The Pottscast

Christian Rodriquez is 5.0 as a professional MMA fighter, he has a title fight coming up on August 14th, watch out for that and keep an eye on this man. Remember the name. Christian has been training with the legendary Duke Roufus since he has been 14 and we share some moments from his journey on this episode.

Darren is joined this week by Crusaders and Carrick Ranged Legend, Paul Heatley. Paul has won 3 league titles with the Crues, an Irish Cup, several County Antrim Shields, and more. We relive some of the best moments and ask Paul a few questions submitted by his teammates and other fans. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Michael Ruddy is Portadown bound, but before he gets there, he chats to Darren on the Pottscast. Michael has won the Irish Cup and Co Antrim Shield during his time at Crusaders, he also spent time at Ards until Niall Currie and under Spike at Ballymena.  Enjoy the show; https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks to former Crusaders Captain and NI International Colin Coates on this weeks show, we discuss the biggest moments of Colin's career from Irish Cups, to League Titles to playing for Northern Ireland away in Italy!

Welcome to the first episode of the Anniversary month of The Pottscast, 1-year-old, we are starting it out with a huge guest, James Gallagher, The Strabanimal, James is a 135ib killer who has his sights firmly set on the Bellator Bantamweight title, held by Sergio Pettis. On the show, we talk about James' journey so far, growing up in Strabane wanting to fight, moving to Dublin at 14 to train under Coach Kavanagh at SBG, friendship with Conor McGregor, and much more. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks with former Pro Baseball player and Crossfit Champion Jeremy Herider, we speak about the mindset needed to succeed, Jeremy's journey, his mental toughness & much more on this episode.  https://www.instagram.com/optimal_self/

Darren is joined by Andy Young, former BAMMA Flyweight World Champion, on this episode we discuss Andy's journey, his mindset, love of MMA, desire to continue competing, and much more! https://www.instagram.com/hybrid_mma/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks with Kevin Natividad who has fought for UFC, LFA, and other organizations. We talk about his will to win, compete, grow and develop, we also explore his relationship with his brother, LFA's Christian Natividad, both fight at 135ib and come from Hawaii, they now live in Arizona. This is a very fun conversation, enjoy. https://www.instagram.com/knatividad.inc/ https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren is joined by Ray Cooper III on this episode of the Pottscast, we talk about his MMA career, winning the PFL Welterweight Championship, his faith, and his family. Ray is one of the best fighters in the world and this is a fascinating conversation with the Welterweight King. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Paul Leeman is an Irish League Legend, multiple-time League winner with Glentoran and Crusaders, he has won the Irish Cup, The League Cup, Gold Cup & Shield numerous times also. The man is a serial winner. Paul is a fond favourite at both The Oval and at Seaview. A top-class defender and leader. We relive some of the key moments of Paul's career. Enjoy! https://linktr.ee/thepottscast https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks to Taylor Mauldin on this episode of The Pottscast. Taylor is a professional MMA fighter who is unbeaten in both, her amateur and professional and recently won her pro debut. Taylor fought at LFA 107 and won in the very first round. Taylor is a mother, fighter, & MMA gym junkie.  Enjoy the show & Taylor's journey thus far!  https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.instagram.com/taylor_mauldin_93/

Eric Nicksick joins Darren on the Pottscast to share his journey and mentality as an MMA Coach. Eric is the GM and Head of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He has cornered Aljamain Sterling, Dan Ige, Kai Kamaka, Casey O'Neill, and of course, the UFC Heavyweight Champ, Francis Ngannou. He shares some insight into how the gym is run, the environment, the growth of MMA, his background in football, discipline & visualization. We discuss Jon Jones, GSP, Kamaru Usman, and Randy Couture. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.instagram.com/eric_xcmma/ https://www.instagram.com/xcmma/

Darren is joined once again, with Ty Gwerder, Bellator fighter, Ty is on the way back from a major injury, he wants to fight this summer. We talk about the comeback, his relationship with Eric Nicksick, Xtreme Couture, girlfriend, Casey O'Neill, and more! https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.instagram.com/ty.savage.mma/

