10 Questions With Aisling Daly (11/24/2010)

[DarrickPatrick]

10 Questions With Aisling Daly (by Darrick Patrick)

Aisling "Ais the Bash" Daly is a professional mixed martial artist who has appeared in organizations such as Bellator Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, Rumble in Rush, Cage of Truth, Adrenaline, and Ring of Truth. At the time of this interview, her next scheduled match is against Molly Helsel in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship at CWFC 39: The Uprising on November 27th, 2010.

Darrick: How did you end up competing professionally in mixed martial arts?

Aisling: I started off when I was around ten years old doing Karate. My instructor at the time began introducing me to small bits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I was hooked. Gradually it progressed from there after watching some videos of the early UFC events. I thought mixed martial arts was an amazing sport and so tough. I searched on the internet and realized there were some girls already participating in the sport and from then on there was no stopping me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Darrick: Are there any extra struggles being a female in mixed martial arts or do you believe it to be basically the same difficulty for both genders?

Aisling:I feel it is more difficult to be a female competing in MMA. The sport alone is a very tough sport, but on top of this I feel women have to deal with normal gender stereotypes along with the hard training. Even in my gym I encountered some difficulties when I started. My coach didn't completely take me seriously to begin with and thought I'd just leave. I had to jump through some extra hoops to get a fight but in the the end I stuck it out. It was worth it as it has contributed to making me the fighter I am today.

Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?

Aisling: I highly respect my coach John Kavanagh. He's been there since I started my professional career and he has always put one hundred percent effort into me as a coach, supporting me in my ups and downs and always driving me to achieve further than I think I can. I think Gunnar Nelson is also an amazing MMA fighter. His dedication and outlook on the sport are inspiring and he's definitely one to watch out for in the future. I have a lot of respect for all my training partners and those who help me to progress in the sport. I also hold a high respect for fighters such a Megumi Fujii and Fedor Emelianenko. They carry themselves so well inside and outside the ring, even after a loss.

Darrick: Your next scheduled match is against Molly Helsel on November 27th. What are your thoughts about this upcoming fight?

Aisling: I'm really looking forward to this fight as it's a fantastic opportunity for me to get back into the cage so soon after my last fight. Molly is a fantastically tough opponent and this will be a great chance to redeem myself after my last fight. I felt the weight cut affected me dramatically and didn't allow me to perform like I know I can.

Darrick: Any words of advice for other individuals looking to compete in MMA?

Aisling: The best advice I could give to someone looking to participate in the sport would be to find a good gym, one in which you are truly happy and comfortable, supported by your training partners with good coaching methods. I feel at SBG I have all these things and they allow me to flourish as a fighter.

Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?

Aisling: The competitive element of martial arts brings me the most enjoyment. I am a very competitive person and I feel mixed martial arts is the ultimate area for me to compete in. Not to say that I don't just enjoy training for fun, I just really enjoy competing.

Darrick: Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?

Aisling: Other than martial arts I enjoy fairly normal things, like hanging out with my friends, reading, etc. I find that martial arts pretty much takes up the majority of my life, so it's difficult to fit any other hobbies in.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Aisling: My oldest memory would have to be going to a fun park called Mosney in Ireland with my family. The war in Bosnia had been in the news a lot at the time and I misheard my mother when she said where we were going and thought she said Bosnia. I started crying as I was terrified and thought we were going to a war zone! I still have family that makes jokes about that to this day.

Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.

Aisling: I am terrified of heights and sharp objects.

Darrick: If you had a working time machine, what are some of the points in history that you would visit?

Aisling: I don't think I'd be so adventurous as to venture back into past centuries, but I'd definitely go back to visit my younger self and give her a heads up. Hopefully I would prevent myself from making some of the mistakes I've made.

FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835

You can also check out Aisling Daly in the following places:

Official Aisling Daly Facebook Site:

http://www.facebook.com/aisdaly

Official Aisling Daly Twitter Area:

http://www.twitter.com/aisydaly

Aisling Daly on Fight Finder:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Aisling-Daly-25245

Aisling Daly Photo Gallery at Sherdog.com:

http://www.sherdog.com/pictures/gallery/fighter/25245