Europe's top show, not hand picked fights in front of the same judges and refs in your local Liquid n Envy nightclub where the promotion only wants their ticket seller to win.

The only fighters above me in Europe are in the UFC.

Ben: If you could fight anybody next, in Cage Warriors or outside who would you want to fight?
Brum: If I could pick a perfect scenario I'd really like the opportunity to fight David Aranda for the Cage Warriors belt. He's 9.0.0. and the only European ranked above me in some rankings. The winner would surely be on the UFC's radar.

I doubt that will happen though, I think there's a tournament being set up for the CW belt and Aranda will very likely continue to pad out his record instead of losing his "O" to me.

I'm not discounting how good he is but I have him beaten everywhere, I'm fitter, stronger, faster and more technical. Also lets be honest here, he's only beaten 2 good fighters, the rest have been average at best. I think if I fight him he'd "shoot from the weigh ins".

Ben: Next up for Cage Warriors is a big Welterweight title fight, in Pendred vs Mills, how do you see that one playing out and who do you predict walks away with the belt?
Brum: I will definitely be tuning in to watch this fight. Both Pendred and Mills are very talented and dangerous fighters. I'm a big fan of Pendred so my money is on him. I believe he will be victorious and the Champion will retain his title.

Ben: What do the next few months hold for James Brum?
Brum: I'm going to be in the gym, grafting and adding new skills to my repertoire in order to achieve me dreams. I will be helping my team mates prepare for their upcoming fights on Shock N Awe on the 27th July and whatever opportunities that come their way. Apart from training and improving I would like to devote some time to seeing my parents back home in London.  I also look forward to continuing my Coaching role at Gym01 and helping to grow the gym and mould future stars.

I train as close to full time as possible but still have to work a security job at night in order to pay the bills. I have made some great friends and contacts during my fights in the Middle East and the Gulf. If IntensitiFM can help me arrange it I would like to head out there for a few days to conduct MMA training seminars and boost the image of Cage Warriors and MMA in the Middle East and create brand awareness for Gym 01.

Ben: Would you like to say thanks to anyone?
Brum: I would like to thank Ian Dean, Graham Boylan, Paul Dollery, Shadi Tahboub and the whole of the Cage Warriors crew for putting on yet another great show and allowing me to fight on Europe's biggest promotion.

Thank you to Mum, Dad and Liz for their continued support.
Thanks to Bri and the #Gym01Monsters and Coaches for all my fight preparation (www.gym01.com).
I would like to thank my good friend and Strength & Conditioning Coach Lee Waite (@LeeProedge).
Thank you to Tommy Lakes for the quality Behind the Scenes Video of myself at Cage Warriors Fight Night 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd7-5T5LwCE
Thank you: Gill Leeman, GLS Sport Massage  (http://www.glsport.co.uk/).
Thank you to my sponsors Ectomuscle (@ectomuscle) for quality supplements and fighter V-Pack only available at www.ectomuscle.co.uk. Now available in the U.S.A too at www.ectomuscle.com, Funkygums.com (@funky_gums), London Fight Store (@londonfight) and Little Red Creative (http://www.littleredcreative.co.uk/)

Thank you to Kingdom MMA for the pre and post fight interviews
Thank you to James from all at Kingdom MMA for taking the time to answer our questions again. We all look forward to seeing you in the Cage Warriers cage very soon.