Neil Wain: ‘Old Skool’ and Honest

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By Elliot Worsell

Professional fighters can be the most awe-inspiring athletes in the world and the biggest liars. After all, how many times have you heard the following statements enthusiastically sprint from the tongue of your favourite fighter? ‘I’ve never been in better shape’. ‘I’m a new man’. ‘I’m better than him in all departments’. ‘I’m going to take over the world’.

Okay, maybe not the last one, but, in a sport relying so heavily on one’s mental make-up, fighters often attempt to appear as faultless and invincible as their tongue would have them and you believe. More often than not, those unequivocal boasts and taunts of world domination will be followed by sub-par performances and devastating defeats. What went wrong? It’s sometimes like ordering a ten-ounce sirloin steak and instead receiving a bacon sandwich.

Thankfully, Doncaster’s Neil Wain is a bacon sandwich kinda guy. Nicknamed ‘Old Skool’ and owner of a 5-0 mixed martial arts record, Wain is the sort of a fighter who calls it like he sees it. Preparing to make his UFC debut on October 18 at UFC 89, Wain realises exactly what he’s up against. Refreshingly, he lets you know about it, too.

“I know I’m very lucky to have a UFC contract,” admits the hard-punching British heavyweight. “I’ve only had five fights. If I’m honest – and I’m an honest sort of guy – I’d say I haven’t fought at this calibre. I’ve never fought anybody at this level and I’ve never fought on a show that’s even remotely close to the kind of extravaganzas the UFC put on. It’s all something new for me. It’s not just one step up for me, it’s more like 10. I haven’t been in the game that long.”

‘Honesty’ is seemingly the buzzword for this up-and-coming heavyweight. It’s tattooed across his forehead. Wain made his MMA debut in November 2006 and, two years on, he’s now set to grace the bright lights and marquee fights of the UFC – the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation. This wasn’t exactly in the script for Neil two years ago.

“This whole MMA thing started out for me as a bit of a laugh,” recalls Wain. “It started out from a conversation I had with my girlfriend one night. She said she’d love to see me fight and it went from there. I had boxed as an amateur before but she’d never seen me box. I had a few scraps in London and all of a sudden the UFC is here and it’s suddenly got very serious. I never expected it so soon and I know how lucky I am. There are hundreds of fighters out there that want that contract and I’ve got it.”

Those fighters will also tell you just why they deserve that contract, too. Wain doesn’t operate like that. You won’t hear outlandish boasts or brash gestures. This is a man who has had the world delivered at his feet following merely five MMA fights. If that isn’t humbling enough, Wain has never even visited the second round in his two-year MMA career.

“I started MMA very late in life and I didn’t really train properly,” he explains. “It was just something to mess about with. I didn’t train at all for my first three fights. I just went in there and had a ‘go’, mixed it up a little and knocked some people out. It was only when I got offered a shot at a title on a small show that I thought to myself, ‘you know, wouldn’t it be great to say one day that I’d won a title for something?’ From that point on I started actually going to a gym and training.”

With the lure of titles on the British circuit and a potential UFC contract deemed the Promised Land, Wain had it all to fight for. He straightened out and got serious. No longer was he just a mere fighter. He was an athlete. A man with goals, ambitions and destinations he’d like to reach.

“I’ve had to get really professional about things,” he continues. “I’ve sat back and had a long, hard think about what I want from this sport. I’ve realised what needs to be done in terms of dedication and sacrifice. I’m more focused and determined now. I really want to go out there and put a show on.”

Wain’s chance to put on a show arrives in Birmingham at UFC 89 when the Pontefract puncher tackles Denver danger man Shane Carwin over three rounds. Now is the time for Wain to inform everyone how he’s going to bulldoze through the ‘heavily hyped’ Carwin and commence his surge towards the heavyweight championship. Or not.

