Luc De Ste Croix is an amateur mixed martial artist fighting out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He is 2-0 as an amateur and is looking for a quick return to the cage to extend his winning streak.
Transcript
Luc De Ste Croix: Okay, so so how’s a house how have things been through quarantine and how’s training going uh? You know out as good they can go. I guess just trying to stay active and healthy, and you know what I mean take care of yourself myself and everyone else. My family, that I can trainees been going good, you know can’t obviously roll with guys – and you know, have that gym mindset and mentality of like really higher training but jogs and you know, shot a lot of jogging and a lot of shadow boxing and just kind Of staying ready, so I don’t have to get ready again kind of thing like get out of shape. So it’s going good. You know, yeah, there’s a you guys are doing like online sessions and stuff like that. Aren’T you were yep yep, Kyle blink horn. When my good training partners and a good friend of mine he’s really in a leader and he’s training up, the bang, muy Thai Duane Ludwig system and he’s been like studying that – and he kind of just gives us everything that he’s learning kind of coaching us 100 % and just really showing us some new stuff, so we’re are still learning in a way getting better. You know not as fast that he probably would be for her back in the gym. You know, but it’s definitely staying active and getting better as much as it can yeah. I had your ID your teammate Zack on last week there and he was just saying, he’s dying to get back in there and he talked talked highly of some of the some of the guys there at 50-plus. What’S your overall thoughts on the gym, obviously that’s where TJ grant came from, obviously, in my opinion, second or third best Canadian fighter, arguably of all time, you know if it wasn’t for his concussion, who knows where he’d be so what’s it like there v, + and Obviously, I’m sure TJ still swings by every once in a while. Well, you know it’s: it’s amazing gym I’ve probably been there around three years now: um our head coach and the owner. Scott McLean is just just such a mastermind honestly and a really good coach. Like knows his [ __ ] like no was everything what a fighter has to be doing knows where his fighters are where they need to get better, where they’re really strong and really knows how to like, just run, run a gym first of all, but really run Run a training camp, you know what I mean you know. Is I really develop a fighter and make them into something else. You know without uh. Definitely without him. I wouldn’t be near where I am right now, um, so he’s definitely the mastermind behind it all and just he’s had hundreds of rounds cornered fights right. You can’t really make up that experience anywhere, actually hundreds of rounds and fights cornering. So it’s a great it’s a great gym. I love it there. You know. Get there two three hours you space off. You got no problems in the world and really good, really good, like almost like a family, uh family mindset there, every one, you know what I mean everyone says hi to each other everyone’s super night and then you know you punch each other, take each other. But it’s great, I love it. There, man, it’s like a second home for sure yeah I got. I did jujitsu there at Forza, which is like just down the road from you and I found the same sort of thing. That’S a very small community. Everyone’S super tight. I you know, I’m a white belt. I only did jujitsu for like six months, but it’s just it’s great how easily they like accepted you as one of as one of your own, even though I tapped out 24/7 yeah, I just kind of like what. What’S your, what advice would you give someone? I guess even like me, who’s been, you know a huge fan of MMA. I started my own podcast out of boredom but love the sport, but won’t you know and just trying to get over the hump trying to be like you know what who cares if I capped out twenty four times, what’s uh, what advice would you give to someone Like that um, you know just get get in the gym man, that’s honestly, the hardest part um just getting there any. Like. I remember my first time like I was. I was pretty scared to go to a gym. Just for whatever reason you know what I mean, but then you get there and it’s everyone’s super friendly and it’s it’s really like a good social environment to the army. It’S like some of my really good friends. To this day, I’ve met through train about countless people that you know lifelong relationships, I’m never gon na. Forget them through training and, like you, don’t really. You know if you’re out of point your life, where you’re just going to work every day. You know what I mean and you don’t really get to see that amazing, it’s a really good way to meet people for sure and the whole soap-like. It’S big social element to it for sure. For me, okay, tons of other people, I so we’ll talk a little bit now, but I guess about your career and in martial arts. If you can, I guess it’s a career so you’re to a know. Now, as an amateur, I rewatched your last fight with Jonah mcdougal, therefore leave one MMA. I guess what was your thought of the promotion itself? I hadn’t really heard of elite one until right now. What was your thoughts on fighting for elite um? They were awesome honestly. It was definitely the biggest crowd that I fought in front of. It was at the monkey casino and I have to say, there’s probably a thousand people there, maybe more but um it was. It was ran really well they’ve been around forever. I guess like they’ve had you know: Butterbean yeah, yeah Butterbean spot MMA for that, for that promotion so – and you know, they’ve got guys that they’ve brought up, I think from day one that are kind of making that UFC push want. One guy in particular that sticks out as Christians of war um he’s there 170 185 pound champion, so they’ve been around for like 10 plus years, so they really had things down down to a science pretty much and it was a really good event. I’D love to fight for them again, hopefully, one day sooner than later, but uh and I love the cage size. You know they really had all their cues and keys checks for sure it was a. It was quite a dominant. For months I mean. Obviously it was what one one judge gave at 30. 