At just 21 years of age, Adam Speechly has earned his place as one of the country’s most promising welterweight contenders and captured the attention of fans and fighters alike. His prodigious rise through SA MMA has seen him blast through an extremely competitive weight division and proven that this fighting phenomenon is no fluke. His martial arts career sparked at the age of 15 when he picked up an FHM and discovered that ‘chicks dig guys with close quarter skills’.

After convincing his parents to let him try grappling, the combat bug bit and instead of chasing girls, he began chasing opponents around the ring. While he may be young, his 9 win record proves that this new kid on the block has done his homework and deserves to stand toe-to-toe with SA’s established champions. However, it took a loss at the hands of Jeremy “Pitbull” Smith to help Speechly realise his full potential and, just 2 months later, he bounced back to be crowned champion in the 2009 USP/NHBSA 8 man elimination tournament, as well as take a win at his first EFC Africa appearance just over a month ago.

His emergence into the limelight could not have come at a better time as he now has the opportunity to ride the recent explosion in SA MMA all the way to becoming the country’s next submission superstar.

Adam, what is your MMA record at the moment?

9-1 

How old are you, and how did you get so good so quickly?

21, and thank you! I’ve really put a lot of effort into my training as of late as well as consistently throughout the years and I think the results have started to take shape.

Tell us about your first amateur fight?

I didn’t have an amateur career. However I do remember my first grappling tournament... I was nervous as hell and stiff as a board.

Tell us about your first pro fight.

Once again I was nervous as hell! It was mentally very taxing and winning it was more of a relief than anything else. 

What do you remember about your fight with Jeremy Smith in July 2009?

Well prior to my fight with Jeremy I had fought and won all of my fights inside the first round, but when I faced Jeremy I was stretched into the third round. To be honest all I really remember about that fight was the overwhelming feeling of fatigue that gradually came over me. From the beginning of the second round I felt that I had nothing left. However, that fight helped me immensely, as I have since broken through that glass ceiling and realised I can push myself further. It was a very big turning point for me and it taught me the importance of conditioning. 

Tell us about winning the 8 man elimination tournament in September 2009.

I had trained very hard for it and I was in much better condition than for previous fights. All in all I had to fight three times and found that after the first fight I pretty much lost all the nerves that one associates with pre-match build-up. In my second fight I managed to solicit a tap from Ryan van Niekerk with 10 seconds remaining in the first round. I was fortunate to win my first 2 fights in the first round, so that when I got to Alex (Cheboub) in the final I was still relatively fresh and, although he also finished his 2 preceding fights in the first round, my fitness and conditioning prevailed and I won the fight midway through the second round. 

I believe backstage at EFC 02 you were going through a bunch of notes while all the other fighters around you were hitting pads, can you tell us a little more about this?

I actually made notes on every possibly scenario on how the fight could play off. For instance, if my opponent got me in the clinch against the cage, I had notes on how I would get out of that position and counter. It was a couple of pages with those types of things and then also some motivational help. Phrases like ‘I am better than him at everything else, the only way he can win is to knock me out and he can’t do that as I will use my head movement and foot movement to control the fight.’ I also write down the steps for my whole performance, from my entrance when my name gets called out until I get in the cage, and I go through that and the entire fight in my head a couple of times beforehand, so when the fight happens I have already been through it and I’ve seen my hand being raised more than once. It was more mental than physical preparation. It helps me to stay focused on the task at hand.

When did you first know that you wanted to pursue MMA as a career?

My first ground and pound training session! At the time I was purely a submission wrestler and I was astonished at the dynamic nature and speed of movement when one adds strikes to the ground game. I much preferred this style of movement as one has so many more options and all I wanted to do after that was try it out in competition.

Who have your trainers been over the years?

I started grappling with Mark Robinson in 2004 after reading an FHM article on various martial arts styles. I initially wanted to do close quarter combat because it had a chicks rating of 5 out of 5! But the gym was situated farther away than my parents were willing to drive so I settled for grappling, which had a measly 1 out of 5 rating. I then moved to Brad Bloch in 2006 as he was very close to where I live and I trained Judo with Alfie Stevenson concurrently.I now train with Attila Barna, Peter Smith, as well as Kevin Sawchuk, a Canadian Kinesiologist who designs my strength and conditioning programs.  

What weight are you most comfortable fighting at and who do you see as potential match-ups at that weight?

Welterweight. It is a competitive weight category with many fighters both up-and-coming and established, as well as middleweights who are dropping down. Potential future opponents would be the likes of Johan van Staden, Barry Duncan and Chris Bright; although I believe he is dropping back to lightweight. Ultimately it is up to my manager and coaches to decide who I will fight.  I trust their judgment and have total confidence in their decisions.

 Where do you feel most comfortable in a fight?

Coming from a grappling background, it would have to be on the ground. Top or bottom, it doesn’t really matter. 

When you get into the cage and look at your opponent for the first time what goes through your mind?

Excitement! It brings sudden realization of the proximity of the fight and all that I have been training for. 

Which has been your toughest fight?

Jeremy Smith, with Dallas Jakobi a close second. Both were physically very big, strong and tough!

What has been the most memorable moment in your MMA career so far?

Winning the 8 man tournament. 

What type of fighter do you find hardest to negotiate?

Someone who is very dynamic and tough, who constantly presses the pace and appears unfazed by my offensive efforts. 

Who do you look up to as a fighter internationally?

Fedor Emelianenko, he is a very well-rounded clinical fighter who devises a different strategy against each opponent. He is also very humble and has nothing to say about anyone. Similarly I like GSP and his hard-working, humble manner.

Talk us through your preparation for a fight.

I work on my standup with Peter 3 to 4 times a week and train with Attila twice a week.  I also do MMA sparring with different partners (Lance Ceronio, Pierre van Zyl and Damian Krog), as well as completing a strength and conditioning regimen designed by Kevin.

In terms of supplementation, what do you use?

I use the Magnum supplement range, which includes Performance Edge greens, DNA BCAA capsules and a glutamine product.

What are your thoughts on the South African MMA scene at the moment?

Based on what I saw at EFC 02, I believe that the sport is rapidly expanding. I think we will see the sport become even more professional and popular among a wide range of people and see a large influx of young talent moving through the ranks as the sport starts to lose its stigma and become more mainstream.

Fighters Only

pieter@fightersonly.co.za

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