Irish MMA star looking for Hallowe'en treat on the biggest night of his career

While most of us will be dishing out sweets and enduring good-natured pranks on Hallowe'en night, Cork's Brian Manning will be spending October 31st in a very different way.

Namely, he will be fighting in front of over 10,000 people in Munich at OKTAGON 96.

Six years ago, something like this would have been completely out of the realm of possibility for the proud Rebel native. A latecomer to MMA, Manning only made his professional debut in 2024 at the age of 29.

He stormed through the first six fights of his career, winning all by stoppage or submission.

Then came the first stumbling block in June of this year, when he was edged out on decision by Robert Pukac.

Such a disappointment could stop many in their tracks. For Manning, it was an opportunity to get back to the drawing board and lock in once again.

"I handled it well, and I did the things that I should have done long ago," he says just days before his bout.

"The areas that I was weak in - I've corrected them.

"My first loss in three years, I went on a 10-five win streak, and I hadn't lost since the amateurs, so it was the first loss as a professional and I did not like.

"It was a horrible feeling. I do not want to feel it again. I went back to the drawing board. I corrected the things that needed correcting, and you'll see a different animal here on fight-night You'll see... the things that I wasn't doing in the last fight, I'll be doing in this fight."

Continuing, the 31-year-old middleweight said: "It actually was a blessing in disguise. As much as it was a painful loss, I did learn a lot from it, and I've sort of corrected things, and went back to the drawing board.

"If I'd gotten a big knockout win, I might've thought everything was grand and it would've maybe papered over the cracks if you know what I mean?"Whereas now, I think I'll be a different animal going forward because I've corrected myself now in the grappling area, whereas I'm already a threat in the stand-up, on the feet when I'm boxing, when I'm kicking, I'm very dangerous. They're all afraid to strike with me."

Next up for Manning on his return is Marek Bartl, though he has a different name and a not altogether flattering description for the Czech star."Fartel I like to call him because he's a little fart," he laughs."He's a big old journeyman is what he is. And what I expect from him is the same as what I expect from all of them, shooting takedowns in 10/15 seconds. That's what I expect from him."

Manning is not someone who does anything by half-measures. Last year, he travelled over 1,700km to confront his opponent Pukac after a planned staredown in the cage fell through.

He doesn't like leaving things to the judges either...

"I love finishes. I absolutely love it. It's like the best drug on the planet. It's the most addictive drug in the planet, knocking a fella dead, you can't beat it. I got a couple of submissions and It wasn't the same."

He pulls out all the stops for his entrances too. The "clown in the circus" as he calls himself during our chat, Manning has wowed audiences with his Joker and Saw inspired entrances, going viral with each accruing millions of views around the World.

Saturday's fight falls on Hallowe'en night, and Manning has something special planned for the occasion.

"Very, very special. It's a Halloween f*****g night. It's Halloween night. Has to be something horror, something f***** up. Has to be something messed up, you know what I mean? And it will be."

The 'treat' he hopes for on October 31st is a big win and a step closer to the top of the sport. He's desperate to see OKTAGON - a promotion that has taken Europe by storm - come to Ireland, and knows that he can play a big role in bringing the promotion to these shores.

"I put the work in, because you can do all the visualization, you can do all the the the f*****g optimistic living, but you have to put in the grind and that's what I do.

"I work harder than everyone else, and it's showing now. No hiding from a bump in the road in my last fight, but I'm destined to go to the top of the game. I'm destined to be a world champion, and I will be a world champion."