New attitude

Matt Veal promises excitement.

The local mixed martial artist, who fights at 145 pounds, says if nothing else people should expect to see an exciting bout when he steps into the cage at the Winnipeg Convention Centre on Friday, Oct. 8. Veal (6-5) is fighting under the Canadian Fighting Championship promotion at CFC 6 and will take on Alex Ferrer (1-3).

Veal, who trains out of the Leading Edge Gym in Thunder Bay, is a well-rounded fighter who says his wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and striking skills are strong enough to make him feel comfortable no matter where the fight ends up. Along with providing comfort, his well-rounded skills also make his fights move at an appealing pace for spectators.

"I don’t care about winning or losing, I care about going in and just having fun and putting on an exciting show," Veal said. "Right now I really just don’t care (about the outcome). I just want to go in there and have fun and beat Alex up from the feet up.

"He’s in for a long night."

Not being concerned about the outcome doesn’t mean Veal isn’t actively working toward a win. He said he isn’t going to stress over the outcome of the fight.

It is an attitude that has developed with experience.

Veal brings a lot of experience with him to Winnipeg. At only 23-years-old he’s already had 11 professional fights. While preparing for earlier fights Veal said the pressure of adding a win to his record always seemed to weigh him down. It was unnecessary pressure that likely came from his youth and his then lack of experience.

"I’ve always (gone into fights) prepared physically, but I wasn’t paying attention to the mental game," he said. "I wasn’t paying attention to the stresses of competing professionally. Competing in the spotlight can throw a lot of stress on you."

Youth and inexperience is no longer an issue. Veal has been training at the Leading Edge Gym for nearly five years, and has been fighting competitively for almost four. With 11 fights on his record he is one of the most experienced fighters to train out of the Thunder Bay club.

"The most dangerous person is the person who doesn’t care and just wants to go in there and do what they do," he said. "That’s the person I’m going to be on Oct. 8."

Momentum is also on Veal’s side and he heads to Winnipeg following a decisive win against a strong opponent.

In May Veal fought under the Great Lakes Combat Association promotion. He won his fight against Wes Ronchi, a fighter who was at the time ranked sixth in Wisconsin. Veal ended the fight after a minute-and-a-half in the first round via guillotine choke.

The victory was both beneficial to Veal’s record and proof that the his new mature attitude was producing positive results.

"I’m carrying the momentum from that fight and I’m looking to turn that up and make it an exciting fight in Winnipeg."

No live broadcast has been announced for CFC 6. More information about the card is available on the promotion’s website.