Ciaran Clarke set for London after overcoming injury and sickness ahead of last bout as he continues to fly the flag for Drogheda
Clarke's hometown has produced numerous sporting greats over the years
MMA star Ciaran Clarke is super proud to fly the flag for sports-mad Drogheda as he aims to take his professional record to 10-0 in London this weekend.
The town has produced numerous sporting greats over the years from boxers Tony 'Socks' Byrne and Deirdre Gogarty to footballers Gary Kelly and Ian Harte to handball legend Joey Maher.
Clarke is from Yellowbatter, located close to two huge sporting institutions in Ireland's biggest town, Drogheda United and the Newtown Blues GAA club.
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"I'm fully aware and fully know that I wouldn't be where I am today without the support from the people of Drogheda," said the Bellator bantamweight. "Obviously the support of my coaches as well, I know without all these things I wouldn't be where I am today without the support.
"I always feel with Drogheda that there could be anybody in there and they'd get behind them, I don't think it's personal for me really. I just think Drogheda, it might be the biggest town but it's such a small community that everybody gets behind each other.
"It's Ireland in general. When you see us all go internationally with the rugby or Katie Taylor or Kellie Harrington and the Olympics recently, everyone just gets behind them.
"Then when it's a smaller town, it sort of has I suppose that GAA feel to it when everyone gets behind you and I know I wouldn't be where I am without that support from all my sponsors locally too."
Trained by the godfather of Irish MMA, John Kavanagh, Clarke and his younger brother Daryl used to spend hours upon hours on buses and the Luas travelling from Drogheda to Kavanagh's Straight Blast Gym in Dublin.
Clarke has already fought at the 3Arena more times than Katie Taylor and he will now fight at the venue where the undisputed super-lightweight world boxing champion made her professional debut in 2016.
"It's unbelievable," he said about fighting at the Wembley Arena. "I think everyone is like 'where are you fighting, is it the 3Arena again?' And when I say London and Wembley, they're like 'Wembley, no way'.
"But to be honest with you, it could be anywhere. The fight could have been anywhere in the world as long as there's a cage there.
"To be able to say that you've fought at Wembley with the history linked to it and stuff like that (is cool) and I think that's part of the reason why a lot of people want to come and support me."
Clarke produced a dominant performance last time out in Belfast, beating Darius Mafi with an arm triangle choke in the third round, but the 29-year-old stated after that win that it had been his toughest camp to date and has now revealed that he suffered an injury nine weeks out that prevented him from sparring before getting shingles a fortnight before the bout.
"Basically I was on antibiotics for ten days," he explained. "I finished the antibiotic on the Monday of fight week so it was very hard to navigate around that and trying to cut weight.
"The doctor was like to me 'if this was anybody else, they'd be floored, they'd be in bed, only for you're so fit' and I was like right so I kind of took that seriously and I was trying to navigate around it and cut weight, rest and stuff.
"Thank God it worked out alright, but it was very hard to navigate around and get myself back right because I didn't feel right after that."
Clarke hopes to fight in America at some stage in the future, but for now his sole focus is on Spaniard Zebenzui Ruiz, who he faces on Saturday night.
"He's a great lad, he's fought featherweight as well, he seems to fight both stances, he looks like he has good grappling, he's physical so I'm delighted," Clarke said of Ruiz.
"I think his record jumps off the page, but I don't know what some of his opponents were like skillswise. Are they different to the lads I fought?
"I'm preparing like I'm 0-0 and that's how I take fights. I'm not thinking I'm undefeated, I'm thinking I'm 0-0 and this is the only fight that matters. This is the fight of my life and that's how it is.
"I can't look six months ahead or a year ahead without beating this fella."
- Fans in Ireland can watch Bellator Champions Series, 14 September, on Virgin Media Television. Fans that want to make the journey can get tickets on AXS.com for the show at the OVO Arena Wembley.
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