This past Saturday night, Featherweight’s Dylan Tuke and Adam Ventre competed in one of the most highly anticipated bouts of 2016 at Shinobi 8 and the pair definitely didn’t fail to deliver.
The bout which served as the headline bout of the nineteen fight card, served as the perfect finish to a great night of action in the Olympia, Liverpool.
Irishman Tuke was able to defy the odds and bounce back from a tough first round to secure a rear naked choke in the second round and get his hand raised against a very game Adam Ventre.
And whilst picking up a win over a tough opponent like Ventre should have the Irishman grinning from ear to ear, for Tuke it wasn’t the performance he had wanted to put on.
“My performance was shocking, it was a bad performance on my behalf. I just didn’t feel right.”
“I really don’t know what it was but it just felt like day to day sparring, when I took the first shot I kinda woke up. But I’m glad I got the victory anyway.”
Hailing from Next Generation in Liverpool theres perhaps no surprise that Ventre possesses excellent grappling skills. However, it was his striking which stood out and put him on the front foot against Tuke in the first round.
But the striking of Ventre didn’t particularly shock the Irishman, who was more frustrated with his own striking.
“No I wasn’t really surprised by his striking. I was more surprised at mine it was a little bit semi par especially to what I am usually like. Anyone who trains with me knows that. I can’t say it enough but I just didn’t feel right in there. No excuses, but something wasn’t right.”
A perfectionist like Tuke will perhaps never be fully satisfied with his performances, although one thing he was able to show during the fight was his heart and determination in turning round a bad position to coming back and picking up the victory.
Having been fighting since the age of just twelve years old and joining SBG at sixteen, Tuke is fully aware of just how tough he is and his ability to overcome a tough situation was never in doubt for him.
“It was good to show that heart and adversity that I knew I had in the bag. I grew up fighting. I’m tough, I know I’m tough and I proved that on Saturday.”
Going into the bout there was a number of social media exchanges between Tuke and Ventre and also Ventre’s main training partner Paddy Pimblett. But with the dust settled and the fight now behind them, Tuke has no ill-feelings between the pair from the Next Generation gym.
“The Next Generation guys are cool. What was said was said, I don’t say things I don’y mean. But it was just some banter there is no hardship between us. Both of us were striving to get to the top.”
Tuke had been due to fight on the rescheduled #BAMMA26 fight card which takes place on 10th September, but he has been left without an opponent and instead will take the time to recover some nagging injures he endured in the lead up to this fight.
“Well basically my opponent has already pulled out of the fight and I haven’t been offered a replacement. He (Adam Jahovic) got his orbital broken in a K1 fight, which is funny because I would of whopped his ass on the feet.”
“I got the cut above my right eye in the fight after we clashed heads but other than that I”m fresh. Well other than my hand which is broken in two places, so I am going to take the time off to rest and reflect.”
Although Tuke won’t be fighting on BAMMA’s return to Ireland in September he is keen to get another fight in by the end of the year and given his five fight contract is excited to return to the BAMMA cage.
“I would like to fight in October or November for BAMMA, I have a five fight contract with them and I am looking forward to fighting for them again.”
Dylan would like to thank his sponsors Dethrone for their support.
Be sure to follow Dylan on twitter @DylanTuke
Since speaking with Dylan, Shinobi have now released the full fight footage which can be viewed in the video below;