Shay Walsh '˜gutted' after knockout defeat to Tom Duquesnoy in BAMMA main event

Shay Walsh admitted he was 'gutted' after seeing his big night end in a knockout defeat.
Shay Walsh.Shay Walsh.
Shay Walsh.

Lancaster’s mixed martial arts star was stopped by Tom Duquesnoy in the first round of their BAMMA 25 main event in Birmingham on Saturday night, the Frenchman adding Walsh’s bantamweight title to his featherweight crown.

A vicious right elbow from the hot prospect brought the contest to an end after one minute and 15 seconds.

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Walsh, who slipped to 14-4 with the defeat, said; “I’m gutted but it’s just part of the game.

“I trained so hard and I was ready to go but things can change so quickly.

“There wasn’t much I could do about it. I just got caught.

“My mind was willing to fight but my body had shut off and it was over.”

Duquesnoy’s devastating finish summed up the fine line between risk and reward in one of the fastest growing sports on the planet.

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Walsh said: “Everyone knows that can happen in our sport and it’s the worst taste I’ve had of it.

“I trained so hard but then things went against me so quickly.

“There’s always a risk that can happen.

“I guessing that’s why people think it’s so exciting and why it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the world.”

With victory, Duquesnoy extended his record to 13-1 and took his place as one of the most talked about stars in Europe, not that losing to a rising star made Walsh feel any better.

He said: “It doesn’t console me at all to be honest.

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“I was really up for it and knew what people thought of him going into the fight. 
“I wanted to take that from him. There were a lot of eyes on the fight and I was confident I was going to beat him.

“I’m still confident I could beat him but I just got caught.”

The Lancaster and Morecambe MMA fighter is now looking forward to spending time with his fiancée and young son having spent most of the build up out in Thailand training at the prestigious Tiger Muay Thai gym in Phuket.