26. I think it was. It was pretty dominant to start start to finish. Would you have liked to get you know? Get a finish. Is that something that you were searching for, or does it really matter? I just got my hand raised, know for sure I’m looking for that finish for sure I Wanda I want that that rush. You know you’ll, obviously in a perfect world, but you know I think I was close a couple times and then he just kind of you know what I mean shook me off of them, but um kudos to Jonah man. Great kid I talked to him after, but I definitely want that finish, be there submission or knockout or TKO um. But you know main thing is getting the W and taking the least amount of damage possible so, but that I dream about that finish for sure. For sure alright, so that was that was a little over a year ago. What was what was the reason for such a long layoff like didn’t you want to get back in there yeah. I definitely. I definitely did I supposed to fight Robby Ennis on fla um fell through. I had a kickboxing or muy Thai match that fell through I got injured. I could go back in time. You know definitely worth taking that Fla fight, there’s there’s some rule. Some rule changes that I thought were a bit ridiculous, especially for a guy like Robby who had so many fights, and I would that would have been my third fight. But you know staying staying positive, but you know I I was training, I think, for three three and a half years before my first fight, and I think that was probably one of my best performance to date. So I I think my next one will will go just as well, even with the time in between. I think it can be helpful. You know like sometimes when you take a break from grappling even even a month break, you come back a little better for some reason. So it’s like no, they don’t thinking you’re, not overthinking things you just kind of let things play out for sure. Um cut out there a little I didn’t hear but yeah that’s you know you don’t have time to think in the cage for sure you’re gon na do what you trained and and everything’s out in the line it kind of naked it in a way right, like You’Re gon na it’s gon na show, if you’ve been putting in that cardio work, or you know what I mean or if you’re little just gon na show, if you’re mentally talked to. If you get in a bad position, if you kind of fold or you fight through it for sure in in an ideal scenario, when would you like to get back in there? Obviously, right now, especially here in Nova Scotia, the worlds on a hold can’t really do much. You can only run in public parks, they just open those up, but is there a timeline for your return as soon as events are back on? I want to want to be on the next one, whether it’s in New Brunswick and you know, maybe there’s a way that we can cross the border me and a couple coaches or I Nova, Scotia, the next fla cuz, i think they’re – think Fla and ECC elite Are extreme cage combat are the only two, so definitely next carry possible staying in shape, so i don’t have to get in shape and like whoever it is. I I just want to get back in there and you know I’m 21 now so not in a rush necessarily for sure, but I miss it for sure, like this, there’s nothing like that feeling of actually competition, and then you know succeeding in it too. It’S pretty good feeling after for sure, does it doesn’t matter to you if there’s people in attendance or not no, not really like even like this might sound a little weird, but like I don’t really, I don’t care it’s like. It’S obviously good to have support and people come and like some people definitely do, but like I’m in there for me, and no one else like my first fight was, it was ran. Super super well promotion like they like they. They went all out, but you know there wasn’t a big turnout that was in st. John but um. You know I fought to the best of my abilities that night for sure, but I’m in there for me and no one else. So, like I sound, you know, you got just engaged, she is like I entertainment business. You know I want to please the crowd and yeah for sure you wan na you know, but I’m in there for me before before the crowd for sure anyone else. You mentioned you mentioned just engage me, I’m assuming you asked that fight on the agenda or it slow heartbreaking. Oh I’m a tawny fan for sure I think stylistically. It was gon na be a hard fight for Tony regardless. I think Kobe was a better bit better of a stylistic matchup form, but I think I think Justin had his number and stylistic like. Thank you Kota one. You know hurt him in the second round a minute later. Who knows, you might have finished them from dropping them there right, like it’s crazy game, but uh, definitely a dominant performance from Justin and again great card. You know, I think it’s a. I think it’s good for MMA as a sport, like the only thing that only sport playing right now. I think it’s just and I think it’s been getting more popular, but I think was awesome. You know get the fighters paid. Some gets people around the world to watch something: that’s not Netflix, you know, but yeah. It was great card and even though I’m a Toni stand of kudos, the Justin man he’s baddest man to plant one of the baddest man on the planet for sure right now, yeah the incredible performance it was uh. I was yeah. I had a so I did like a fight companion with a couple of my my friends. I think one of them, you may know, Colton rushed and I think yeah yeah. So I had him on and we were watching the fights together and it was a crazy. We were all just kind of like mesmerized by his performance, so it was really good. He