Kevin Croom & Grant Dawson are the best of friends, they both fight in the UFC, they both fight out of Glory MMA and both are bonus prizefighters. We talk about their recent fights, what's next, and have some fun with a quiz on the show! https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks with Jeremy Strobel Jr on this episode as he cuts weight in preparation for his fight.  Jeremy fights out of Roufusport alongside Anthony & Sergio Pettis, Emmanuel Sanchez, Raufeon Stots, and others, he is destined to succeed in MMA. He shares some parts of his story with Darren on this episode. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.instagram.com/jstrobeljr/

Christian Natividad is an unbeaten fighter currently contracted to LFA. He is 8.0 overall and 3.0 as a professional. A wrestler with a jujitsu background, Christian is developing his stand-up game and has realized he hits like a truck, don't believe me, youtube him.  Christian works full-time as a manager for Titan Solar Power and also finds the time to train as a professional MMA fighter.  Enjoy my chat with Christian as we focus on his journey, goals, aspirations, and mindset.  https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks to NIGK Institute Founder Michael Dougherty on this episode.  Michael has played for Glentoran, Portadown, Crusaders, Larne, The Welders, PSNI, and others in a brilliant career spanning two decades. He has played in the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Cup also.  Michael currently is the Glasgow Rangers NI head Goalkeeper coach and is currently the goalkeeping coach for Ballyclare Comrades. Enjoy the show!

Cobey Fehr fights out of Xtreme Couture. He has a wrestling background and is putting in the work to improve his skills all the time. Cobey won his last fight on April 17th, 2021 and I am excited to see what the future holds for him. Cobey trains alongside such killers like Aljamain Sterling, Dan Ige, Kai Kamaka III, Ty Gwerder, Francis Ngannou & many more in the gym of the year in Las Vegas. Cobey moved to Vegas from Ohio after coming through Notre Dame College and winning state as a wrestler.  Enjoy the show!  https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren is joined by former Royal Marine, current SBG Rochdale & Wimp to Warrior UK head coach, Martin Stapleton. Martin shares some insight from his time in the Marines, the Mental Toughness & strength that acquired when serving his country. He also shares the beginning of his MMA Journey, training and copying moves in the gym when at Sea and on tour with work, before discussing SBG Rochdale & Wimp to Warrior UK. Martin has won gold for BAMMA and coaches several professional fighters. Enjoy the show! https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.instagram.com/stapes_50cal/?hl=en

Ritchie is the founder of Wimp to Warrior, an MMA training program that started out in his local gym before going worldwide and becoming a well-known global training system. Coach Kavanagh is a member of Wimp to Warrior, as is Martin Stapleton.  We discuss Ritchie's journey from London to Australia, founding Wimp to Warrior, Mindset, goals, aspirations, and his future plans with IMMAF Australia. https://www.instagram.com/richiecranny/?hl=en  https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast

Darren is joined by Pro MMA fighter, Domestic Violence advocate, Keynote speaker and, mother, Jamie Colleen on this episode to kick off MMA Mayhem. https://www.instagram.com/bad_mmama/ https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://twitter.com/ThePottscast

Richard Clarke has won it all in the Irish League. He won a League Cup & Irish Cup with Glentoran before moving to Crusaders and winning several league titles. Richard started his career at Omagh Town, before moving to Newry. He now Captains Ballinamallartd FC. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Frankie Weir is the Crusaders kit-man. He shares his story with the Crues, some funny moments with Jeff Spiers, Stephen Baxter, Paul Heatley, and others. Frankie has traveled with the club all across Europe, to Albania, The Faroe Islands, and of course, Wolverhampton. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren speaks with former Watford Defender & Captain, US International & Vancouver Whitecaps Captain Jay DeMerit about his career. We talk playoff goals, playing in the Premier League, The World Cup & MLS.  https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast https://twitter.com/ThePottscast

