Adam Bramhald: Interview After World Title Win at Caged Steel 27

Interview With Adam Bramhald

Thanks for your time today, Adam. How are you feeling after that world title win on Caged Steel FC?

Adam Bramhald – “It was good. It’s a small goal for me. I have a load of realistic goals that I’m working towards one by one, and that was the next one in line. I felt confident about the fight. I felt I was going to win, but the fight kind of went sideways very quickly. I was relieved to get the win. It felt like a hard-earned success compared to some of my other fights. It meant a lot as well, it’s my hometown show, and there were many people there for me, and it always means a lot to win in front of everyone. It’s nice to win that world title on Caged Steel as well. I’ve been with them since I was an amateur in 2012, and I want to kind of bear the flag for them.”

How is your foot? I know you hurt it early in the fight and thought it might have been broken.

Adam Bramhald – “It’s not broken. I thought he had broken it with a kick in the first 10 seconds because I lost all feeling in my foot, and when I tried to stand on it, I was just rolling it. It took until around the third minute until I could put any weight on it and stand. It’s healing now. I can walk now after a week on crutches, and I’ve injured it like this in the past. It’s still a bit tingly now, but I’m just going to rest it and see my physio next week.”

After the fight, you posted about a hamstring injury you suffered ten weeks out from the fight. What happened?

Adam Bramhald – “I completely tore it about ten weeks before the fight when wrestling in camp. I couldn’t run or grapple for ten weeks, and it’s still bad now, to be fair! I’ve just basically been doing Thai boxing in camp, so I just need to rest over Christmas and heal up.”

Your world title win was an epic fight against Kostadin Enev, you faced some adversity with your foot injury before getting the TKO finish, tell me your opinion on Enev and did it change after the fight?

Adam Bramhald – “Before the fight, I didn’t really look too much at my opponent. I looked at basics like his stance and knew he was a fast starter and threw heavy shots. My game plan always stays the same. I feel it out for the first few minutes and then pick my shots because I believe I’m better than everybody on the feet. With that kick, he changed that for me in the first few seconds because I couldn’t move properly! The guy is tough though, I’m not sure I’ll ever meet someone in there as tough as him, I was hitting him harder than I’ve ever hit anyone, and honestly, he hit me harder than I’ve been hit. I’ve got nothing but respect for him, though. I really hope he does well in his future fights.”

You’re working full time alongside your pro career. How do you balance that out?

Adam Bramhald – “Not very well! I work with my family around 9-4 every day, so I usually just get up before work, do a session, and then do a session after work. I do miss out on many actual classes because of work though, a lot of the pro sessions take place in the mornings, so sometimes I have to take time off and make it up on the weekend. It isn’t easy, but I’ve got my own house and need the stability until that big breakthrough. Fighting, in general, is just a massive investment. You invest the time and money, and it either pays off or doesn’t. Luckily now I’m at the point where it’s starting to pay off!”

You fight out of Asylum Vale Tudo under UFC and Bellator veteran Danny Mitchell. What kind of influence has Danny had on you and your fighting career?

Adam Bramhald – “Danny’s a great coach, I’m not sure what he’ll think of me saying this, but I always thought he was a better coach than a fighter! He’s great to be around as well. He’s a great coach and a cornerman, everything he is involved in. He always does really well. Not even just as a coach, as a person he’s laid back and stops people worrying about things they can’t control.”

When you look at 2022, how do you visualise it for yourself?

Adam Bramhald – “Well, we’re blowing up a bit this week after that win. We want the word out there to try and get on this UFC London card in March. I’m not sure where they’re at with the bantamweight division at the minute, I know it’s quite busy, but if it’s not that card, maybe somewhere in Europe, I want a shot in the UFC. Even if it’s a pull-out, last-minute replacement kind of deal, I’ll train for the dates and jump in! That was my tenth win in a row, and over the last couple of years, the fights I’ve had have been good. I don’t just go out there to win, I love entertaining, and that’s what the UFC should be looking for.”

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Featured image credits to Adam Bramhald