looked incredible. I can’t wait for the convene fight, yeah sure that would be a fun stylistic 1/2 or a straight wall Stryker with no wrestling that he doesn’t use. I know yeah so you’re you’re now to know as an amateur. When do you look to go pro? Is that something like a year away two years away, or is it depending on your next performances um? So my goal is: I want to go five. No, I want to go five and maybe four no – and you know get that fifth make a pro fight after that, but four or five, no and then and then I want to go pro for sure um. I think you know I get a couple. Quick wins and it’ll come sooner than later for sure, but um definitely definitely want to go pro sooner than later, but want to get some tough fights in an amateur and and really test myself and uh and and make go pro. You know before I’m 25, hopefully for sure all right yeah. So you say you’re 21 now so so it’s like four years away. So now yeah, you are you in school. Are you doing anything else or is a hundred percent focused on anything? So I went to an SCC in 2017. It was at the end of 2017 going into 2018. I took a Mason area, brick lane so every six month program and ever since I’ve been working as an apprentice, mate apprentice, bricklayer, um, not constantly working. You know in the winter there’s a little less work for all bricklayers, but um yeah I’ve just been working and it kind of it. It kind of meshes pretty well with what I wanted to do, which was you know. I always had the mindset of wanted to uh fight, no, even my first day in the gym I went because I want I knew I wanted to fight eventually, but it works well because in the winter you know I can kind of focus everything and in the Fighting and you know get a good season in and it’s pretty hard work. I think it kind of calluses my hands to lugging bricks all day, so hopefully that translates over in the cage one day and hit a guy with a brick. It’S my mindset basically did you have, did you have like a martial arts background before you picked up MMA or was it just jumped in MMA uh yep? I just jump right into it. I was fifteen going into grade ten in high school and I just jumped right into a MMA gym and I was really scared to walk in the gym. Actually, my first time, but since day one I fell in love with it. It was just I remember, hitting pads for my first day. I walked in the gym and next day I probably did jujitsu but um yep, no, no uh! No prior martial arts experience. It was just rating the MMA. So do you think that’s a good way to go, or do you think you know the best way to do is have like a wrestling background or karate background. I feel I feel like people who, for example, have a karate background tend to stick to it too much, whereas if you pick up MMA straightaway, similar to like a guy like John Jones, you know you kind of don’t resort to a specific style mesh shouldn’t mesh. It all in together for sure I’d say you know: everyone’s anime is a sport. It’S a diverse as anything right. There’S a million ways to win, there’s known ways to lose, there’s a bunch of different million styles. You know what I mean um think wrestling in specific is probably the best background like you can have, especially in the States just get that competition mindset, you’re literally practicing cutting weights already um, and you know the guys in the states they start wrestling at five years Old so, and it’s just such a dominant style or element to have too but um, you know everyone’s everyone’s different fighter. Everyone’S gon na have their own come up their own their own. You know what I mean style and they’re gon na have their own introduction for sure. But you know there’s you look at guys like John Jones, perfect example, and then Henry cejudo is probably been wrestling since he’s five years old right, one of those guys. So there is no right way to do it. There’S just your way and, however you go about it all right and then I will follow up with a non MMA question. I think that’s the best way to end it. What are you doing in your free time? What are you watching, obviously we’re both in Dartmouth’s, I’m sure they’ve got the same options on Netflix. What’S uh, what’s occupying your time, what what TV shows? What video games are you playing? It got back into the walking dead for sure um. I watched that in junior high and got away from it, but a walking dead and war zone Call of Duty war zone for sure those have been keeping me busy and just working out for sure, but um a lot of videogames. They kind of you know. I kind of got burnt out on them two weeks into quarantine. Early uh play some video games. You know have a good time and now it’s like what else am I gon na do all day? Besides, you know, watch TV and play video games, but uh yeah. You know just the same old stuff on on Netflix Walking Dead, Arrested Development’s. Actually, that’s a good one. I didn’t. I didn’t realize how funny that show was until uh until now yeah it’s a it’s hard and can’t like especially your Nova Scotia, to like plan you’re, like oh, it’s snowing in the morning. So I’m just gon na hang out and play video games and then an hour later, it’s 30 degrees yeah so like today, it’s snowed this morning and now it’s really really warm out so yeah Nova, Scotia weather, nothing like it. Nowhere else in the world like it. For sure, alright man well wish you all the best. Hopefully I can get to see you soon around later that fola card – hopefully I’m here and hopefully that they’re gon na get things started back up here shortly. So hopefully I’ll get to see you on it. Okay fight and beat there so, and thank you so much for having me man in now, thanks for coming on appreciate it’s nice, it’s nice to speak to someone from from from Dartmouth and trying to support local, so yeah, I would go on man. Thank you all right, man, all the best, all the best as well so cool and I said hi I will I’ll send him a message. Right now sounds good man, I’m going
