Marc Diakiese preparing for UFC London in U.K. instead of ATT: ‘I need attention’

An unbeaten sensation before he signed with the UFC, Marc Diakiese has returned to his old U.K. stomping ground in preparation for his critical UFC London fight with Joe Duffy having spent his last three camps at U.S. powerhouse, American Top Team.

Diakiese is currently riding a three-fight losing streak, with each defeat coming on the back of a camp in the Florida gym. Now training at AVT under the watchful gaze of UFC veteran Danny Mitchell, “Bonecrusher” feels as though his receiving the attention he needs to thrive.

“I’ll probably go [back to ATT] off camps and stuff to build my wrestling, but obviously ATT is a big gym,” stated Diakiese on the latest episode of Eurobash.

“I gave it three trials and it is a big gym, it’s not really worked out for me. Whereas here, I get more attention, I’ve got a team. That’s why I’ve not gone back to ATT, I’ve got a team; I’ve got people working around me. That’s what I’ve done instead of being in a big gym, like a factory. I’ve worked it out, it made sense for me to come back and that’s what I’ve done.”

Diakiese gave insights into the team he has built around him in Leeds.

“That’s the kind of fighter I am; I need attention. I feel like I’m getting it in the U.K. and that’s why I’ve come back.

“I’m training at AVT with Danny Mitchell. I feel like Danny Mitchell has been fighting since I started in MMA. He understands the fight game and he was in the UFC himself. I’m working with Daz Morris who used to be Michael Bisping’s coach and I’ve got another guy who used to be a K-1 world champion. I’ve got a lot of guys I’m working with, I just think this is what I needed.”

He also spoke of some issues he had with ATT when it came to game planning and fight week arrangements.

“For my last fight, I had the game plan made on Friday and all of the coaches I worked with didn’t come with me. They went with [another fighter] when they were supposed to come with me. Din Thomas, I booked for him to come with me on fight week. He came on Friday, I was fighting Sunday, and the game plan was made that Friday when he showed up. The guy that was there with me a boxing coach, I paid for him to be there for me. It didn’t make sense to me, I need guys to be there for me. That’s what I’ve done, so it is what it is. I’m young, I’ve got to learn things the hard way, and that’s what I’ve done.”

Although he has chosen to move back to the land that saw him claim the BAMMA world title in 2015, he underlined that he has no ill-will towards his former team.

“I didn’t feel disrespected. There are fighters that are there that are higher ranked than me, the coaches have big names as well. I don’t take it as [disrespect], I just take it like it was the wrong time. I’m just doing what’s best for me.”

“I felt [like my best assets were neglected at ATT],” he continued. “Where I was at was a wrestling gym, it wasn’t a striking gym. There weren’t many striking coaches, so I wasn’t doing as much striking as I usually did in the U.K. I’m back to what I know best and I’m comfortable; I’m going to show that on March 16th.”

Diakiese revealed that he already thinks that he should have been cut following three consecutive losses under the UFC banner. However, he’s putting his run of defeats to the back of his mind when he takes on Duffy on U.K. soil, a country in which he has never been defeated before.

“I’m not really thinking about [the losses]. For me personally, I feel like I should’ve been cut. I’m ready to go in there and enjoy myself. I’m not there thinking, ‘I’m going to get cut’. I just want to enjoy myself,” he said.

Check out the latest episode of Eurobash. The Marc Diakiese interview begins at 13:30.