John Gall, FC Dallas Director of Coaching joins Darren on this episode of the Pottscast. John has an amazing story starting in Wales, he played in Oklahoma at the College level, then also in the ASL. John won State and National Titles at High School level before making the switch full time to FC Dallas, one of the biggest proponents of young talent in the US football (soccer) scene. This is a brilliant chat with a top coach. https://www.fcdallas.com/content/john-gall https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://twitter.com/ThePottscast

On this episode, Darren chats with current Vancouver Whitecaps & Canadian International footballer, Derek Cornelius. We talk about Derek's path into professional football via Germany & Serbia, his appearance at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland & current club, Vancouver Whitecaps. We talk about his mindset, journey, hopes, ambitions & much more on the show. We also discuss what Marc Dos Santos is like to play for, the fine line between winning and developing as a young professional player. https://twitter.com/ThePottscast https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/

Darren is joined by current Dungannon Swifts' player, Michael Carvill. Michael has won leagues with both Linfield (3) & Crusaders (2). Multiple Irish Cups & is one of the league's best-known attacking players. He started out as a forward coming up through St Andrews, Charlton Atheltic & Wrexham before deciding to come back to Northern Ireland and sign for Linfield. Michael shares stories and memories from his playing career on the show, he touches on his work with the IFA & also on the continuing development of the league as a whole. https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://twitter.com/ThePottscast

Darren chats to young MMA Pro Fighter, Scottie Stockman on this episode, we talk about his journey from Oregon, to Wisconsin, and everything in between. Scottie has a wrestling background, a boxing heritage through his family, and is now working under Duke Roufus at Roufusport alongside both the Pettis brothers, Anthony & Sergio, Raufeon Stots, and many more top fighters. Enjoy the show! https://linktr.ee/thepottscast https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast https://www.instagram.com/southsidemma/

Darren speaks with Crusaders keeper Sean O'Neill (Ogers) on this episode. Sean has won it all with Crusaders in the Irish league, League Titles,  the Irish Cup, The League Cup, Several Co Antrim Shields & of course, the historic All Ireland Setanta Cup. Sean has consistently been one of the best keepers in the league, he is a fan favorite, a changing room leader and a man who loves to win and work hard. Enjoy the show.  https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast

On this episode of The Pottscast, Darren speaks with MMA & UFC Veteran, Smilen' Sam Alvey. Sam has a huge fight coming up in Middleweight and we talk about his experiences so far, weight cuts, and why he is the YES man, agreeing to any fight, any time! https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepottscast

Darren speaks with Kamuela Kirk on this episode, fresh from a win in LFA in January, Kamuela is eyeing up a shot in the UFC during 2021. A Jujitsu veteran having started at 4 years of age, Kamuela's life revolves around fighting, working, and coaching in his family-owned gym, to aspirations of UFC gold, TheJawaiian has all the tools to make it to the top of the MMA world. We talk about his heritage, the Hawaiian fighters, his support system, mentality, and much more!  Enjoy the latest episode of MMA March Madness!  https://www.instagram.com/thejawaiian/ https://linktr.ee/thepottscast https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast

On this episode, Darren speaks with one of the world's best Bantamweight MMA Fighters, Raufeon Stots. We discuss, Raufeon's desire to learn, compete & develop, wrestling background, NCAA titles, the move to Roufusport, friendship with Sergio and Anthony Pettis and much more! This is an awesome conversation with 1 of the best in the world right now! A Bellator title shot is on the horizon. https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast https://www.instagram.com/thepottscast/ https://linktr.ee/thepottscast

Grant is making his Lightweight debut on March 20, 2021, in the UFC. 16 wins and 1 loss overall as a pro with 14, YES, FOURTEEN FINISHES! Grant is an Incredible fighter. He joins me on this episode to discuss his journey in MMA, future aspirations, and much more! https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast https://linktr.ee/thepottscast https://www.instagram.com/grantdawsonkgd

