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Exciting UFC Fighter, Marcus McGhee, On MMA and Skateboarding
The UFC bantamweight division all took notice as Marcus McGhee won his debut on just three days’ notice.
Three days until the fight, two days to cut the weight; Marcus McGhee got the call that he’s been waiting on for some time. At the time, he was 6-1 with all of his wins coming by way of KO/TKO. However, it was the submission that materialized as the short-notice fighter beat Journey Newson in the second round.
McGhee fights out of The MMA lab. Having ties with Sean O’Malley and Tim Welch will not only do him good for his fighting skills, but also it can be a great push for him to garner attention. Plus, a dude that’ll take a fight on three days’ notice? Sounds like the kind of guy the UFC will take care of.
I was lucky enough to catch Marcus McGhee some time removed from his debut victory and talk to him. With McGhee having a passion for MMA and the ability to do some cool stuff on a skateboard, I felt it was only right that I, a guy that watches a lot of MMA and can kickflip, chopped things up with him. Let’s jump into the interview!
Marcus McGhee Exclusive Interview
Marcus McGhee made his UFC debut on short-notice back in April of this year. On just three days’ notice, McGhee won his fight via second round submission.
Now that the UFC debut has passed, how are you feeling?
“I feel pretty good! You know, highest highs, lowest lows, right? I feel good man, I feel like everything worked out the way it was supposed to work out and now we’re on this next part of the journey.”
With just the three days’ notice, how did you feel relative to a full training camp?
“Honestly, I still felt really good because I knew I was putting in a lot of work and I knew I was ready for the moment, regardless of how it was going to go. I wasn’t doubting myself too much. Obviously, it was a big moment and it was a big achievement just to get there, so it was kind of cool just to have it all play out like it did. I felt good, and even now, I still feel pretty good. The work has just begun, right?”
Just a little over a week after his UFC debut, McGhee turned 33-years-old.
After the debut, how was your birthday?
“My birthday was pretty good! Just a relaxed birthday; got to eat a little bit, went and took my boat out to the lake for a little while, hung out with the kids, nothing too crazy.”
Which lake did you go to?
“Lake Pleasant.”
Is Havasu near you?
“It’s not near me but it’s about two hours away from me.”
Have you been there?
“One time, back in the day. Back in my party days.”
Those are over now, though?
“Yeah, those are over now. No more partying. I mean, I still get to have a good time here and there but just with the kids and the wife. My focuses are just slightly different, you know?”
Yeah, and you can tell that in your [debut] performance, too. On three-day’s notice, you looked incredible.
“Thank you man, thank you. I really felt like I embraced the moment, you know? That was my biggest thing for [the fight]… I really wasn’t focused on the outcome; we always want to win, but when you focus on the outcome, you can’t be present. You’re too focused on the future. For me, it was just being present, being aware of my surroundings and then showcasing myself the best I could.”
You did that incredibly. This was your first submission win, how did that feel?
“That felt pretty good! That felt pretty good just to show I’m not just a striker. I definitely have a grappling pedigree as well. In really enjoy grappling. I know I’m a striker at heart, that’s just where my bread and butter is, but man, everyday I’m putting in work on the mat and, slowly but surely, getting better. 1% each day.”
That seems to be the vibe at [The MMA Lab] — a lot of really good strikers that have have underrated grappling. You showed that perfectly.
“I appreciate it! That’s what I was hoping to show. Don’t sleep on my grappling. I’ll put you on the mat and I will definitely find a submission if you give the opportunity. I have to mixed martial arts is — that’s why I didn’t get into just striking, because I love mixed martial arts as a whole. I just love how, any given night, you can use any of your toolsets if it’s open. Definitely happy to get the submission, especially over a tough guy like Journey [Newson]. So, yeah, I was happy about that.”
Marcus McGhee Talks Mopeds, Skating and Cartoons
You see my look right now — standard, I’d say — I’ve tried to get a moped and I just look so goofy on it. I’m wondering how Tim makes it looks so good.
