Don’t ask Maniac Mcghee to explain his style. While it is one without definition, it is not without discipline. As a student of the sport, and a student of life, Maniac Mcghee uses only what is useful and, as Bruce Lee suggests, he discards the rest. He didn’t get to where he is — ringing up knock-outs, signing sponsors, fighting for a living — overnight. He’s been grinding it out since he first stepped foot in the gym, and his humble determination inspires him to keep at it.
“Everyone always thinks that a star happens overnight. But they don’t see the years and years of grit. I could have been grinding in all these different aspects of life and it just so happens that one of those things shines through.”
When he was young, Maniac Mcghee would find fights out of anger. Life, it seemed, wasn’t kind or fair to him and his family. But, as he matured and started a family of his own, he realized he could draw strength from the obstacles he’s overcome, wield power with his ability to control an outcome, and be the dad to his children that he never had. With a clear understanding of his position as a role model to his kids, Maniac Mcghee is equally as committed to winning as he is to accepting defeat with grace.
“At any moment, anybody can be reduced back to where I started from. There’s just something that, for me, is super humbling yet gracious about that.”
Maniac Mcghee wouldn’t be the fighter, or the man, he is without the empathy he carries for his opponents. While in some cases it may be viewed as a weakness, Maniac Mcghee leverages it as a strength, knowing it allows him to unleash against an opponent in the spirit of sport instead of malice or vengeance. It is that empathy that allows him to flip the switch and do whatever is needed.
“I’m doing it out of love for everything I hold dear. I still want to knock my opponent out. I do. But I want him to be healthy, feel love, be appreciated and live a good life.”