Darren speaks to Irish League legend, Michael Gault, on the episode of The Pottscast. Michael was a cornerstone of Linfield under David Jeffrey, going onto captain the side, he won 7 leagues and 7 Irish Cups with the Blues.  Several League Cups, an All-Ireland Setanta Cup, and multiple County Antrim Shield medals, also found their way into his trophy cabinet during his time with Linfield.  Michael also played for Portadown, Crusaders & Ballymena and we discuss those moments also.  He currently is the Manager for Linfield u18s after a very successful spell at Ballymacash Rangers.  Enjoy this chat with one of the best Linfield and The Irish League has ever produced. https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast https://twitter.com/ThePottscast https://www.instagram.com/

On this episode, Darren chats with Rhys McKee, Professional MMA Fighter, Gym Owner & personal trainer. Rhys has fought in Cage Warriors UK, UFC, and other promotions. Rhys owns STLTH in Ballymena, Nothern Ireland. His MMA has been an amazing story thus far, Trained by Rodney Moore, the sky is the limit for Rhys, I pick his brain about the fight world, weight cut, UFC treatment & the desire to develop. This is an amazing chat with a tremendous guest! Check out: https://www.instagram.com/stlth_/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepottscast https://www.instagram.com/rhysmckeemma/?hl=en

On this episode, Darren speaks to Ash Wilson, Podcast host for Cathedral of Sport and the Dialsquare podcast. Ash, is an author and is releasing his first book, "Good Citizen, Bad Citizen" - his rollercoaster journey supporting Edinburgh City FC. https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepottscast

Darren chats with Lachie Stuart, the Founder of the Man That Can Project. The core values are -

On this episode, Darren speaks with former Nottingham Forest, Ballyclare, Ballymena, Dungannon, Crusaders, and Ards player, Craig McClean. Craig has won the Irish League 3 times amongst other trophies. We talk about his career as a player and as a coach. Craig was ever-present in the Crusader's title-winning squads of 2014/15 & 2015/16. Enjoy the show.

Rory Patterson played across the Irish League and League of Ireland for a number of years with Derry City, Coleraine, Crusaders & Linfield. He also played professionally in England with Plymouth Argyle. Rory's shares his thoughts on his career on this episode, the famous Coleraine/Glentoran and Plymouth Incident, Sub then scoring the winner of the cup final for Derry City, moving to Crusaders and much more! https://www.facebook.com/ThePottscast

Darren chats to Alan Stein Jr on this episode about Alan's journey, his mindset, and experiences.  Alan can be found on all forms of social media @alansteinjr.  A little bit about Alan - Alan Stein, Jr. teaches proven strategies to improve organizational performance, create effective leadership, increase team cohesion and collaboration, and develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines. A successful business owner and veteran basketball performance coach, he spent 15 years working with the highest-performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant). In his corporate keynote programs and workshops, Alan reveals how to utilize the same approaches in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level. He delivers practical lessons that can be implemented immediately. His clients include American Express, Pepsi, Sabra, Starbucks, Charles Schwab, and Penn State Football, and many more. The strategies from Alan's book, Raise Your Game: High Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best, are implemented by corporate teams and sports teams around the world.

Darren speaks with current Crusaders defender Chris Hegarty about his football career thus far, from Dungannon, Chris grew up playing at the Dungannon academy before moving to London to play for Millwall, he then went North to Scotland to play for Glasgow Rangers under legendary Scottish Manager Walter Smith then goal-machine turned manager Ally McCoist. Upon returning back to Northern Ireland, Chris joined Linfield before moving to Dungannon, he won the league cup during his time at Stangmore, the club's first-ever senior trophy before heading back to Belfast to challenge himself and attempt to win more silverware at his current club, Crusaders FC.