“So, I think that’s just Tim. No shame, just jumped on that thing and it became a part of him. I know Sug had one too and that was the moped gang. Shoot, I might have to get one, too.”
Speaking of good style — as much as I’ve been watching your fights, I’ve been watching maybe as much of your skate clips. You are a killer, dude!
“Thank you, man! I’m trying to get back to showing people that that’s a part of me. I love extreme sports, I do a lot of different things; I did BMXing, I did rollerblading, surfing, snowboarding. Back in the day, Rocket Power was a big thing and Rocket Power was like, the embodiment of life. Just go in and send it, full send, right? So, for me, all that came together, even in the mixed martial arts world, too.”
Who was your favorite character in Rocket Power?
“It had to be Otto/Ottie, had to be Ottie. That was my guy, but I always liked, what’s his name?”
Squid?
“Squid, yeah!”
What else got you into skateboarding?
“I think I just ended up running into a couple of different people. Plus, I really didn’t like team sports, I really wasn’t a fan of team sports. It was one of those complexes that I had growing up — I didn’t want to be a part of a team, I didn’t see it for what it was worth.. So, seeing that skateboarding was something that was singular and that it was something that was all you showing up, I kind of really liked that aspect. That kind of pulled me into it.”
We then got into about every skate culture movie that has ever been made. I had to go back and re-watch Lords Of Dogtown after this. I also had to hit him with one of the hardest questions you could ask a skater around our age:
Which Tony Hawk Pro Skater Game is your favorite?
“Underground 2, probably.”
Solid, solid soundtrack on that one.
Back to Fighting
How does your teammate, Sean O’Malley, matchup against Aljamain Sterling?
“I always believe that Sug can put guys away. I think Sug just has to control the distance, manage space, make sure that he’s where he wants to be- guys can’t just take blind shots on Sug, he will find that button. They’re going to have to set it up and really work for that. I see Sug winning; I definitely think it’s a tough fight for him, you can’t doubt Alajamain. His grappling is top tier and his striking is good too. I just think that Sug’s going to be able to bring out mistake in [Sterling] in the striking department.”
When did fighting professionally hit your radar? When was it more than just a pipedream?
“It probably wasn’t until… Probably when I ended up cutting all of the tendons in my right arm. At that pint I was like ‘Man, this is going to have me out for awhile… if I come back, I want to make sure it’s not just for show. I’m going to have a plan and I’m going to have a purpose.’ That was the point of change for me.”
He added on to this by talking about how the idea of fighting as a career showed itself outside of the gym.
“I was sucking on one of those Chamoy suckers, the Hispanic suckers, and when I got down to almost finishing the whole sucker, the Chamoy part on it read “MMA”. It was the craziest thing, man. Just certain things like that that kept on saying ‘Dude, you’re not done with this. It’s going to be tough, you’re going to go through more trouble but stick in there and just dial yourself in.’ Just small things like that kept me going.”
More About the Marcus McGhee Debut
Your debut wasn’t telling of someone who had nothing to lose, it was telling of a very complete fighter that should’ve been here sooner.
“And that’s how I felt. A lot of my teammates have been saying that to me, too. That’s what I wanted I wanted to showcase Not that I should have been here sooner, I believe in working for what you earn, right? I knew I had work to do and I was willing to put in the extra work that was going to get me to the UFC eventually, but it was nice to know that my skillset was already there, you know? Like, I do have the skillset to be there and feel like I do belong there; my résumé might not have show all the experience, but I do feel like I put the time in the gym, put the time in blood equity and with all my training partners.”
You envisioned it for so long, but for it to actually come into fruition, how was that?
“It felt great, it felt great. I still think that just because I was so present on it, it wasn’t like, a crazy overly high, it was like a high of, I acheived what I came to achieve. But, it was also like, a subtle excitement to know that this was the beginning. It’s just the beginning of the next chapter.”