“I realise what is in front of me,” admits Wain. “If I was a naïve bloke who just went in there and bashed people about without thinking maybe my answer might be different. At the end of the day, though, I know what I’m facing and I know what I’m up against with this thing.

“Shane Carwin is very highly-regarded by the UFC and he’s very highly-regarded full-stop. It’s a massive ask for me. I’m not daft enough to believe I’ll just go in there and bash him up. I know it’s a real test and I’ve never been anywhere near someone like him before. On the flipside, though, wouldn’t it send some shockwaves around the world if I went out there and knocked this guy out?”

Sure would. Though Wain understands why those looking in from the outside can only see one winner on October 18.

“On paper, if I’m honest, Carwin has most of the advantages,” concedes Wain. “He’s the favourite. Only my close training partners and friends really know me and know what I can do. The public and the UFC fans will be looking at our fight on paper and thinking I haven’t got a chance. I haven’t really got any aces up my sleeve. He holds everything in his favour. I feel maybe he’ll underestimate me. Maybe everyone will. I think that’s something I’ll have on my side.”

Whether you consider Wain’s thoughts a sign of defeat, insecurity or simply a refreshingly honest forecast of a fight, you can’t help but warm to him. In my experience, the man who knows his limitations and can deal with reality is often the fighter who, on the night, deals with the pressure better. Who rises to the occasion. The biggest boasts usually compensate for the biggest insecurities.

“My name’s ‘Old Skool’ for a reason, pal, and fighting’s what I’m all about,” reassures Wain. “The nickname deals with certain things like loyalty and honesty and things like that which mean a lot to me. It also explains my no-nonsense attitude to things when I put my mind to them. If I focus on fighting then it’s no-nonsense. All out. Old school.”

When Wain breaks down the meaning behind his nickname he sounds like an extra from a Guy Ritchie film. He means every word and takes great pride in being designated such a nickname. Wain isn’t all about heart, guts and determination, though. Over the course of his two-year MMA career, Wain has developed a few skills along the way.

“I’m ten times better than I was 18 months ago,” he says. “If I fought the version of myself from 18 months ago I’d submit him or knock him out really quickly. It’s not even close. I’m a much, much better fighter than I was back then.

“I feel as though I’ve got the ability to beat Shane now. The guy’s going to come out and mix it up and that’s where I feel right at home. I also know the guy I’m facing has many match-winning skills himself. I’ve got to be really wary of him. He’s a really explosive, dangerous kind of guy.”

Just when you feel yourself getting close to something like a boast, Wain restores order by complimenting his opponent.

“I’ve watched a couple of clips of Shane on the Internet and I’ve watched a DVD of his last fight in the UFC. To be honest with you, there’s not much out there because most of his fights end so bloody early.”

Carwin has undoubtedly had the same problem. After all, Wain has probably only competed in a combined five minutes worth of competitive mixed martial arts action. It’s like watching the first five minutes of ‘The Godfather’, walking out, and then expecting to know the whole plot three hours later. Luckily, Wain has the one thing all fighters need to fall back on when predicament arises. He has natural fighting instinct.

“I’ve always been a fighting man,” he says. “I boxed amateur and did 10 years working on the doors as a bouncer. I’ve always been in violent situations and around violent people. It’s something that has always interested me. I look up to people who fight in the rings and the cages.”

Fighting instinct and hunger. Hunger for a fight. Hunger for a challenge. Two years ago it was hunger for a thick crust and tomato and mozzarella base.

“It wasn’t so long ago – maybe two years ago – that I was sat round my mate’s house with a few cans and a big 16-inch pizza watching the UFC,” laughs Wain. “It was a proper lads’ night in. It’s just crazy to think that only two years later I’m all of a sudden going to be walking into the Octagon and am going to have (Bruce) Buffer shouting my name out. It’s a bit mad, isn’t it?”

On October 18, Shane Carwin may need to pinch Neil Wain just to let him know where he is. The punches will arrive soon after.

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