Darren chats with a well-travelled defender, David Elebert on this episode. David has represented Hamilton, Fylkir, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Glenavon and Ards in leagues across Scotland, Iceland, Ireland and Nothern Ireland. David has won promotion to the SPL with Hamilton, Player of the season with Fylkir, 2 cups with Shamrock Rovers and an Irish Cup with Glenavon.  He has played professionally and semi-professionally and now has aspirations for management and coaching. Remember you can join the Facebook group here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepottscast

Darren is joined on this episode of the Pottscast by legendary ex Seattle Sounders winger, Steve Zakuani. Steve started his career at Arsenal under Academy Director, Liam Brady, before being scouted to go to Akron University in Ohio to play football at NCAA level, before being drafted (first, by the way) to Seattle Sounders. He played alongside Clint Dempsey, Freddie Ljungberg, and Kasey Keller to name a few. After a few superb seasons, Steve suffered a horrific injury. He required 9 surgeries but after 500 days, he made his return and played a few more years before retiring. We discuss his journey on the show. Steve's book - 500 Days, is available on Amazon.

Darren chats with "The Fighting Hawaiian" Kai Kamaka on this episode, we chat about his journey into the MMA world, his uncles were fighters, his Cousin, Ray Cooper III is the current PFA Welterweight Champion, we talk about how MMA and Fighting have always been a huge part of his life, we talk about how Kai has consistently bet on himself, not with cash, but with decisions, Kai accepted the invite for his UFC debut on 4 days notice after going through a war 10 days earlier in LFA, he won that debut fight, collecting a bonus for "Fight of the Night". Kai has aspirations to climb the division and ultimately win the gold. Enjoy MMA fans. 

On this first MMA episode of the Pottscast of 2021, Darren speaks to recently signed UFC Fighter Kevin Croom. Kevin won his debut within 31 seconds after taking the fight on late notice. Kevin is a unique, fun, and engaging person & an incredibly skilled fighter. Sit back, relax, listen, and enjoy as we discuss Kevin's journey and his mindset.

Aidan Wilson is a Crusaders defender, he started his career at Glasgow Rangers and made several first-team appearances under Pedro Caixinha. Aidan speaks to Darren on the show about his time at Rangers, playing internationally for Scotland and moving to Crusaders in Northern Ireland. Aidan is a player who, like fans, loves the big games. 

Michael Clarke is a broadcaster and commentator, he works for BBC Sport NI & Virgin Media Sport. Michael also runs a Radio Station and has his own show and podcast, The Score. Michael is a personal friend of mine, so this chat is something I have looked forward to, for a long time. Michael has commentated on Champions League, Europa League, and both Radio and Television matches. A fantastic role model for anyone wanting to get into the media industry. We talk about the Danske Bank Premier League, the Northern Irish Women's team, and much more!

Sean Ward is a stalwart of the Irish league, a player who has won the league title 4 times, and many other trophies including the Irish Cup, League Cup & Co Antrim Shield. The former Glentoran, Linfield, Crusaders, and current Glenavon player discuss some key moments of his career, some fond memories, player relationships, and much more.

Jared earned his UFC contract by winning during Dana White's Contender Series with a victory over Harry Hunsucker. Jared is a heavyweight and makes his debut at UFC 256 taking on Sergey Spivak, we chat with Jared about his journey, the contender series and get his thoughts on the current heavyweight division.

Bellator Middleweight, Ty "Savage" Gwerder, give Ty a follow on Instagram - @ty_gwerder. ⁠ ⁠Ever wanted to get inside the mind of a professional fighter? I get in Ty's head during our chat, motivations, support system & his journey from Football to MMA and Hawaii to Vegas, we discuss a variety of other topics too. ⁠ Ty fights out of Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas. ( @xcmma) ⁠ Ty discusses his diet before a fight, it's sure to make you laugh, his mindset before & during a fight, and gives us an update on his injury and recent surgery. ⁠ I am immensely proud of this podcast and chat, Ty is a phenomenal guest and cares deeply about the sport & his fans, be sure to check it out, his passion is infectious. ⁠

Darren is joined by Matt Piper, Matt discusses his time playing professional football at Leicester & Sunderland in the Premier League, his journey after retiring from the game & what he is doing now. Matt struggled with mental health, alcohol, and drugs post-retirement, he has released a book, "Out of the Darkness" (Available from Amazon) which chronicles his journey.