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“We saw a few holes in his game. I thought he was going to be a lot more aggressive than he was. So when he was staying going tit for tat kind of threw my game plan off. One thing I did know what, when he ends up shooting, he reaches,” Carrier told Cageside Press following the buzzer-beater win.

“I have a good guillotine. Haven’t gotten to show it off in my fights yet. When he did that I was like, ‘Now’s the time.’ I took it and I capitalized on it Thank God. God was in my corner on that one”

Carrier (4-1) started his career off in 2017, but a series of events between injuries, world events, and a growing family, had to deal with a long layoff. Since his return in 2024 he’s 3-1 and looking to go all in now.

“Feel good. Thank God I came out on the other side. 4-1 after a big layoff, six-and-a-half year layoff, can’t be more happy. Onto the next,” he said.

Onto the next indeed, but when would that be for the 32-year-old from Rochester, NY? There’s a happy family at home to which he owes some time to.

“I’m not a young man anymore. I got to go all or nothing. The game plan was two more win. I’d like to still relish in this but you hang your hat on something for too long this sh*t passes you by,” he said.”

“Loose game plan going into this was August, November. I already promised my wife and kids this next week is all for them. Right now family time and then it’s back to work the following week.”

Watch the entire post-fight interview with Kevin Carrier above.

The post Kevin Carrier, “I got to go all or nothing”, Looking At Aug Or Sept Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

Round 1 McIntosh tried to put the pressure on, but Carrier was ready to match the energy in the middle. Leg kicks from McIntosh early on with Carrier switching stances constantly to give him different looks.

McIntosh continued to invest in the leg kicks with Carrier look for the right hand counters. Carrier started working his kicks to the body to try to get those hands down low. McIntosh started working his jab and mixing them up with his kicks. They came in close and McIntosh grabbed Carrier in the clinch taking him to the fence, but Carrier was not going to give the takedown up easily.

McIntosh was having issues lifting Carrier so the latter took the opportunity to land some shots to the body. Attacking the body while going right back to fishing for the under hook on the right side of Carrier’s. McIntosh figured he was going nowhere so he broke off and landed a 1-2 shortly after.

Carrier stayed disciplined with the high guard blocking a couple head kicks. Carrier then went in a clinch of his own on the fence, but he bailed and then McIntosh went in with two shots and a kick. Round ended with Carrier landing some teep kicks.

Round 2 Carrier came out looking to put the pressure on McIntosh forcing him to the back foot and putting together some big shots. Carrier caught a body kick landing a clean left hand counter.

McIntosh went at Carrier landing some angry shots to the body after forcing him to the fence. Carrier grabbed him to stop the onslaught and McIntosh took the opportunity to shoot for the takedown. Carrier stuffed it and landed shots on him before McIntosh backed up.

McIntosh must have been told to put his foot on the gas with his offense, but he decided to do it in spurts. Carrier then got in close landed some heavy shots up top. McIntosh with a big right hand with Carrier going back to attacking the body. Round ended with McIntosh blitzing Carrier a bit with strikes up top.

Round 3 the fight was super close going into the third round. McIntosh sped up a bit more with his strikes constantly popping the jab out before Carrier shot in for a takedown but got caught in a guillotine choke. McIntosh bailed on the choke and dropped for a takedown, but then ate numerous elbows to the head and the back.

Feeling the damage McIntosh bailed on the position and went back to striking. Nothing heavy, but then Carrier landed a big time right hand up top. It felt all fight long like Carrier just didn’t follow up on the big shots he landed.

McIntosh seemed to be cruising halfway through the last round of the fight. Carrier still worked the pressure, but just wasn’t putting a lot together. An eye poke suffered by Carrier forced a time out and a warning from the referee.

After a couple minutes the action resumed with Carrier looking for a fight finisher. McIntosh wasn’t letting him breathe forcing him to the fence, landing shots, and finally scoring a big takedown.

Carrier grabbed the neck on the way down! The guillotine locked in McIntosh had no choice but to tap. Kevin Carrier found the finish to get back into the winner’s column.

Official Result: Kevin Carrier def. Dey McIntosh via R3 SUB (Guillotine), 4:34

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Imagine taking your first professional fight for a rather large MMA promotion. You go in, you win, and you don’t fight again for over 2000 days.

“So in that Bellator fight I ended up breaking both hands. The athletic commission suspended me. I had a really good performance, I’m finally getting paid to go compete, I was like I need to still compete now,” he said.

“I went and took a grappling match. I won that, but in the process I tore my ACL. They said it was a potential tear the first look I had at it. They said a couple months of PT. Six months go by and it’s not getting any better.”

That second look revealed the grim truth. That ACL was gone.

“They’re like. ‘you have no ACL whatsoever’. I ended up biting the bullet, getting the ACL surgery, about a year of recovery,” said Carrier.

If that wasn’t enough his recovery timeline lined up perfectly with the COVID pandemic. Shortly after getting the fight lined up the pandemic hit and cities around the world began to shut down.

Not great for someone who already had a very long layoff due to injury, but you roll with the punches. Sometimes you also roll with some rather large life changes as well.

“Everything was kind of shut down over here. My wife and I we decided to try out Florida. When we were out there we found out that we were pregnant so we ended up coming right back to New York. My son needed surgery so MMA kind of took a back seat,” said Carrier.

“I kept training all the while, but not like a competitor. Then we ended up having a second son so it definitely took a back seat.”

Now with a happy family set in Rochester, not far from where LFA 211 is taking place, Carrier is back in on MMA. In Salamanca he’ll face McIntosh who is making his LFA debut against Carrier.

“Dey’s a very dangerous opponent. He’s well-rounded, but I think he makes some critical errors. I think he’s a young kid. I can kind of draw some of those things out of him and capitalize on them. Very dangerous fight, but looking forward to getting after it,” he said.

“There’s always pressure. Having kids there’s always pressure to get out unscathed. You want to come back home in one piece, but I’m also at an age where it’s like if I’m going to do it, I gotta do it with a exclamation point.”

End of the day it’s all about the win for Carrier on Friday night.

“I’m looking for excellence, but if need be, I’m ready for a war,” he said.

A win gets him to 4-1, and hopefully some mic time and a camera to speak into.

“I just want to stay active right now. LFA’s been really good to me. Ideally I stay working with them. Just the biggest opportunity that comes next,” he said.

“I’m kind of sick of being on these prelims so it’d be nice to get one one of those fight passes. Whatever opportunity comes next I’m going to seize it.”

Watch the entire interview with Kevin Carrier above. He takes on Dey McIntosh at LFA 211 this Friday night June 20 from Salamanca, NY.

The post Kevin Carrier: “I’m looking for excellence, but if need be, I’m ready for a war” At LFA 211 appeared first on Cageside Press.