Ebanie Bridges reveals her ideal next opponent and gives insight into what Conor McGregor is really like
Exclusive with Ebanie Bridges: “F**k the haters” Conor McGregor says “I’m taking over”
Also discusses her OnlyFans, Alycia Baumgardner’s failed tests, Katie Taylor’s trainer, and Leeds United FC
Speaking exclusively to LuckyBlock.com, IBF female bantamweight title holder Ebanie Bridges discussed everything from getting back into the ring, how her OnlyFans has saved her career, and how working with Conor McGregor is giving her the support to really push on.
On collaborating with the ‘caring’ Conor McGregor and why he needs to be careful from ‘extreme’ pressure of media
EB: “Conor's team reached out to me and just asked me if I was going to the AJ fight and then if I was interested in collaborating. He is so caring and he just wants everyone to be okay. He’s really caring and obviously he’s the life of the party, isn't he? But while he's doing all that, he's definitely thinking of others around him and just making sure everyone's okay, so that was probably something people don't see. He’s nice, fun, supportive and really, really positive. But I do feel sorry for him in a sense, especially in public. There’s so much pressure and he could probably never just be Conor McGregor, like properly. Do you know what I mean? Especially in public – I get that a little bit but not to his scale – all the security around him and always having to be careful what you say, it’s very extreme.
Why McGregor is an inspiration and why she’s judged for her ‘sexiness’
“Conor has not given me any specific business advice, but he just supports me. He always encourages me to keep doing what I'm doing. He says things like ‘you’re taking over’ and has said that kind of stuff to me for over a year. He always supports whatever I'm doing. So f**k the haters. He's just so supportive, and obviously he is an inspiration, and you look up to someone like him with the brand that he's built and the success he’s made. I know that I put in a lot of work to be where I am, so I can only imagine the work that he puts in. And really it's all about being yourself with a dash of something extra. Conor is the character you see, he is like that, but you’re obviously always going to be a little bit more showbiz. But the main thing is, you still stay true to yourself, because you can't go out there and be a completely different person, and just be acting the whole time.
“There's obviously another side of me as well, which people don't see, which only close friends and family see. As a famous person it’s important for me to keep some things private, you don't want everyone to know all the ins and outs. They look at me and how I dress and how I use my femininity – I don't mind being sexy – but then people just judge me on that. I suppose it’s human nature to think that because she shows off her, she's a slag, but I'm not like that at all. I’m very old school and very intimate. I’m very private in that sense but I have to do what I have to do for business. I’m a caring person and a giving person. Don’t judge a book by its cover. But they continue to judge but I don’t care because I'm making money.”
Why if it wasn’t for OnlyFans I’d be working at McDonald’s
EB: “I'm in the top 0.1% of earners on OnlyFans. I haven't had a paycheck from boxing since December f***ing 2022, so I suppose, thank f*** for OnlyFans, otherwise I'd be working at f***ing McDonald's or something in order to support myself over here. so thank God for only fans, because it keeps me going, and it keeps me being able to train at the gym full time and saves me from not having to go get a second job, because I'm not getting paid, because I'm not boxing, it just helps me with my life, It helps me set up my future. God willing I have children, it helps set up their future. I think the people that judge me for OnlyFans and what I do on OnlyFans clearly haven't subscribed, because if they did, they wouldn't be talking the shit that they talk. It's exclusive content. And you get to chat with me there and I enjoy it. I enjoy getting to know my fans. So people can complain as much as they want.”
Why her priority right now is to ‘bash some bitches’
EB: “My priority right now is to bash some bitches. I want to defend my belt because I've put my life on hold waiting to box. I can't travel. I can't eat, I can't go home and see my family. I can't do all these things because I'm in camp and always training, and always making sure I'm staying fit and ready, so I can get a fight. It's very hard.”
“I think I'm deserving of a voluntary after not getting a voluntary and being forced to fight my mandatory straight away, and also coming off an injury. If I was to fight in America, I'd like to fight Avril Mathie because: I think it would be a great fight for both of us. It's a fight that will bring a lot of attention, a lot of eyes on the sport. She's a swimwear model as well, and she's got a great record, she's a tough fighter, Australian, she comes to fight, and I know that she'll come into the fight wanting to win, and I think it would just be a really good fight got women's boxing to bring eyes on it, and to show two females going hard at it.”
“I don't need boxing to make money. But that’s not the point, I have a bigger goal which is to be undisputed, and that keeps me focused on what I want to do, and that keeps me doing all these sacrifices day in and day out. Being away from my family, not going traveling with my friends, not eating out for dinners and stuff like that, because I have to keep weight. It’s f***ed because the amount of times that I wanted to go back home but I can't afford that time out. I’m frustrated.”
Why Alycia Baumgardner drugs test is a “hard one for to explain”
EB: “Because the drug testing is so sensitive now, people are getting popped a lot more, whether it be through speckles of contamination or it's because they've done a fucking cycle, and they've timed the detection wrong. Do you know what I mean? Whatever it is.The main thing and good thing is people are getting found out.
“That stack that she's taken is a very common bodybuilding stack. I was an ex-bodybuilder, and it's a very common bodybuilding stack for women, so it's going to be a hard one for her to explain, but if she is innocent, thenI hope she gets justice, but if not, then I hope her opponents get justice. all I want is the truth. And in time it should come out.”
Why Katie Taylor should change trainers
EB: “I don't think that Katie Taylor beats Cameron. I don’t even think she can beat Chantelle at her own weight, I think she’s too good for her.
“Katie has done amazing things for the sport, but she probably could look at changing her team up a little bit, because I don't think that she has made a lot of changes or improvements over the years. She's an amazing fighter, and she hasn't really had to make too many changes, so that's fair. But I mean, maybe spicing things up and changing trainers, or something like that, might give her something new.”
Why Leeds belong in the Prem
EB: “We all love to hope with Leeds. Leeds are very good at disappointing their fans, but I do hope we only spend one year down here in the Championship and we build our way back up. Because I think Leeds is a key team to be in the Premier League. Leeds being in the Premier League makes everything more exciting because everyone f***ing hates us, so it just makes it exciting. And our rivals will agree, so I think Leeds is a Premier League team.”
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